The Benefits Of MCT Oil And How It Works

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Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT oil) offer many different health benefits, such as boosting energy, protecting your skin, improving your mood, helping weight loss, optimizing digestion, increasing cognitive functions, strengthening your immune system, and several others. However, there are a handful of side effects that can occur if MCT oil is taken in excessive amounts. This is due to the oil’s large concentration of active ingredients and powerful chemical compounds. These possible side effects include headaches, hormonal fluctuations, mood swings, fatigue, inflammation, loss of appetite, anxiety, and gastrointestinal distress. For the desired benefits, only a very small amount of MCT oil is needed, so be sure to only use the oil in moderation, or diluted somehow.

 

WHAT IS MCT OIL?

So what exactly is MCT oil? MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides. These are also known as medium-chain fatty acids, and are widely considered to be nutrients that are beneficial for the body. These fatty acids are thought to be “good” types of fat, which have a wide variety of benefits, such as strengthening the immune system and boosting the metabolism. The medium-chain fatty acids are lauric acid, caprylic acid, and caproic acid. All of these are found in coconut oil as well, which is why people often confuse the two oils. While coconut oil provides a good list of health benefits, for anyone who wants a stronger dose of immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant fatty acids, MCT oil would be the better choice.

 

MCT OIL BENEFITS

MCT oil can be quite effective for anyone struggling with poor digestive health, low energy, slow metabolism, hormonal fluctuations, obesity, Alzheimer’s, dementia, inflammatory conditions, or diabetes. It also has benefits for people who at a high risk for cardiovascular disease.

 

IMMUNE SYSTEM

MCT oil can help improve your immune system thanks to the antimicrobial qualities of caprylic acid and lauric acid. Quite a bit of research has been done on linking these to improved overall health. There is a result of increased immune activity and production of white blood cells in the body, while the effects of antioxidants from these acids help reduce levels of oxidative stress.

 

INCREASES ENERGY LEVELS

An increase in energy levels is another benefit of MCT oil, as well as the direct stream of ketones and ATP from the rapid conversion of MCTs to energy. Rather than the over twenty steps that sugar normally takes to be converted into energy, the C-8 medium-chain fatty acids can become usable energy in just three steps. This provides your body with rapid support and invigorates you.

 

IMPROVES DIGESTION

MCT oil has antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory qualities as well that can help improve digestion, along with balancing the micro-environment of your stomach. This helps prevents symptoms of constipation, bloating, and cramping, along with any viral or parasitic infections.

 

CONTROLS OBESITY

The metabolism of your body is sped up as a result of the fatty acids in the MCT oil converting into energy. This helps with passive burning of fat, as well as general efficiency of the body to burn calories. Research has indicated that MCTs can prevent fat deposition by the body, rather than becoming pure forms of energy.

 

BOOSTS HEART HEALTH

Obesity is one of the biggest factors that lead to heart problems and cardiovascular disease. The effect of low-fat deposition that MCT oil provides gives people a better chance of staying slim, which typically keeps blood pressure lower, as well as lower overall cholesterol levels. It may seem that consuming fats would be counterintuitive to a healthy heart, however, most MCTs are what are considered to be “good” fats that you actually need in your daily diet.

 

PREVENTS DIABETES

MCTs have also been known to aid in controlling blood sugar, mainly by preventing deposition of fat, and instead storing sugars in energy sources and muscle. Considering the benefit of MCT oil in helping to control obesity, optimize digestion, and increase your body’s metabolism, MCT oil is beneficial to not only people who deal with diabetes but to people who may be at high risk for diabetes as well.

 

IMPROVES COGNITIVE FUNCTION

It’s thought that one of the areas of the body that benefits the most from small medium-chain fatty acids being converted directly into ketones in the brain. By protecting and providing energy to neural pathways, the ketones that are produced as a result of taking in MCT oil can diminish the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and dementia, as well as other neurodegenerative diseases, by providing the brain with energy for memory retention, focus, and concentration.

 

MAINTAINS HORMONE BALANCE

The role fats play in creating hormones is one of their critical purposes in the body. By including MCTs, or “good fats,” in your diet, your body can produce the hormones that you need most in order to maintain a good mood, keep your body’s metabolism high, and help prevent hormonal disorders and depression.