Harriet Walker; Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Accredited Sports Dietitian. A leader in the sports nutrition space within Australia, specialising in strength sports.
Coconut, extra virgin olive, CBD…oils can be a confusing category within the realm of wellness - but MCTs (or medium-chain triglycerides) are an ingredient that you can feel good about using.
MCTs aren’t like your standard cooking oils. They’re a class of saturated fats that are found in coconut oil, palm oil, and dairy fat, and if you’re looking to boost your metabolism and lose body fat, then MCTs are worthy of a place in your diet.
Here’s how they can benefit your health:
✓ Enhanced satiety and reduced energy consumption
When it comes to weight loss, energy balance is king - and satiety and appetite can have a massive influence on your calorie intake. MCTs have been found to increase feelings of satiety, helping to curb your appetite and prevent you from reaching for that cupcake at morning tea or that 3pm Freddo Frog.
One study had participants consume a breakfast smoothie containing three varieties of oil: MCT oil, coconut oil, or vegetable oil. Following their smoothies, subjects recorded their appetite rating and were presented with lunch three hours later. The group that consumed MCT oil were found to have reduced food intake compared to both the coconut and vegetable oil.
If you’re struggling to control your appetite or feel full after meals, MCTs may help. It’s just one of the ingredients that we’ve used to bolster the effects of your daily coffee habit with our Clean Coffee. In addition to naturally fat-burning and energy-boosting Columbian single-origin coffee, Clean Coffee combines MCT, apple cider vinegar and Bluenesse to increase mental clarity and focus and aid digestion. With no added sugar and only 13 calories per sachet, it’s an easy way to get more out of your daily coffee.
✓ Improved metabolic rate
One of the most promising benefits of MCTs is their ability to improve your metabolic rate, helping to burn more energy throughout the day. One study gave women both medium- and long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) over a 7-day period and found that an MCT-enriched diet increased total energy expenditure.
MCT may also increase the amount of energy that the body uses to digest food, also known as the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF). Another study overfed a group of participants both MCTs and LCTs and found that the group who received excess energy from MCTs stored less fat.
Think of these kinds of increased energy expenditure as the cherry on top of your wellness regime: it’s a great way to enhance the hard work that you’re putting in to keep your nutrition and training on track to achieve your goals.
