Diet & Fitness

Medium chain triglycerides (MCT) contain a class of fatty acids found only in very small amounts in the diet; they are more rapidly absorbed and burned as energy than are other fats.³ For this reason, athletes have been interested in their use, especially during prolonged endurance exercise. However, no effect on carbohydrate sparing or endurance exercise performance has been shown with moderate amounts of MCT (30 to 45 grams over two to three hours).^4,5 Controlled trials using very large amounts of MCT (approximately 85 grams over two hours) have resulted in both increased and decreased performance,^6,7 while a double-blind trial found that 60 grams per day of MCT for two weeks had no effect on endurance performance.⁸ A controlled study found increased performance when MCTs were added to a 10% carbohydrate solution,⁶ but another study found no advantage of adding MCT,¹⁰ and a third trial actually reported decreased performance with this combination, probably due to gastrointestinal distress, in athletes using MCTs.⁷

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) contain fatty acids that have six to twelve carbon units and are found mainly in coconut and palm oils. Studies in which people with type 2 diabetes replaced usual long-chain fatty acid sources with MCT oils indicate its potential benefits. In a pilot trial, getting 31% of per day calories from MCTs for five days led to reduced post-meal blood glucose levels and appeared to strengthen insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes.¹⁰ Other preliminary research noted 30 days of getting 18% of per day calories from MCTs led to slight improvement in post-meal blood glucose control but no other measurable changes in glucose metabolism.¹¹ A controlled trial found moderately overweight people with type 2 diabetes who took 18 grams per day of MCTs for 90 days had decreased insulin resistance, greater weight loss, and more reduction in waist circumference than those who took long-chain triglycerides.¹²