Your body responds very quickly to MCT because it is rapidly absorbed and converted into energy enabling your body to perform at higher endurance and with greater energy. This boost of energy increases the metabolism and therefore promotes thermogenics (an increase in energy use due to increase heat).
During a cycling study of three hours in duration, all the candidates who were given a beverage containing MCT oil , completely out performed the other candidates who had not had MCT oil.
This increase in performance not only helps athletic performance but also boosts cognitive support which is why it is good for people who rely heavily on brain power and mental clarity for making big business decisions.
Also for anyone feeling tired during the day or lagging in energyTry adding a spoon of MCT oil to your diet; this will give you a boost to perk up the rest of your day. (Whisk it into your afternoon coffee!)
Great for improving the immune system and healing too- speeding up and enhancing the rate at which our body protects itself and sends nourishment to the affected areas.
MCT reduces appetite.
MCTs have also been shown to improve satiety of meals, meaning you feel fuller, quicker, making you less likely to over-eat and ingest too many calories.
MCTs maintain muscle mass:MCT as I mentioned , make up mother milk, mother’s milk is the best and most nutritious form of food, and healthy babies are the ones who remain on breast milk rather than formula. MCT is nature’s premium building blocks.Breast-fed children have stronger immune systems, are less prone to allergies, better digestive functions and are shown to develop higher intelligenceAnother important ingredient of breast milk is Lauric Acid-, which is another component of coconut oilMCT to prevent muscle break down (catabolism).
MCT promotes the production of ketones, which are used as an energy source in the muscles before amino acids- (protein), ordinarily without ketones our muscle can be broken down and used as fuel by the body especially in endurance activities. Long distance cycling and running, iron mans etc.
Secondly, the MCT acts as an amino acid ‘carrier’, helping to assimilate proteins inside the muscle, which further aids in preventing the muscle itself from being broken down and used as fuel for energy.
MCTs have also been shown to delay muscle glycogen depletion, (energy stored in the muscle itself), as the MCT is a preferred use of energy source over glycogen as a fuel thereby preserving muscle glycogen and improving endurance.
In short MCT helps to protect the muscle in the absence of carbohydrates or fuel .
Other perks:Increasing MCT oils in your diet may also increase your libido.
Dosage:As for dosage, as always these things are individual, gradually introduce it into your diet a tablespoon at every meal and see how you respond. Coconut oil you can cook with but regular MCT oil should never be cooked with add it to your coffee and whisk it up as I do or put on salads or vegetables prior to eating.
Most people who attempt to eat a lot of MCT find that past a certain point, it makes them nauseous and or diarrhea, so for practical purposes, especially if you are using it prior to a race be careful! This is not a good sign and could mean that the liver has been overloaded and so by passing the liver it has been evacuated. A very expensive experiment.Use your common sense and listen to your body.