Medium Chain Triglycerides To Lose Weight

Most dieters adopt a low-fat diet when trying to lose weight, following the recommendations of doctors, health-care practitioners and governmental health authorities. Americans have reduced their fat intake over recent decades, according to the April 2011 issue of "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," yet obesity rates have been steadily climbing and have now reached epidemic proportions. Some diet programs advocate high-fat diets -- especially rich in a type of fat called medium-chain triglycerides -- not only to help people lose weight but also to reduce cardiovascular diseases and prevent or control diabetes.

Medium-Chain Triglyecerides

Fats are classified according to the length of their molecules, and medium-chain fatty acids fall in between short-chain fatty acids and long-chain fatty acids. Medium-chain triglycerides, or MCTs, comprise between eight and 14 carbon atoms and include caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid and myristic acid. MCTs do not go through the same metabolic pathway as other fats and bypass a few steps that long-chain fatty acids go through; long-chain fatty acids are predominant in the diets of most Americans and include animal fats and vegetable oils.

Food Sources

Chances are your very first food as an infant provided you with MCTs, which is naturally present in breast milk. MCTs have antimicrobial properties and can help infants prevent or fight off infections more easily. Only two foods apart from human milk contain MCTs: coconut oil and palm kernel oil. Palm kernel oil shouldn't be confused with palm oil, which does not contain MCTs. Coconut oil is now easily available at most grocery stores or health food stores. Other coconut products, such as fresh coconut meat, coconut milk and dessicated coconut, also contain MCTs, but coconut oil is the most concentrated source of these precious fats. One astonishing property of coconut oil and MCT-rich fats is that they can facilitate weight loss.

Increased Metabolism

A study done with overweight men added 2 tbsp. of an MCT-rich oil for 28 days and 2 tbsp. of olive oil, which contains a long-chain fatty acid, for another 28 days. The results published in the March 2003 issue of "Obesity Research" showed that supplementing their diet with an MCT-rich oil significantly increased their energy expenditure and fat oxidation rate compared to olive oil. In other words, MCT fats can boost your metabolism and promote fat burning. Dr. Mary Enig, a biochemist and expert on fats and oils, explains that MCTs are not accumulated in your body fat stores in her book "Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils, and Cholesterol."

Add MCT Fats to Your Diet

If you want to try to add medium-chain triglycerides to your diet and help you with your weight loss, stock up on coconut oil. Choose a good-quality organic virgin coconut oil for a pure, chemical-free oil with a pleasant coconut taste. Replace your usual fat with coconut oil, whether it is for sautéing vegetables, cooking your meat or even in baked goods. You can also melt coconut oil and use it to make salad dressing. If you enjoy peanut butter, mix it with equal amounts of melted coconut oil and let it set for a few hours to get a nice coconut peanut butter to spread on celery sticks, bananas or apples. Weigh yourself every week to see whether adding MCT helps with your weight loss.