Medium chain triglycerides
Encyclopedia
Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are medium-chain (6 to 12 carbons) fatty acid
ester
s of glycerol
.
MCTs passively diffuse from the GI tract to the portal system (longer fatty acids are absorbed into the lymphatic system
) without requirement for modification like long-chain fatty acids or very-long-chain fatty acids. In addition, MCTs do not require bile salts for digestion. Patients that have malnutrition or malabsorption syndromes are treated with MCTs because they do not require energy for absorption, utilization, or storage. Coconut oil
is composed of approximately 66% medium-chain triglycerides. Other rich sources of MCTs include palm kernel oils
and camphor tree drupes. The fatty acids found in MCTs are called medium-chain fatty acids. The names of the medium-chain fatty acids (and the corresponding number of carbons) found in MCTs are caproic acid (C6), caprylic acid
(C8), capric acid (C10) and lauric acid
(C12). MCTs are composed of a glycerol backbone and three of these fatty acids. The approximate ratios of these fatty acids in commercial MCT products derived from coconut oil are 2(C6):55(C8):42(C10):1(C12).
and guinea pigs
are largely made up of long-chain fatty acids. The milk fats of cows, sheep, and goats
are rich in short-chain fatty acids. The milk fats of horses
contain large amounts of medium-chain fatty acids.
Some studies have shown that MCTs can help in the process of excess calorie burning, and thus weight loss. MCTs are also seen as promoting fat oxidation and reduced food intake. Mary G. Enig
reviewed in detail the medical factors and health benefits of medium-chain triglycerides. There has also been interest in MCTs from endurance athletes and the bodybuilding community. While there seem to be health benefits from MCTs, a link to improved exercise performance is weak.
finds relatively easy to metabolize. They have potentially beneficial attributes in protein metabolism but may be contraindicated in some situations due to their tendency to induce ketogenesis and metabolic acidosis. Their use is not recommended for diabetics unless under supervised medical treatment and those with liver problems due to the added stress they may put on the organ.
Due to their ability to be absorbed rapidly by the body, medium-chain triglycerides have found use in the treatment of a variety of malabsorption ailments. MCT supplementation with a low-fat diet has been described as the cornerstone of treatment for primary intestinal lymphangiectasia (Waldmann's disease). MCTs are an ingredient in parenteral nutritional emulsions. Studies have also shown promising results for epilepsy
treatment through the use of ketogenic diet
ing.
than LCTs. Because of these attributes, they are widely used as solvents for flavours and oral medicines and vitamins.
Fatty acid
In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with a long unbranched aliphatic tail , which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have a chain of an even number of carbon atoms, from 4 to 28. Fatty acids are usually derived from...
ester
Ester
Esters are chemical compounds derived by reacting an oxoacid with a hydroxyl compound such as an alcohol or phenol. Esters are usually derived from an inorganic acid or organic acid in which at least one -OH group is replaced by an -O-alkyl group, and most commonly from carboxylic acids and...
s of glycerol
Glycerol
Glycerol is a simple polyol compound. It is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is widely used in pharmaceutical formulations. Glycerol has three hydroxyl groups that are responsible for its solubility in water and its hygroscopic nature. The glycerol backbone is central to all lipids...
.
MCTs passively diffuse from the GI tract to the portal system (longer fatty acids are absorbed into the lymphatic system
Lymphatic system
The lymphoid system is the part of the immune system comprising a network of conduits called lymphatic vessels that carry a clear fluid called lymph unidirectionally toward the heart. Lymphoid tissue is found in many organs, particularly the lymph nodes, and in the lymphoid follicles associated...
) without requirement for modification like long-chain fatty acids or very-long-chain fatty acids. In addition, MCTs do not require bile salts for digestion. Patients that have malnutrition or malabsorption syndromes are treated with MCTs because they do not require energy for absorption, utilization, or storage. Coconut oil
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the kernel or meat of matured coconuts harvested from the coconut palm . Throughout the tropical world, it has provided the primary source of fat in the diets of millions of people for generations. It has various applications in food, medicine, and industry...
is composed of approximately 66% medium-chain triglycerides. Other rich sources of MCTs include palm kernel oils
Palm oil
Palm oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil are edible plant oils derived from the fruits of palm trees. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis; palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel of the oil palm and coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the...
and camphor tree drupes. The fatty acids found in MCTs are called medium-chain fatty acids. The names of the medium-chain fatty acids (and the corresponding number of carbons) found in MCTs are caproic acid (C6), caprylic acid
Caprylic acid
Caprylic acid is the common name for the eight-carbon saturated fatty acid known by the systematic name octanoic acid. It is found naturally in the milk of various mammals, and it is a minor constituent of coconut oil and palm kernel oil...
(C8), capric acid (C10) and lauric acid
Lauric acid
Lauric acid , the saturated fatty acid with a 12-carbon atom chain, is a white, powdery solid with a faint odor of bay oil or soap.-Occurrence:...
(C12). MCTs are composed of a glycerol backbone and three of these fatty acids. The approximate ratios of these fatty acids in commercial MCT products derived from coconut oil are 2(C6):55(C8):42(C10):1(C12).
Dietary relevance
The milk fats of humansHuman
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
and guinea pigs
Guinea pig
The guinea pig , also called the cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family, nor are they from Guinea...
are largely made up of long-chain fatty acids. The milk fats of cows, sheep, and goats
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
are rich in short-chain fatty acids. The milk fats of horses
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
contain large amounts of medium-chain fatty acids.
Some studies have shown that MCTs can help in the process of excess calorie burning, and thus weight loss. MCTs are also seen as promoting fat oxidation and reduced food intake. Mary G. Enig
Mary G. Enig
Mary Gertrude Enig, PhD is a nutritionist and early trans fat researcher known for her unconventional positions on the role fats play in diet and health...
reviewed in detail the medical factors and health benefits of medium-chain triglycerides. There has also been interest in MCTs from endurance athletes and the bodybuilding community. While there seem to be health benefits from MCTs, a link to improved exercise performance is weak.
Medical uses
Medium-chain triglycerides are generally considered a good biologically inert source of energy that the human bodyHuman body
The human body is the entire structure of a human organism, and consists of a head, neck, torso, two arms and two legs.By the time the human reaches adulthood, the body consists of close to 100 trillion cells, the basic unit of life...
finds relatively easy to metabolize. They have potentially beneficial attributes in protein metabolism but may be contraindicated in some situations due to their tendency to induce ketogenesis and metabolic acidosis. Their use is not recommended for diabetics unless under supervised medical treatment and those with liver problems due to the added stress they may put on the organ.
Due to their ability to be absorbed rapidly by the body, medium-chain triglycerides have found use in the treatment of a variety of malabsorption ailments. MCT supplementation with a low-fat diet has been described as the cornerstone of treatment for primary intestinal lymphangiectasia (Waldmann's disease). MCTs are an ingredient in parenteral nutritional emulsions. Studies have also shown promising results for epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
treatment through the use of ketogenic diet
Ketogenic diet
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that in medicine is used primarily to treat difficult-to-control epilepsy in children. The diet mimics aspects of starvation by forcing the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates...
ing.
Technical uses
MCTs are bland compared to other fats, and do not generate off-notes as quickly as LCTs. They are also more polarChemical polarity
In chemistry, polarity refers to a separation of electric charge leading to a molecule or its chemical groups having an electric dipole or multipole moment. Polar molecules interact through dipole–dipole intermolecular forces and hydrogen bonds. Molecular polarity is dependent on the difference in...
than LCTs. Because of these attributes, they are widely used as solvents for flavours and oral medicines and vitamins.
Further reading
- Medium chain triglycerides - Monograph. (October 2002). Alternative Medicine Review. Retrieved March 30, 2011.