What’s the Difference Between MCT Oil and Coconut Oil?
With the rise in popularity of Optimal Body Coffee, I’ve been getting a lot of questions on what the difference is between regular coconut oil and MCT oil, and if it makes a difference to use one versus the other.
First of all, what are MCTs? MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides. Basically, this means that they are long-form fatty acids that you can basically pull out of coconut oil. Coconut oil already is made up of about 50% MCTs, but in different ratios than what you get in a regular MCT oil.
There are 4 types of MCTs (Medium Chain Triglycerides)
- C6 (capronic acid)
- C8 (caprylic acid)
- C10 (capric acid)
- C12 (lauric acid)
C12 is found in the highest percentages in coconut oil. C12 is known as ‘lauric acid’, which gives coconut oil it’s antibacterial effects.
This is why you can use coconut oil on cuts, scrapes, or for a technique known as ‘oil pulling’ – where you swish the coconut oil around in your mouth for 2-10 minutes before spitting it out. (this comes from an ayurvedic practice that helps clean the mouth and remove bacteria from between the teeth. It’s also supposed to help whiten your teeth)
When you get an MCT oil bottle (like I have in the video), it’s going to have more C8 and more C10 than regular coconut oil. What’s good about that is that in those combinations, the MCT’s skip the stomach to digest in your liver, so it will give you faster energy than other oils.
It does this by telling your body that you want to burn fat for fuel by creating more ketone bodies (these are what people on the keto diet really swear by for fast energy and focus) You don’t have to be doing Keto to get the effects of these.
MCT oil has a less distinct flavor, so it means that you can add it to more things (like your coffee in the morning a la Optimal Body Coffee). It also is going to help you stay full longer and it also has more cognitive enhancing effects because it’s a faster-digesting fat.
MCTs also help improve the uptake of caffeine to your brain. So if you’re having it with coffee, or having it at the same time as you have other caffeinated beverages, MCT oil basically hits your caffeine with the star from Super Mario. It hits harder, stays longer and works faster.
MCT oil will digest faster, give you longer lasting energy, help you burn more fat, and stay full longer. If you want those effects, make sure you’re picking up a quality MCT oil, by making sure that it’s organic, and that it’s made from coconut oil, not palm oil.
So the bottom line is you can use coconut oil or you can use MCT oil, it’s not going to make or break your progress (side note: stressing about not having the right oil for your coffee is worse for you than not having oil for your coffee….)
