What is MCT Powder?

Like most things we put into our bodies, MCT plays a role in everything from how much energy we produce to weight management and the types of cravings we have. And as you’d expect from one of our key ingredients, the impact of MCT on the brain and body is mostly a positive one. 

To help you understand why we use this as one of our ingredients, we’ll explore:

• What is MCT powder?
• The benefits of MCTs
• How MCTs may affect alcohol recovery
• Can MCTs affect liver health?
• Are there other types of triglycerides

What is MCT powder?

MCT powder (and its oil variety) is a supplement-friendly version of naturally occurring MCT chemical compounds. They’re often sold solely as MCT supplements, but many health solutions like Sober Relief add MCT powder for its’ wide-ranging health benefits. 

There are four main types of MCTs, as identified by Healthline:

• lauric acid
• caproic acid
• caprylic acid
• capric acid
  

MCT oil is usually made from caprylic and capric acids, whereas MCT powders often contain lauric acid as well.

These acids are perfectly safe when taken in the correct dosage. In fact, they can actually play a positive role in your physical and mental health.

What are the benefits of MCT powder?

MCT powder is commonly used for a range of health concerns, from fitness and energy to improved mental health and mood. Most often, it’s used as a pre-workout solution, for weight management, or to support a ketogenic diet.

1. Healthy weight management

Plenty of studies into medium-chain triglycerides have identified their ability to support weight management and healthy weight loss. 

• A 2021 study in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition found that MCT consumption led to lower calorie intake than LCTs.
  
• Another study found the same: participants who consumed an MCT-heavy breakfast ate about 270 fewer calories than those who had a breakfast heavy in LCT.
  

Other studies, which focused more on weight loss than calorie intake, found that: 

• Over 16 weeks, those who’d consumed MCT oil lost an average of 1.67kg more than those consuming olive oil. (Science Direct)
  
• Diets enriched with MCT achieved greater weight reduction than those without. (Science Direct)
  

Key takeaway:

Several peer reviewed studies on MCTs identify how it can lead to less calories and greater weight loss than other diets.

2. Increased energy and exercise

Studies on how MCT affects energy have shown mixed results; however, nearly all completed studies show a positive relationship between MCT absorption and the body’s available energy. That’s why many in the fitness space use them for pre-workout nutrition.

For example, clinical trials have shown that those with a greater level of MCT than LCT in their diet can expend more energy. But other studies, this time into athletic performance, showed mixed results. While nearly all studies identify positive chemical signals for increased energy, the actual impact on performance, when analysed, can be negligible.

The positives:

There’s a clear consensus on MCTs’ impact on energy absorption. That’s because:

• MCTs cause an increase in ketones – a vital energy source, particularly when glucose isn’t readily available.
  
• MCTs are more rapidly absorbed and metabolised than other types of fats. One study showed that those who took 6 grams of MCT burned more fat than carbs. Given fats are more concentrated than carbs, they’re the more efficient energy source.

Why is there some debate around MCT and energy in the scientific community?

A couple of studies into physical performance, mostly around cycling, showed the opposite of what researchers expected. 

• One study had cyclists increase their MCT consumption before cycling for 2 hours at a leisurely pace and then completing a 40km time trial. The results at the end of this study did not show any positive effect from the increase in MCT.
  
• Another study was similarly inconclusive. This research involved cyclists ingesting an MCT solution every 20 minutes over 2+ hours of exercise. In this instance, the results showed that the cyclists performed worse than those without an MCT solution.

Key takeaway:

MCTs are a rapidly absorbed type of fat that’s only found in some food types. They help increase the amount of ketones in your body – an important energy source. However, some studies struggled to show that this faster-absorbed energy translated into increased performance.

3. Improved mental health and cognitive function

While research is still in the early stages, MCTs are being rapidly explored within the scientific community, particularly for their impact on mental and neurological health. Research has been undertaken on everything from the effects on anxiety to whether MCTs help cognition and neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s.

Similar to MCTs’ impact on weight management, it’s all about those ketones. While the brain primarily uses glucose as its energy source, it can also use ketones. The more common triglycerides, LCTs, don’t turn into ketones anywhere near as easily as MCTs. This means that a diet richer in MCTs will lead to higher ketone levels in our system, which are ideal for our brain to use as an energy source.

• A study in Frontiers demonstrated how MCT supplementation increased the brain’s energy metabolism. Simply, the use of MCT made the brain more efficient. It’s worth noting that this was a study carried out on Alzheimer’s patients. 
  

• Another study, first published in the Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, demonstrated that participants who’d taken MCT oils for 7 weeks showed significant improvement on tests of cognition, including problem-solving and memory tasks.
  

A final study, this time into animals given MCT supplements, showed “significant improvements in mental health” including a “decrease in anxiety-like behaviours” and “increased sociability in high anxious rats”.

Key takeaway:

Research is highly positive, albeit with a way to go, into how MCT supplementation can impact mental health and cognition. Analysis on human subjects has shown MCTs provide the brain with an alternative and concentrated energy source, while animal studies have shown positive impacts on anxiety and other mental health factors.

4. Blood sugar regulation

Blood sugar levels play a role in everything from how satisfied we feel with what we’ve eaten to our mood and energy levels. Fortunately, there are plenty of studies into how MCTs affect this essential bodily function.

• A study in Neuropharmacology found that MCT supplementation reduced blood sugar spikes by 45% before meals.
  
• Another study showed that administering MCTs alongside glucose resulted in lower increases in blood glucose levels.

Key takeaway:

Research indicates that MCTs can help regulate blood sugar. They have been shown to stabilise blood sugar spikes, particularly before meals, and to help prevent blood glucose levels from rising even when the body digests glucose from sugary foods.

How might MCTs affect alcohol recovery?

Now that we’ve identified the potential impact of MCTs on weight management, blood sugar, mental health, and energy absorption, let’s explore how they may support those looking to stop drinking. From reduced cravings to less anxiety, the science is promising.

Could MCTs’ effect on blood sugar make alcohol recovery more manageable?

Our blood sugar levels directly relate to cravings. With fewer spikes and crashes, our bodies stop craving sugar as a defence against low energy. With more regulated blood sugar levels, we feel fuller for longer and avoid mood swings, fatigue, and the feared “sugar crash”. 

But it’s really easy for the body to mistake cravings for sugar with cravings for alcohol. So much so that a common symptom of alcohol recovery is weight gain. That’s usually because those in recovery are tempted to replace alcoholic drinks with sugary snacks.

But with MCTs’ ability to regulate blood glucose levels, your body is less likely to crave sugar, helping you control your urge to drink.

How might MCT powder affect mental health during alcohol recovery?

Studies on MCT supplementation have shown promising effects, including reduced anxiety, increased sociability, and increased energy for the brain.

Anxiety is one of the main symptoms of alcohol recovery and is usually one of the first to appear, alongside nervousness, irritability, and heart palpitations.

Might the increase in ketones from MCT help you stop drinking?

While research is in its infancy, there are plenty of positive signs that MCTs may improve energy levels. Most promising is that they can be easily converted into ketones, a key energy source for the human body.

Stopping drinking can cause such a drop in energy levels that the symptom has its own name – sobriety fatigue! It typically hits in the earlier stages of recovery and can present as extreme tiredness, a lack of motivation, and feeling physically drained.

Another symptom of alcohol withdrawal is insomnia, providing a double impact when it comes to how energised you feel when you quit alcohol.

Can MCTs improve liver health?

Given that alcohol is detrimental to liver health, it’s essential to understand which supplements and nutrients can help counteract those effects. Fortunately, MCTs can play a role.

In short, research indicates that MCTs can reduce inflammation, fat accumulation, and other markers of liver damage. Animal studies have also shown that it can reverse alcohol-induced fatty liver disease.

That’s why it’s a key ingredient in Sober Relief. And don’t just take our word for it, Damon Dalrymple, Director of Scientific Affairs at Abitecorp, states:

“Studies show that not only do MCTs protect the liver from steatosis but, with the addition of vitamin E, can actually reverse alcoholic liver injury.”

It’s vital to recognise the importance of dosage, though. A diet that’s too rich in MCTs can result in damage to the liver. That’s why it’s essential not to exceed the recommended dose of 2 Sober Relief capsules per day.

Are there other types of triglycerides?

Yes, there are short-chain (SCT) and long-chain triglycerides (LCT) too. These have a different molecular makeup from MCT and are therefore digested differently. 

The main difference in their makeup is the number of carbon atoms in their fatty acid chains. Simply, short-chain compounds have the fewest, while long-chain compounds have the most. It’s this which changes how beneficial they are to the human body.

• Short-chain triglycerides are actually easier to digest than MCTs, but they don’t produce ketones or provide as much energy. Also, they’re pretty tricky to get from usual food sources. Instead, our bodies produce SCTs from healthy gut bacteria, promoting better gut health.
  
• Long-chain triglycerides are more common in usual food sources than SCTs and MCTs. They’re a type of fat, often found in fish, meat, poultry, nuts, vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds. They’re typically stored in the body as fat our digestive systems take a long time to turn them into ketones.

MCT Powder: A Summary

MCT powder, which helps increase the body’s MCT levels, can have a positive impact on a wide range of health concerns. From its ability to turn into ketones and provide energy to its impact on mental health and weight management, there are plenty of positive signals about MCT. In turn, that could help those looking to quit drinking or suffering from symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. 

Sources:

• Healthline – Four main types of MCTs
  https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mct-oil-benefits#:~:text=Four%20main%20types%20of%20medium%2Dchain%20fatty%20acids%20exist%3A
• PubMed – 2021 study on MCT consumption and calorie intake
  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32212947/
• Taylor & Francis Online – Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (Journal)
  https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/bfsn20
• Science Direct – MCT oil weight loss study (16 weeks)
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523235339?via%3Dihub
• Science Direct – MCT-enriched diets and weight reduction
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261561424002085
• PMC (PubMed Central) – Study into MCTs and cycling performance
  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9579472/
• Frontiers in Nutrition – MCT and brain energy metabolism in Alzheimer’s patients
  https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1296896/full
• Alzheimer’s Association Journal – MCT oils and cognitive improvement
  https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.055702
• Science Direct – Animal study on MCT and mental health/anxiety
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002839081830296X
• PubMed – MCT supplementation and blood sugar spikes
  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29908242/
• Science Direct – Neuropharmacology (Journal)
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/neuropharmacology
• PubMed – MCT administration with glucose
  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29914035/