Medium Chain Triglycerides (Pasquale Question)

In reading Mauro Di Pasquale's Metabolic diet, he disapproves of medium chain triglycerides. There did seem to be some ambiguity of whether he was strictly speaking about MCT supplements or foods containing MCTs.

I'm interested in learning more about this.

What do you think about MCTs from foods?

PS. I am fat-adapted and my goal is to lose body fat and retain muscle. I'm currently 5'9" 157lbs.

Pranaman said:

In reading Mauro Di Pasquale's Metabolic diet, he disapproves of medium chain triglycerides. There did seem to be some ambiguity of whether he was strictly speaking about MCT supplements or foods containing MCTs.

I'm interested in learning more about this.

What do you think about MCTs from foods?

PS. I am fat-adapted and my goal is to lose body fat and retain muscle. I'm currently 5'9" 157lbs.

I'm not familar with his work, and didn't google the subject, because you can do that as well as I can.

But to me, the main difference is that in foodstuffs the MCT will come along with some other ingredients of course.

Depends on the source but coconut may have some other fats, fibre, sugar protein and micronutrients. Would that change the essential nature of the MCTs? I think not.

MCT would still be processed preferentially in the liver bypassing intentinal digestion. So they would get to the bloodstream quickly, and be used for oxidative energy generation, preferentially. So that probably would mean that your fat stores would not be used for energy as much during the time this source were available.

Of note, MCT, the last time I looked, does not produce better performance in any modality. The main advantage I've read is it they produces a feeling of satiety. So if binging is a problem, that may override its downsides, if it works for you.

FutureisNow said:

MCT would still be processed preferentially in the liver bypassing intentinal digestion. So they would get to the bloodstream quickly, and be used for oxidative energy generation, preferentially. So that probably would mean that your fat stores would not be used for energy as much during the time this source were available.

Upon more research and re-reading Pasquale's writing, this is the important information for people looking to burn body fat.

Thanks FIN.

Pranaman said:

FutureisNow said:

MCT would still be processed preferentially in the liver bypassing intentinal digestion. So they would get to the bloodstream quickly, and be used for oxidative energy generation, preferentially. So that probably would mean that your fat stores would not be used for energy as much during the time this source were available.

Upon more research and re-reading Pasquale's writing, this is the important information for people looking to burn body fat.

Thanks FIN.

Right, you do need to weigh the pros and cons. That's a con.The problem I have with this logic is if you eat LCT instead these tend to be deposited as fat (a larger portion get transported there via the lymphatic system and bypass the bloodstream). So I think you are damned if you do or damned if you don't :roll: THere is no free ride unfortunately.

I think the main issue medically with MCT, is in a ketogenic diet - which may be what Pasquale promotes(?),

Too many MCT can cause ketosis (not bad) to become ketoacidosis (pretty bad). Not to over complicate it but here are some more-or-less understandable points from http://www.ajcn.org/content/36/5/950.full.pdf.

1) MCTs are digested, absorbed, and

transported easily and rapidly in disorders

where the digestion, absorption, or transport

of LCTs are not optimal.

2) MCTs are oxidized

rapidly in the organism and they have

a very low tendency to deposit as body fat.

3) MCTs are a source of abundant and rapidly

available energy.

4) MCTs are ketogenic.

The energy is delivered to the whole

body, both the liver (during the oxidation of

fatty acids), and [outside the liver]

(mainly during the utilization of ketone bodies).

A modest elevation of the concentration

of ketone bodies in the blood is known not to

be dangerous: all the extrahepatic tissues can

use the ketone bodies supplied by the blood.

[However], they should also not be given to patients

with ketosis or acidosis.In these conditions,

the capacity of the [body's] tissues to use

ketone bodies is saturated. Therefore, the

additional supply of such substrates is not

only wasted as an energy source, but it also

aggravates the metabolic acidosis and accelcrates

the [acidosis].