MCT oils

fishlessman

any one with weight loss knollege know much about them, i have a couple bottles i used to give the dog when his kidneys were failing. is it worth taking as a supplement during weight loss

The Cen-Tex Smoker

It's awesome. Some of the best things you can eat. I am using them right now. I put coconut oil in my coffee every day. Tons of energy.

caliking

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

It's awesome. Some of the best things you can eat. I am using them right now. I put coconut oil in my coffee every day. Tons of energy.

My understanding is that MCT oils are  for folks who can't absorb regular fats properly. As for coconut oil - possibly not the best thing if you are trying to lose weight since they are very high in saturated fat (and I mean *very* high).

 

[And a shout out to ya Cen-Tex - Thanks for your tips on another forum].

The Cen-Tex Smoker

MCT's are solid rocket fuel and they are good for anyone. MCT's are 100% saturated fat, but the good kind. They are awesome for cholesterol, weight loss, arthritis, joint pain. These are the fats you want to eat.

Eggcelsior

Try cooking with it too. Olivio-brand coconut spread is a good substitute for butter.

fishlessman

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

MCT's are solid rocket fuel and they are good for anyone. MCT's are 100% saturated fat, but the good kind. They are awesome for cholesterol, weight loss, arthritis, joint pain. These are the fats you want to eat.

the mct i have says 100 percent but no mention of coconut oil. seemed to work with the dog, he was on a no protien diet and you could really see a difference in activity

caliking

fishlessman said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

MCT's are solid rocket fuel and they are good for anyone. MCT's are 100% saturated fat, but the good kind. They are awesome for cholesterol, weight loss, arthritis, joint pain. These are the fats you want to eat.

the mct i have says 100 percent but no mention of coconut oil. seemed to work with the dog, he was on a no protien diet and you could really see a difference in activity

That is the point I was trying to make (but did not word it well) - that MCT oil is great for people with nutritonal issues (like your dog) because they are more readily absorbed and easier to metabolize than other fats. But be careful how much you have in your diet - your cardiovascular system will thank you later.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

coconut oil is just one kind of MCT.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

This explains it better than I can: Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCT) oils are a special class of fats that are digested and handled by the body in a different way than most fats. Most fats are long-chain triglycerides which are difficult to process, so the body prefers to store them in fat cells. MCT oils are absorbed in the bloodstream, passing the digestion process that longer chain fats go through. MCT oil provides quick energy for the body and therefore is less likely to be stored as body fat. MCTs are such an easy source of fuel, they are even more likely to be burned off than low-fat fare. When MCT is metabolized in the body, it behaves like a carbohydrate not a fat. Unlike other fats, it does not go through the lymphatic system. Instead, it is transported directly to the liver where it is metabolized and released like a carbohydrate and then is used for fuel. MCT has a thermogenic effect in the body, helping you to stay slim by keeping your body fat levels down while keeping energy levels up. MCT oil is easily absorbed by the body and is therefore ideal for individuals with digestive problems. For those with Crohn's and irritable bowel syndrome, the healing effects of MCT oil could be beneficial. MCT promotes intestinal health by killing troublesome microorganisms that may cause chronic inflammation.

henapple

I just like throwing coconuts at people...

caliking

Some good info above. Although where they say irritable bowel syndrome, I am almost positive they mean inflammatory bowel disease - IBS and IBD are often confused but they are very different problems (Crohns is one type of IBD). There is no scientific evidence to support benefit of coconut oil in irritable bowel syndrome. 

 For the sake of scientific discussion, some may find this useful:

"Q. I have started noticing more coconut oil at the grocery store and have heard it is better for you than a lot of other oils. Is that true?

A. I've also noticed that coconut oil seems to be catching on these days. Coconut oil is about 90% saturated fat, which is a higher percentage than butter (about 64% saturated fat), beef fat (40%), or even lard (also 40%). Too much saturated fat in the diet is unhealthy because it raises "bad" LDL cholesterol levels, which increases the risk of heart disease. So it would seem that coconut oil would be bad news for our hearts.

But what's interesting about coconut oil is that it also gives "good" HDL cholesterol a boost. Fat in the diet, whether it's saturated or unsaturated, tends to nudge HDL levels up, but coconut oil seems to be especially potent at doing so.

Saturated fat is divided into various types, based on the number of carbon atoms in the molecule, and about half of the saturated fat in coconut oil is the 12-carbon variety, called lauric acid. That is a higher percentage than in most other oils, and is probably responsible for the unusual HDL effects of coconut oil. But plant-based oils are more than just fats. They contain many antioxidants and other substances, so their overall effects on health can't be predicted just by the changes in LDL and HDL.

Coconut is a wonderful flavor and there's no problem using coconut oil occasionally. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so cooks are experimenting with using it instead of butter or vegetable shortening to make pie crust and other baked goods that require a solid source of fat. And if you're preparing a Thai dish, cooking with coconut oil may be essential.

But, for now, I'd use coconut oil sparingly. Most of the research so far has consisted of short-term studies to examine its effect on cholesterol levels. We don't really know how coconut oil affects heart disease. And I don't think coconut oil is as healthful as vegetable oils like olive oil and soybean oil, which are mainly unsaturated fat and therefore both lower LDL and increase HDL. Coconut oil's special HDL-boosting effect may make it "less bad" than the high saturated fat content would indicate, but it's still probably not the best choice among the many available oils to reduce the risk of heart disease.

— Walter C. Willett, M.D.
Harvard School of Public Health
Department of Nutrition
Harvard Health Letter Editorial Board"

My apologies to the OP - not trying to hijack your thread, but just trying to provide info to others and to let myself be educated by others in the process.

caliking

henapple said:

I just like throwing coconuts at people...

I'm going to duck if I see one coming at me!

fishlessman

i think im going to add it during the first 2 to 3 weeks of this diet, a tablespoon or two wont kill me and it looks like it doesnt turn to fat anyways. 2 tablespoons will get me up to 1200 calories a day
) i dont have cholesterol issues, its fairly low with mostly the good stuff

cazzy

2 of the peeps I lift with take high doses of MCT oil during the bulking phase. It's a great source of good fat. When they start dieting down and at a few weeks out, they cut it and their body's target their fat like it would the MCT oil. Helps them quite a bit a most body builders swear by it.

Eggcelsior

cazzy said:

2 of the peeps I lift with take high doses of MCT oil during the bulking phase. It's a great source of good fat. When they start dieting down and at a few weeks out, they cut it and their body's target their fat like it would the MCT oil. Helps them quite a bit a most body builders swear by it.

Since it is mostly plant based, I suppose we can't call them "meat heads"

cazzy

Eggcelsior said:

cazzy said:

2 of the peeps I lift with take high doses of MCT oil during the bulking phase. It's a great source of good fat. When they start dieting down and at a few weeks out, they cut it and their body's target their fat like it would the MCT oil. Helps them quite a bit a most body builders swear by it.

Since it is mostly plant based, I suppose we can't call them "meat heads"

Lol...they definitely are meat heads...but thankfully they're not shreks outside the gym.

Eggcelsior

caliking said:

Some good info above. Although where they say irritable bowel syndrome, I am almost positive they mean inflammatory bowel disease - IBS and IBD are often confused but they are very different problems (Crohns is one type of IBD). There is no scientific evidence to support benefit of coconut oil in irritable bowel syndrome. 

 For the sake of scientific discussion, some may find this useful:

"Q. I have started noticing more coconut oil at the grocery store and have heard it is better for you than a lot of other oils. Is that true?

A. I've also noticed that coconut oil seems to be catching on these days. Coconut oil is about 90% saturated fat, which is a higher percentage than butter (about 64% saturated fat), beef fat (40%), or even lard (also 40%). Too much saturated fat in the diet is unhealthy because it raises "bad" LDL cholesterol levels, which increases the risk of heart disease. So it would seem that coconut oil would be bad news for our hearts.

But what's interesting about coconut oil is that it also gives "good" HDL cholesterol a boost. Fat in the diet, whether it's saturated or unsaturated, tends to nudge HDL levels up, but coconut oil seems to be especially potent at doing so.

Saturated fat is divided into various types, based on the number of carbon atoms in the molecule, and about half of the saturated fat in coconut oil is the 12-carbon variety, called lauric acid. That is a higher percentage than in most other oils, and is probably responsible for the unusual HDL effects of coconut oil. But plant-based oils are more than just fats. They contain many antioxidants and other substances, so their overall effects on health can't be predicted just by the changes in LDL and HDL.

Coconut is a wonderful flavor and there's no problem using coconut oil occasionally. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so cooks are experimenting with using it instead of butter or vegetable shortening to make pie crust and other baked goods that require a solid source of fat. And if you're preparing a Thai dish, cooking with coconut oil may be essential.

But, for now, I'd use coconut oil sparingly. Most of the research so far has consisted of short-term studies to examine its effect on cholesterol levels. We don't really know how coconut oil affects heart disease. And I don't think coconut oil is as healthful as vegetable oils like olive oil and soybean oil, which are mainly unsaturated fat and therefore both lower LDL and increase HDL. Coconut oil's special HDL-boosting effect may make it "less bad" than the high saturated fat content would indicate, but it's still probably not the best choice among the many available oils to reduce the risk of heart disease.

— Walter C. Willett, M.D.
Harvard School of Public Health
Department of Nutrition
Harvard Health Letter Editorial Board"

My apologies to the OP - not trying to hijack your thread, but just trying to provide info to others and to let myself be educated by others in the process.

@caliking, what do you do in real life? This is right in my wheelhouse, as I am the clinical coordinator for The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at University of Maryland Medical Center.

I get to talk about bloody diarrhea all day long with patients. Hooray!

Eggcelsior

Also, coconut is considered a "natural" anti-diarrheal, so I wouldn't be surprised if that article really did mean IBS and not IBD.

fishlessman

Eggcelsior said:

Also, coconut is considered a "natural" anti-diarrheal, so I wouldn't be surprised if that article really did mean IBS and not IBD.

so that will keep water weight up, might be good since im eating too much salt with the stirfrys

Eggcelsior

fishlessman said:

Eggcelsior said:

Also, coconut is considered a "natural" anti-diarrheal, so I wouldn't be surprised if that article really did mean IBS and not IBD.

so that will keep water weight up, might be good since im eating too much salt with the stirfrys

Yes and no. Where salt goes, water goes. Osmosis is o-mazing!