The joy of a morning coffee is unparalleled, especially if you ask a coffee drinker. And lately we’ve seen all sorts of new coffee trends make their way into homes and cafes all over the world. One of these popular new coffee habits has been to add ingredients that boost the effects of coffee and offer some kind of nutritional benefit.
Undoubtedly one of the most popular additions has been to add MCT Oil to your morning cup of joe.
MCT stands for medium chain triglycerides and these are a particular type of dietary fat that are commonly found in coconut oil.
MCT's are important fatty acids that are between 6-12 carbon chains in length and are rarer in the diet than other fats.
MCT oil may help with energy and focus, as well as boosting cognitive function, increasing satiety levels and aiding in weight management.
Here are four reasons our nutritionist Liv Kaplan adds MCT oil to her coffee.
Liv says “I’m addicted to my morning kickstart coffee, I make it by blending one cup of freshly brewed coffee with one teaspoon of grass-fed ghee and two teaspoons of MCT oil. It’s rich and frothy and I love having this in the morning after I exercise”
Let’s discuss some of the benefits of MCT coffee, according to Liv.
Weight management
In the context of a low-carb or ketogenic diet, MCT coffee aids in weight loss by employing the process of ketosis, which is the state where our body is creating energy from fat instead of sugar. In the absence of carbohydrates, the body breaks down MCT oil into ketones and utilizes them as an instant energy source.
Research proves that the consumption of MCT oil aids weight loss, when compared with the same diet with the same amount of olive oil. And even without the intervention of a specific diet, simply the addition of dietary MCT in comparison to other types of fat can result in significantly more weight loss.
Energy
Due to the size of the MCT molecule, they are rapidly absorbed and transported to the liver where they can be converted to ketones to be used for energy.
When in a fasted state, like in the morning before you have eaten breakfast or if you are following a low-carb diet, this feels like a major boost of energy on top of what caffeine alone normally produces. Some early studies have shown that the addition of caffeine to MCT Oil enhances the ketogenic effects.
Brain health and mood
Grass-fed ghee contains brain-healthy omega-3s that help the brain reduce inflammation, reduce brain fog, and maintain normal brain function. A study proves that grass-fed butter, which is what ghee is made from, contains more omega-3 fatty acids than other kinds of butter.
And caffeine is largely known to enhance brain function for some time in terms of attention, reaction time, alertness, vigilance, mood, and perception of fatigue.
Moreover, consumption of caffeine also stimulates the central nervous system to release brain-healthy happy hormones and neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin.
Research on the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease even suggests that ketone bodies increase mitochondrial efficiency and supplement the brain's normal reliance on glucose. This is promising research that suggests a potential improvement in mental performance from supplementation with MCT oil.
Increased satiety and appetite management
MCT Oil and ghee are composed of fat, which is an incredibly satiating macronutrient. When you couple this with the appetite suppressing properties of caffeine and the production of fuel for the body via ketones, this means kickstart coffee may reduce hunger and cravings throughout the day.
Studies show that consumption of MCTs at breakfast time decreases overall food intake for the day. This is one extra mechanism by which this kind of coffee can aid in weight loss.
We bet a kickstart MCT coffee is sounding pretty good right now! Try out this recipe if you want to give it a go.
References
Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Aubrey Bosarge, Weight-loss diet that includes consumption of medium-chain triacylglycerol oil leads to a greater rate of weight and fat mass loss than does olive oil, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 87, Issue 3, March 2008, Pages 621–626.
Tsuji H, Kasai M, Takeuchi H, Nakamura M, Okazaki M, Kondo K. Dietary medium-chain triacylglycerols suppress accumulation of body fat in a double-blind, controlled trial in healthy men and women. J Nutr. 2001 Nov;131(11):2853-9.
Jiang ZM, Zhang SY, Wang XR, Yang NF, Zhu Y, Wilmore D. A comparison of medium-chain and long-chain triglycerides in surgical patients. Annals Of Surgery. 1993;217(2):175-84.
Anna Baumeister, Joachim Gardemann, Manfred Fobker, Verena Spiegler, Tobias Fischer, "Short-Term Influence of Caffeine and Medium-Chain Triglycerides on Ketogenesis: A Controlled Double-Blind Intervention Study", Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, vol. 2021, Article ID 1861567, 9 pages, 2021.
Pustjens AM, Boerrigter-Eenling R, Koot AH, Rozijn M, van Ruth SM. Characterization of Retail Conventional, Organic, and Grass Full-Fat Butters by Their Fat Contents, Free Fatty Acid Contents, and Triglyceride and Fatty Acid Profiling. Foods. 2017 Mar 31;6(4):26.
Henderson ST. Ketone bodies as a therapeutic for Alzheimer's disease. Neurotherapeutics. 2008 Jul;5(3):470-80.
Van Wymelbeke V, Himaya A, Louis-Sylvestre J, Fantino M. Influence of medium-chain and long-chain triacylglycerols on the control of food intake in men. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Aug;68(2):226-34.
