Medium-chain triglycerides
Our evidence-based analysis on medium-chain triglycerides features 105 unique references to scientific papers.
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Human Effect Matrix
The Human Effect Matrix looks at human studies (it excludes animal and in vitro studies) to tell you what effects medium-chain triglycerides has on your body, and how strong these effects are.
| Grade | Level of Evidence [show legend] |
|---|---|
|
Robust research conducted with repeated double-blind clinical trials |
|
Multiple studies where at least two are double-blind and placebo controlled |
|
Single double-blind study or multiple cohort studies |
|
Uncontrolled or observational studies only |
|
Level of Evidence
?
The amount of high quality evidence. The more
evidence, the more we can trust the results.
|
Outcome |
Magnitude of effect
?
The direction and size of the supplement's impact on
each outcome. Some supplements can have an increasing effect, others have a decreasing effect, and others have no effect.
|
Consistency of research results
?
Scientific research does not always agree. HIGH or
VERY HIGH means that most of the scientific research agrees.
|
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Minor
|
Moderate See all 4 studies |
Appears to be a short lived and of small magnitude increase in metabolic rate.
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
May decrease fat mass to a greater degree than an isocaloric amount of long chain fatty acids.
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
Appears to increase the percentage of calories derived from lipids in obese persons; no comparator.
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
Administration of purified MCTs results in a decrease in HDL-C in diabetics that is minor and likely not practically relevant.
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
May improve insulin sensitivity in diabetics, requires more evidence though as the one study was confounded with fat loss.
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
Has been implicated in increasing serum ketones more than other fatty acids.
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
Administering purified MCTs to diabetics results in a non-significant reduction of LDL-C.
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
A decrease in total cholesterol (both the LDL and HDL portions) has been noted with purified MCTs to a minor degree, relative to longer chain fatty acids.
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
Appears somewhat effective in reducing weight of obese persons to a greater degree than an isocaloric amount of longer chain fatty acids
|
|
|
|
- | - See study |
|
|
|
|
- | - See study |
|
|
|
|
- | - See study |
Insufficient evidence to support alterations in blood glucose.
|
|
|
|
- | - See study |
No significant influence detected on fasting insulin levels following coconut oil consumption
|
|
|
|
|
- See study |
Was able to attenuate the rate of skeletal muscle loss during a hypocaloric diet in obese persons; unknown if this applies to lean persons and may be related to ketone production.
|
|
|
|
- | - See study |
Insufficient evidence to support alterations in the thermic effect of food compared to other oils
|
|
|
|
- | - See study |
Insufficient evidence to support changes in serum triglycerides.
|
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Things to Note
Is a Form Of
- triglycerides
Other Functions:
Primary Function:
Also Known As
MCTs, MCT oil, medium-chain fatty acids
Do Not Confuse With
coconut oil
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