If you haven't heard of MCT, then you are not in the circle yet.
At present, a popular health trend in European and American fashion circles is "drinking oil", but instead of going home and holding an oil bottle to drink as you think, you choose some products that contain a variety of functional oils. The most typical of them is "drinking oil". "Bulletproof Coffee" (Bulletproof Coffee), in 2009, the American Silicon Valley engineer Asprey published the formula on his blog, black coffee, unsalted grass-fed butter and MCT virgin coconut oil, and then established a bulletproof company through financing.
"Bulletproof coffee" is so popular in the market that it claims to provide energy and reduce weight. The most important element is MCT fat. At present, this lake current trend has blown to China, and many domestic companies have successively launched bulletproof coffee products. For example, the "Bulletproof Coffee V5.0" jointly developed by Beast Life and the COFCO Nutrition and Health Research Institute has specially added whey protein, dietary fiber and L-theanine to the original formula of the product.
Coconut oil VS MCT oil
MCT (medium chain fatty acid) refers to saturated fatty acids with carbon atoms between 6-12. It is extracted from natural coconut oil and palm oil. The main components are caprylic acid (50%-80%) and capric acid ( 20%-50%) fatty acids. Compared with palm oil, the main component of coconut oil is short- and medium-chain fatty acids, of which C12 (lauric acid) content exceeds 50%, so it has become the main source of MCT. In fact, MCT oil can also be called a by-product of coconut oil. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature and has a strong odor, while MCT oil is liquid at room temperature and odorless.
In the past few years, the U.S. coconut oil product market has shown coal-based growth, but sales have shown a downward trend since 2016. SPINS data shows that the natural channel Langzi oil market in the United States increased by 5.4% in 2015, decreased by 10.1% in 2016, and decreased by 16.1% in 2017. Specialty food channels and traditional retail channels also showed a downward trend. One of the reasons is that the large amount of saturated fetal fatty acid contained in coconut oil has been questioned because it increases the plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL) concentration, which in turn increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. American Heart Association (AHA) It has also been published that it is not recommended for people to consume coconut oil.
Another important reason is that coconut oil contains MCT fat which has attracted people's attention. MCT has a smaller molecular structure and is more soluble in water. It is metabolized in the body directly in the form of fatty acids from the vein into the small intestine to the liver, without complicated digestion processes, and is quickly and efficiently broken down in the liver to produce energy. In the liver, some MCTs become ketone bodies for energy production. Some MCTs are used to produce heat, and some are converted to ATP. In general, MCT does not store fat during the metabolism of the human body, but only provides energy for the human body quickly, so it has become another black technology in the weight loss industry.
MCT oil market is worth looking forward to
Up to now, many animal experiments and clinical studies have not shown that MCT has side effects on the liver and kidneys, but large amounts of MCT may cause gastrointestinal discomfort. Many countries around the world have also recognized the safety of MCT. The United States approved its GRAS certification in 1994. In the functional product market, the main application directions of MCT are "weight management" and "sports nutrition", especially in weight loss, which has been confirmed by multiple studies. As early as 2007, the Nissin brand medium and long-chain fatty acid edible oil was approved as the first domestic edible oil with the function of weight loss and health care. It is a health care product made from MCT, canola oil, and sucrose fatty acid esters as the main raw materials. food. South Korea also approved MCT in 2009 as a health functional food that reduces body fat accumulation.
