Medium-Chain Triglycerides: Offering Up Brain-Boosting Ketones

Medium-Chain Triglycerides: Offering Up Brain-Boosting Ketones 0

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) can provide the body with ketones even in the absence of carbohydrate restriction. Because of their chemical structure and carbon chain length, MCTs are metabolized differently from long-chain fatty acids. They do not require bile for emulsification, and pass readily into the portal circulation, where they are broken down into ketones, which can serve as fuel for many different tissues, most notably, the brain. The richest sources of medium-chain fatty acids are coconut and palm kernel oils, but isolated MCT oils and fortified beverages are now available.