Last Updated on November 9, 2023 by Fasting Planet
Medium-chain triglycerides, also known as MCT, can be consumed in many forms, oil among them. This supplement may be part of your daily routine, but now that you’re thinking about going on an intermittent fast, you’re not sure if you have to cut out the MCT oil. Will the oil break your fast?
MCT oil may contain up to 115 calories per tablespoon, which would indeed break your fast. However, due to its absorptive abilities, having but a tablespoon of MCT oil once a day might not cause the insulin response necessary to disrupt fat burning.
Ahead, we’ll talk more about what MCT oil is, discuss whether it breaks a fast, and touch on the benefits of MCT oil. If you’re new to intermittent fasting, this is one post you’re not going to want to miss.
What Is MCT Oil?
First of all, for the uninitiated, what is MCT oil?
As we mentioned in the intro, MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides. These fat molecules aren’t quite the same size as long-chain triglycerides or LCTs, so digesting and absorbing MCTs is easier. Upon consuming an MCT oil supplement, it goes straight to the bloodstream so you can begin reaping the oil’s many benefits (which we’ll talk about later, so keep reading!).
MCT oil uses palm kernel oil or coconut oil as a base. These oils will undergo fractionation to derive a concentration of the MCT that’s separate from the palm kernel or coconut oil. Most people who consume MCT oil do it to reduce inflammation, increase their energy levels, manage their appetite, lose weight, or increase nutrient and/or fat absorption.
Those who fast or follow the ketogenic diet also tend to take MCT oil. That’s due to how MCT can accelerate the production of ketone bodies, especially compared to taking an LCT supplement.
When you begin producing ketones, this means your body is using fat as an energy source instead of glucose, which you get from food. You may be able to speed up the amount of time you’d have to wait for fat burning to begin on the keto diet and/or intermittent fasting through MCT oil. Fat burning take upwards of 18 hours to start for some people, so any way of speeding it up helps.
Does MCT Oil Break a Fast?
Now that you know a little bit more about MCT oil, where it comes from, and what it does, it’s time to answer another all-important question. Does consuming MCT oil break your fast?
That depends on how you define breaking a fast. Some fasters say that consuming any calories at all is breaking a fast while others are more relaxed and say you can ingest around 50 calories a day to stay in a fasted state. Others claim that consuming too many carbs or sugars break a fast.
When you’re fasting, you want to deplete your body’s supply of glucose to get into that fat-burning state. This happens based on two conditions: 1.) your liver has no extra glucose and 2.) you don’t provide your body glucose via food.
Breaking a fast changes your body’s insulin levels, which makes your liver release extra glucose. Your body is then back to burning this glucose until it’s gone instead of burning fat. You might not lose as much weight as expected if you break your fast.
According to this page, a tablespoon serving or 15 milliliters of Nestle Nutrition’s MCT oil contains 115 calories and 14 grams of saturated fat. The fat is expected, as that’s part of what MCT oil is supposed to deliver. Given that it’s an oil, the high number of calories isn’t all that surprising either, but what does it mean for your fast?
More than likely, due to the high number of calories, consuming MCT oil would indeed count as breaking your fast. That said, remember we mentioned before that MCT oil is very absorptive. When you consume it, it goes directly to the bloodstream. Since you’re absorbing it so quickly, it’s unlikely that the MCT oil would be in your system long enough to cause an insulin response that would break your fast.
This could be the good news you were hoping for, but we don’t recommend pushing your luck. If you want to consume MCT oil, stick to that tablespoon a day, certainly no more than that. We’d also advise you to ingest it straight, which means no mixing it with coffee, salad dressing, smoothies, or other foods like you might usually do.
Further, make sure that you’re limiting the rest of the foods you eat on your intermittent fast to avoid stacking calories and breaking your fast that way.
How Is MCT Oil Beneficial?
Why is MCT oil such a popular supplement? Consumption of the oil may be tied to a variety of health benefits that we’ll talk about now.
Lowered Risk of Heart Disease
Not all cholesterol is bad, with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol the type you want to lower. Experts believe that MCT oil may be able to do just that while simultaneously increasing your high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which is the good stuff.
Also, if you use MCT oil as a part of the ketogenic diet to control your weight, keeping the extra pounds off can help you avoid heart disease.
Could Boost the Brain
MCT oil might increase your judgment, memory, and thinking, helping you focus on your daily tasks more efficiently. For those with type 1 diabetes, taking MCT oil when your blood sugar is low could keep your thinking clear and on-track. It’s believed the oil could even lessen the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, although more research is needed.
Reduced Digestive Issues
One area that MCT oil really helps is in improving digestion. The oil will make processing certain fats easier, especially if your digestion is inhibited by short bowel syndrome, small bowel syndrome, small bowel resection, pancreas issues, or taking certain medications.
Conclusion
MCT or medium-chain triglyceride oil may reduce inflammation and increase your energy. Although a tablespoon’s worth of MCT oil has more than 100 calories, due to how fast you absorb the oil, it might not break a fast. When combined with the ketogenic diet or fasting, you may have more pronounced weight loss results if you take MCT oil. It’s worth trying then, but remember that moderation is key!