What are Medium Chain Triglycerides?
Dietary fats are made up of carbon chains, and these can be anywhere from 2 – 22 carbon atoms long. Most of the fatty acids in Western diets are long chain, with 12 or more carbons in the chain. Medium chain fatty acids have between 6 and 10 carbons. Because of their shorter length they are metabolized differently. MCTs resemble carbohydrates more than they do fats. They are more water soluble. Because of this they don’t require bile to break down, and they are broken down more quickly. They enter the blood stream faster and are taken directly to the liver, where they are used as an immediate source of energy. Less MCTs are converted to fat than longer fatty acids.
