Tuesday, September 4, 2012

The Health Benefits of Coconut Oil and MCTs

Coconut oil is more than just an oil.  It is a veritable SUPER-FOOD that increases energy and stamina, helps to stabilize blood sugar levels, and is easy for your body to digest.  And not only that, but it is also anti-biotic, anti-viral, antimicrobial, and makes for an excellent skin moisturizer and hair conditioner!  Being it's antibacterial, I also use it on my underarms along with an essential oil of my choosing in place of the toxic aluminum-filled antiperspirants I used to buy.  Truly, though, the health benefits of this oil outweigh those of any other.  It is unquestionably in a class of its own, and I'm sure you'll agree upon reading this article.  The following article was taken from the incredible website http://augmentinforce.50webs.com, which is just chalk FULL of all kinds of invaluable information on health, nutrition, herbs, and natural healing!  If you go there, prepare to spend DAYS!!!  Truly an astounding compendium of information!  If you wish to read the article from its original source, you may do so by following this link.  Enjoy!  Read on...


 Coconut Oil and Medium-Chain Triglycerides

All fats and oils are composed of fat molecules called fatty acids. There are two methods of classifying fatty acids. The one you are most familiar is based on saturation. You have saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The second method of classification is based on molecular size or length of the carbon chain in the fatty acid. You have short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), medium-chain fatty acids(MCFA), and long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). Another term you will often see in reference to fatty acids is triglyceride. Three fatty acids joined together make a triglyceride, so you may have short-chain triglycerides (SCT), medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), or long-chain triglycerides (LCT).---The vast majority of the fats and oils you eat, whether they are saturated or unsaturated or come from an animal or a plant, are composed of long-chain triglycerides. Probably 98 to 100% of all the fats we eat consist of LCT. Coconut oil is unique because it is composed predominately of MCT. The size of the fatty acid is extremely important because physiological effects of medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil are distinctly different from the long-chain fatty acids more commonly found in our diet. 
It's the MCT in coconut oil that make it different from all other fats and for the most part gives it its unique character and healing propertiesAlmost all of the medium-chain triglycerides used in research, medicine, and food products come from coconut oil.---
Regardless of the condition, recovery requires good nutrition. Food scientists have long noted the nutritional benefits of medium-chain triglycerides. MCT from coconut oil are used in hospital formulas to feed the very young, the critically ill, and those who have digestive problems. It makes up a vital part of the solutions fed to patients intravenously or through a tube inserted down the throat. If you were ever given formula as a baby you took advantage of the health-promoting properties of coconut oil. 
MCT from coconut oil have been added to baby formula for decades.--- MCT are easily digested, absorbed, and put to use nourishing the body. Unlike other fats, they put little strain on the digestive system and provide a quick source of energy necessary to promote healing. This is important for patients who are using every ounce of strength they have to overcome serious illness or injury. It's no wonder why MCT are added to infant formulas. Actually, whether you were breast or formula fed as an infant you consumed MCT. Why? Because MCT are not only found in coconut oil but are natural and vital components of human breast milkMCT are considered essential nutrients for infants as well as for people with serious digestive problems like cystic fibrosis. Like other essential nutrients, you must get them directly from the diet.---One of the first scientifically recognized benefits of MCT is the unique manner in which they are digested and utilized by the body. These fats provide nutritional benefits that can improve overall health of both the sick and the well, the young and the old. Even athletes are now using them to boost performance and control weight. Unfortunately, few foods nowadays contain MCT; the best source is coconut oil. By adding coconut oil to your diet you can literally eat your way to better health.

Digestion and Nutrient Absorption

The digestive health advantages of MCT) over LCT are due to the differences in the way our bodies metabolize these fats. Because the MCT molecules are smaller, they require less energy and fewer enzymes to break them down for digestion. They are digested and absorbed quickly and with minimal effort.---MCT are broken down almost immediately by enzymes in the saliva and gastric juices so that pancreatic fat-digesting enzymes are not even essential.Therefore, there is less strain on the pancreas and digestive system. Premature and ill infants especially whose digestive organs are underdeveloped, are able to absorb MCT with relative ease, while other fats pass through their systems pretty much undigested. People who suffer from malabsorption problems such as cystic fibrosis, and have difficulty digesting or absorbing fats and fat soluble vitamins, benefit greatly from MCT. They can also be of importance to people suffering from diabetes, obesity, gallbladder disease, pancreatitis Crohn's disease, pancreatic insufficiency, and some forms of cancer.--As we get older our bodies don't function as well as they did in earlier years. The pancreas doesn't make as many digestive enzymes, our intestines don't absorb nutrients as well, the whole process of digestion and elimination moves at a lower rate of efficiency. As a result, older people often suffer from vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Because MCT are easy to digest and improve vitamin and mineral absorption they should be included in the meals of older people. This is easy to do if the meals are prepared with coconut oil.---In the digestive system MCT are broken down into individual fatty acids (MCFA). Unlike other fatty acids, MCFA are absorbed directly from the intestines into the portal vein and sent straight to the liver where they are, for the most part, burned as fuel much like a carbohydrateIn this respect they act more like carbohydrates than like fats.2---Other fats require pancreatic enzymes to break them into smaller units. They are then absorbed into the intestinal wall and packaged into bundles of fat (lipid) and protein called lipoproteins. These lipoproteins are carried by the lymphatic system, bypassing the liver, and then dumped into the bloodstream, where they are circulated throughout the body. As they circulate in the blood, their fatty components are distributed to all the tissues of the body. The lipoproteins get smaller and smaller, until there is little left of them. At this time they are picked up by the liver, broken apart, and used to produce energy or, if needed, repackaged into other lipoproteins and sent back into the bloodstream to be distributed throughout the body. Cholesterol, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, and polyunsaturated fat are all packaged together into lipoproteins and carried throughout the body in this way. In contrast, medium-chain fatty acids are not packaged into lipoproteins but go to the liver where they are converted into energy. Ordinarily they are not stored to any significant degree as body fat. Medium-chain fatty acids produce energy. Other dietary fats produce body fat.----. Since it is rapidly absorbed, it can deliver quick nourishment without putting excessive strain on the digestive and enzyme systems and help conserve the body's energy that would normally be expended in digesting other fats
Metabolism and Energy---With MCT your body performs better because it has more energy and greater endurance. Because MCFA are funneled directly to the liver and converted into energy, the body gets a boost of energy. And because MCFA are easily absorbed by the energy-producing organelles of the cells, metabolism increases. This burst of energy has a stimulating effect on the entire body.---The fact that MCT digest immediately to produce energy and stimulate metabolism has led athletes to use them as a means to enhance exercise performance. Studies indicate this may be true. In one study, for example, investigators tested the physical endurance of mice who were given MCT in their daily diet against those that weren't. The study extended over a six-week period. The mice were subjected to a swimming endurance test every other day. They were placed in a pool of water with a constant current. The total swimming time until exhaustion was measured. While at first there was little difference between the groups of mice, those fed MCT quickly began to out-perform the others and continued to improve throughout the testing period.3 Tests such as this demonstrated that MCT had the ability to enhance endurance and exercise performance, at least in mice.---In another study using humans, conditioned cyclists were used. The cyclists pedaled for three hours. During the last hour they were each given a beverage to drink. Those who received beverages containing MCT out performed the others. --- If eaten regularly MCT can provide a boost in energy and performance of daily activities. --If you get tired in the middle of the day or feel you lack energy, adding coconut oil to your daily diet may provide you with a much needed boost to help carry you through.---Besides increasing your energy level, there are other very important benefits that results from boosting your metabolic rate: it helps protect you from illness and speeds healing. When metabolism is increased, cells function at a higher rate of efficiency. They heal injuries quicker, old and diseased cells are replaced faster, and young, new cells are generated at an increased rate to replace worn-out ones. Even the immune system functions better.---Several health problems such as obesity, heart disease, and osteoporosis are more prevalent in those people who have slow metabolism. Any health condition is made worse if the metabolic rate is slower than normal, because cells can't heal and repair themselves as quickly. Increasing metabolic rate, therefore, provides an increased degree of protection from both degenerative and infectious illnesses.

CMCTs enhance Athletic Performance (especially when consumed in conjunction with Glucose) (by providing a rapid burst of Energy that sustains athletic output).  Clinical studies using MCTs to improve Athletic Performance have involved the use of up to 86 grams of MCTs combined with 8.6 grams of Glucose.  C-- MCTs increase the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) by up to 40%.  --- MCTs alleviate Cirrhosis. C MCTs improve Glucose metabolism in Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 patients (possibly by increasing Insulin sensitivity).  CMCTs provide the body with rapidly available Energy-MCTs are readily transported across Mitochondrial Membranes where they are used as a  source of fuel for the rapid generation of Energy. --MCTs are a useful source of Energy for persons in which dietary Fat malabsorption is a problem.- MCTs alleviate acute and chronic Hepatitis. -- MCTs help to prevent Hypoglycemia.  -- MCTs are a useful source of Energy for persons who have dysfunctional Livers.--    MCTs help to prevent and treat Obesity by stimulating the process of thermogenesis (unlike many other dietary Fats, MCTs are inefficiently stored within the body's Adipose Tissues, due to their rapid conversion to Energy) ----  CMCTs are most effective for Obesity when used as a replacement for other types of Dietary Fats (rather than being used in addition to other types of Dietary Fats such as Long-Chain Saturated Fatty Acids).--- CMCTs increase Stamina (especially when consumed in conjunction with Glucose) (by  providing a rapid burst of Energy)--Clinical studies using MCTs to improve Stamina have involved the use of up to 86 grams of MCTs combined with 8.6 grams of Glucose.

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CMCTs reduce Appetite.-- CMCTs stabilize Brain Wave patterns. MCTs alleviate Epilepsy (by stabilizing Brain Wave patterns). ---MCTs Enhance the Function of these Substances----Carbohydrates---MCTs stimulate the endogenous production of Glucose---Hormones MCTs enhance the release of Human Growth Hormone (hGH)---Clinical studies on children have demonstrated that MCTs increase the release of hGH within 60 minutes of MCTs ingestion and hGH levels remained elevated for three hours - the underlying mechanism for this hGH-releasing effect remains unknown.

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CMCTs increase the body's absorption of Calcium. --MCTs increase the body's absorption of Magnesium-

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CMCTs increase the body's production of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP).

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 MCTs enhance the absorption and bioavailability of Vitamin E
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 Most people commence MCT usage with an initial dosage of 2,375 mg - this is equivalent to ½ teaspoon of free-flowing liquid MCTs.----The usual dosage of MCTs for Athletes is 14,250 mg per day - this is equivalent to one tablespoon of free-flowing liquid MCTs.  Bodybuilders often take this dosage immediately prior to workouts.
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 Lipases (enzymes) are able to digest MCTs very rapidly (due to their relatively short fatty acid chains which make them more water-soluble).
MCTs require less Phosphatidylcholine and Bile Salts than other Fatty Acids for digestion.----Instead of having to be transported by Chylomicrons in the Lymph Vessels, the Fatty Acids contained in MCTs are absorbed directly into Veins and are transported through the body by Albumin proteins.
MCTs pass through Cell Membranes readily and are not stored as Adipose Tissue 
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 Capric Acid 30% --Caprylic Acid 68% -- Lauric Acid 1% -- Caproic Acid 1%


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