How Medium-Chain Triglyceride (MCT) Supplementation Supports Consumer Cognition
February 2020 – Medium-chain triglycerides, better known as MCTs, are a type of healthy fat composed of the saturated fatty acids caprylic (C8) and capric (C10:0), found in ingredients such as coconut oil (58%), palm oil (54%), dried coconut (37%), raw coconut meat (19%), and dairy products like cheese and yogurt.
MCTs are usually produced from coconut or palm oil, as these ingredients have the highest concentrations of capric and caprylic fatty acids. The concentration process of the fatty acids of interest is carried out through an industrial process, allowing for greater isolation of the essential chains.
MCTs in Diets
MCTs have been used for over 50 years with the mission to assist in calorie intake for hospitalized patients, as their greatest benefit is providing energy more quickly. They metabolize at a speed similar to glucose but, being lipids, they supply twice the energy of glucose.
Therefore, MCT supplementation can be an energy source option for those following low-carb or ketogenic diets, which are based on low carbohydrate intake.
MCTs and Cognition in Alzheimer’s Patients
However, MCTs have increasingly been discussed in relation to cognition. Glucose is the brain’s primary energy source, and ketone bodies produced by the liver serve as a secondary source. Medium-chain triglycerides can cross the blood-brain barrier and reach brain concentrations exceeding 50% of the fatty acids present in plasma.
How does this happen? MCTs are rapidly converted into ketones that cross the blood-brain barrier and provide an alternative energy source for neurons and astrocytes, reducing mental fog and allowing for quick and clear thinking. For this reason, they are used before more demanding physical or mental activities such as studying or work.
Supplementation has been increasingly recommended by various medical specialties, whether to accelerate development in younger individuals or to prevent cognitive decline and the onset of neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. In fact, a recent study published in the Clinical Nutrition Journal suggests that MCTs have a positive effect on cognitive capacity in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. Another study published in The Lancet Neurology showed that supplementation was able to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s in patients at the early stages of the disease.
Responsible Supplementation
Concepta Ingredients offers Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCT), which, in addition to the nutritional benefits mentioned above, act as a technical ingredient to improve food texture, provide humectant and release agent properties, enhance air and fat distribution facilitating the production process, and improve product quality by extending shelf life. It can be applied in bakery, dairy, confectionery, nutraceuticals, and other products.
“Today, when it comes to food, consumers seek not only convenience, practicality, and flavor but also healthfulness and well-being. However, like any supplementation, it should be done under medical recommendation, guidance, and supervision, and product quality must be a priority,” explains Lilia Kawazoe, Commercial Manager at Concepta Ingredients.
It is expected that producers choose MCT suppliers who deliver quality ingredients grounded in ethics and responsibility, as is the case with Concepta Ingredients. Present in the market for over 20 years, with a vast portfolio, the company offers technological inputs from international partners and ingredients from Brazilian biodiversity to meet the most specific demands of the industries it serves.
About Concepta Ingredients
Concepta Ingredients is part of the Sabará Group and specializes in natural and technological solutions developed according to the Sociobiodiversity Valorization Program. Based on innovation and research, the company offers organic and exotic ingredients, supporting family empowerment and conservation of environmentally at-risk areas across different Brazilian biomes. Its extensive portfolio includes technological inputs from international partners and ingredients from Brazilian biodiversity to meet the most specific demands of the industries it serves.
About Sabará Group
With over 60 years of history, the Sabará Group is genuinely Brazilian and recognized for its capacity for innovation and adaptation. Through its various business sectors, it operates throughout the country and is present in more than 40 countries worldwide. It specializes in developing high-performance technologies, solutions, and raw materials aimed at the water treatment, cosmetics, animal nutrition and health, and food and beverage industries.
