If you’ve ever been researching supplements that can help you with weight loss or mental focus, chances are, you’ve stumbled upon MCT Oil. The benefits are obvious and you decide to order one. The only question remaining – what is the best MCT oil out there?
I’ll try to answer this question by providing a list of what I think are the top 10 best MCT oil products. If you’re interested in learning about MCT Oils more, I’ve also provided some insight about the benefits, origins and tips on how to use it.
MCT’s are naturally occurring in products like coconuts and milk. However, recently it started making an appearance in dietary supplements, milkshakes, coffee and many more foods that we consume every day.
If you’re new to this, it’s about time to introduce it into your own diet. The beauty of MCT is that it can be consumed both directly and by adding it to the meals or drinks that you prep by yourself.
What is MCT Oil?
MCT stands for medium-chain triglyceride. It is oil that contains chains of medium-length fats called triglycerides. MCT are shorter than most of the fats we consume. For example, almost all of the fat we get from animals are long-chain fat.
Due to their shorter length, our bodies can metabolize them quicker and easier. This brings numerous benefits that are linked to weight loss, boosted energy levels and mental clarity.
Contrary to popular belief, fats aren’t bad for you (with an exception of saturated and trans fats). The keto diet is a great example that illustrates the benefits of having fat take up the largest part of your macronutrient intake.
Many people learn about MCT Oil when they start keto diet just because of how well it goes with MCT.
For this reason, hundreds of companies are producing the oil and selling it as a dietary supplement. It’s impossible to tell which is best MCT oil product, so I recommend to find the one that works for you and stick with it.
Our Top 10 Pick: The Best MCT Oil Products
It’s difficult to define what is the best MCT oil. For this review, I evaluated the products based on their composition, price, packaging and extra ingredients or flavors.
For composition, it’s important to understand fatty acids that make up MCT are different. Only the so-called C8 and C10 acids can be considered as MCT.
Sometimes the manufacturers include the cheaper C12 which is technically a long-chain acid and does not have the benefits that consumers seek for. While it is a natural part of coconut and palm oil, it is generally an unwanted ingredient in MCT oil.
Either way, this is our list of what I think are the best MCT oil products out there.
1. Perfect Keto Pure MCT Oil
Perfect Keto is one of the biggest and most influential manufacturers of supplements for the people on a ketogenic diet. They sell many different products, including both pure MCT oil and MCT oil powder.
With a huge customer base and 100% pure caprylic acid (C8, which is the most preferred), we think that Perfect Keto is one of the best MCT oil manufacturers out there.
The bottle contains 32 fl oz of the product. Perfect Keto also sells sample bottles that contain 3.4 fl oz, but it contains C10 fatty acids as well.
2. Viva Naturals Organic MCT Oil
Viva Naturals sells MCT oil that is extracted from non-GMO produce. The product is USDA verified as organic.
Their MCT oil consists of 60% C8 and 40% C10 fatty acids. Back in 2016 they switched their MCT source from palm oil to coconut oil, claiming this strategy was more sustainable for the wildlife.
The product is available in two sizes – 32 fl oz and 16 fl oz.
3. Bean Envy MCT Oil Powder With Collagen
This is probably the best MCT oil powder option out there. Bean Envy has 70% C8 and 30% C10 ratio. Their mixture is also superior to competition because it contains collagen that originates from grass-fed cows.
In addition, Bean Envy produces their MCT in FDA-registered facility in USA. They not only non-GMO but also gluten, dairy and sugar free.
On top of all that, they have salted caramel, chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon and unflavored options. Undoubtedly, this product won’t leave you disappointed!
Each bottle contains a whopping 1.1lbs of powder!
4. Keppi Keto MCT Oil
Keppi Keto also specializes in keto-friendly foods and supplements. This MCT oil will work great for anyone looking for a cheaper option whilst not losing quality. The oil is non-GMO and vegan friendly.
Their product is only produced coconut oil and contains only C8 and C10 fatty acids. The oil is produced in Malaysia.
As far as packaging goes, it is only available in one size – 32 fl oz.
While it may not be the best MCT oil product, it is definitely worth the consideration!
5. Nested Naturals MCT Oil Powder
MCT Oil Powder by Nested Naturals is a great options for those looking for 100% C8 fatty acid powder. About half of the product’s contents is acacia fiber.
If you’re looking for a product that would irritate your gut less, this is a great option that will provide you with all MCT’s you need.
The product comes in a single size of 16 oz and it should last you at least 50 servings.
6. Perfect Keto MCT Oil Powder
This is yet another great set of products by Perfect Keto. While the blend of fatty acids is a little less favorable, it still stands strong at 70% C8 and 30% of C10.
Perfect Keto is probably one of the best MCT oil powders out there in terms of flavor. At the time of writing, Perfect Keto MCT Oil Powder is available in chocolate, vanilla, caramel and Matcha Latte flavors.
An unflavored option is also available for those who want to mix the product with other foods and drinks!
While the price does not stand out from the competition, it is important to note that their bottles are a little smaller and contain 11.2 oz of powder.
7. Ready to FOCUS MCT Oil Powder
ready to FOCUS took an interesting approach by taking one of MCT oil benefits and tried selling their product through that. Nonetheless, it is a good product that contains 60% C8 and 40% C10 fatty acids.
This product also includes l-theanine for stress relief. Like most MCT powders, it uses acacia fibers as a binder.
The downside of the ready to FOCUS is their relatively high price for a product this small – only 10.9 oz in a single bag.
8. Wild Foods Organic MCT Oil
Wild Foods sells their MCT oil only in bottles of a single size – 32 fl oz. The item is USDA verified as organic and produced from sustainable palm and coconut oil sources.
According to the seller the fatty acid composition is 50-60% of C8 and 35% of C10. We assume the remaining amount is C12, as hinted by their product description.
9. Now Sports MCT Oil
Now Sports is a reputable company that sells many different products for the health and beauty market. Their MCT oil is a blend of C8 and C10 fatty acids and it comes in two bottle sizes – 16 fl oz and 32 fl oz.
The product is verified to be GMO-free. Unfortunately, we could not find any information about the source of MCT in their products.
And some good news: alongside unflavored MCT oil, a chocolate mocha flavor is available as well!
10. Sports Research MCT Oil
This is Sports Research take on MCT. Just like many products on this list, it is non-GMO and produced from coconut oil in Philippines. However, the fatty acid ratios are a bit worse at C8 – 40%, C10 – 30%, C12 – 30%.
On the upside, they do sell the product at larger bottles which might be one of the best MCT oil solutions for businesses, wanting to introduce MCT to their food.
They only have a single unflavored option and it is available at 16, 32 and 128 fl oz.
Where Does MCT Oil Come From?
MCTs can be found in several foods that we eat everyday, the most common ones are:
- coconut oil
- palm oil
- milk
- butter
There’s a clear distinction here – when it comes to MCT oil, palm and dairy products are usually the source. However, coconut oil takes up the largest part of MCT oil production.
More than half of MCT’s are retrieved from coconut oil. As far as supplements go, you probably won’t even find anything that comes from something other than coconut oil.
In addition, there is no best MCT Oil source. All sources in a list above have the same medium-chain fats and are completely identical.
However, if you’re thinking about using coconut oil as a replacement for MCT oil, I would suggest to not do that. Coconut oil also contains long-chain fats that do not have the pure MCT oil benefits.
MCT Oil Benefits
If you’ve used MCT before, you may already know about the benefits as you’ve probably already experienced them yourself. For the newbies out there, I’ve listed the positive effects that you can expect from the product.
Promotes Weight Loss
This is a quite complex point as there are many variables that come in play.
For starters, MCT oil has fewer calories than other fats that we usually eat. So if you’re using MCT as a substitute for some other long-chain fat (like olive oil or avocados), chances are, you’ll reduce your daily calorie intake by around 10% (source).
In addition, MCT can increase peptide and leptin production in your body. Both are hormones that are responsible for making you feel full after eating. This usually means that a smaller serving size should satisfy you if food contains MCT oil (source).
One of the best MCT oil benefits is that your body can use it as energy almost immediately. For this reason MCT works great with the keto diet. It is a diet where carbohydrates are substituted for fat, causing amazing weight loss results if executed correctly (source).
MCT also can improve your gut lining by promoting the growth of good bacteria. Intestinal health is a big part of having a good metabolism and weight loss (source). MCT oil is sometimes recommended to improve recovery for people who have undergone surgery involving the intestines.
Lower Cholesterol And Blood Sugar
There is a study that suggests that MCT Oil might play a part in reducing cholesterol levels. During the research, it was observed that coconut oil (the source of MCT) increased good cholesterol levels and reduced bad cholesterol in 40 women who participated.
Similarly, MCT has a positive effect on blood sugar levels. It was observed that MCT helped people with type 2 diabetes improve their insulin resistance (source).
However, it is important to note that in both cases a calorie-restrictive diet might be beneficial to maximize the results.
Improved Cognitive Function
Once again, this can be linked to the MCT’s ability to be quickly metabolized. The body can convert any fat into ketones, a molecule that your body can use as energy, just like glucose.
After all, the brain is an hungry organ that is very much dependent on energy that is readily available. Because of this, any energy fluctuations inside your body can highly affect your mental performance.
The ketogenic diet is usually considered to be best MCT Oil diet that can improve the well-being of patients with Alzheimer’s, Epilepsy and Autism, making the conditions more manageable.
For instance, MCT and keto diet resulted in a decreased number of seizures for people who have epilepsy (source).
In case of Alzheimer’s disease, ketogenic diet and MCT also has been shown to improve cognitive performance. This most likely stems from the fact that the disease itself causes the brain to lose its ability to use glucose (carbohydrates) as its energy source. Switching the source to ketones has shown an improvement for people with mild to moderate level of Alzheimer’s disease (source).
Behavior of people with autism can also be improved with the help of MCT and the keto diet. While autism is a spectrum of disorders, it is unlikely it will have the same effect for everyone. A study conducted in 2018 has shown an improvement in nearly half of the children that participated and consumed MCT oil.
Increased Physical Endurance And Improved Energy
Like I mentioned before, MCT is a great source of energy because the body can use it as energy potential much quicker than long-chained fats. This makes the oil great for people who are performing high intensity exercises or exercises that require endurance.
For example, a 2009 study has shown that MCT oil helped recreational athletes to last longer in medium and high intensity exercises.
This is most likely the result of the shorter chain length. For this reason MCT can enter the cells without being broken down. This not only works great for athletes but also for people who want to benefit from an instant source of energy.
Risks of MCT Oil
In general, MCT is safe to consume. But like with every product out there, there are some risks that you need to be aware of.
For some people, MCT causes stomach irritation, especially if too much oil is consumed. For this reason, always make sure you don’t overdo it.
In addition, be sure to pick the best MCT oil manufacturer that uses high-quality materials and does not have C12 fatty acids.
When you’re consuming MCT oil, it is important to understand that you are consuming fat. Even though it is healthy fat, consuming too much of it can lead to weight gain and all of the health risks associated with it.
Because MCT is fat, it also means it is high-calorie and should be used in moderation. Not doing so can cause fat build up on your liver (source). At most, your MCT intake should not exceed 10% of your daily calories.
MCT Oil Powder
MCT oil not only comes as oil, but also as powder. The manufacturing process of powdered solution is much more complex. This also allows the manufacturers to easily mix it with other additives and flavors.
However, this is a double edged sword. While each seller swears that they produce the best MCT oil powder with the ingredients of impeccable quality, it is also easy for them to cut corners and infuse the powder with cheap additives.
For the consumer, powder brings some benefits as they are slightly easier to work with. You can easily take some of it to work, gym or school. It also works well when mixed with smoothies, coffee, sauces and other everyday foods.
If you take any other dietary supplements, like protein shakes and collagen, MCT oil powder is easy to mix and include it into your diet.
MCT oil powder sometimes comes in various flavors, which allows you to simply mix it with water and make yourself a tasty drink. For some, this removes the hassle of finding ways to incorporate MCT into your daily meals.
How to Use MCT Oil
Like I mentioned earlier, most MCT oils come in the form of pure oil or powder. It’s hard to tell which is the best MCT oil type as their applications are a bit different. In the end, it depends on your preferences and how you wish to consume it.
For instance, pure MCT oil works great as a salad dressing. MCT oil has no smell or taste, so it works really well with almost anything.
You can sprinkle some on veggies or meat after sautéing (more on cooking – later). People also enjoy putting MCT oil into their morning oatmeal or bulletproof coffee. If you wish, it is even completely safe to just take a spoon of straight MCT oil.
The smoke point of MCT oil is 320°F (160°C). This is relatively low and not suitable for general cooking. Anything above this temperature will damage the fats inside and MCT oil benefits will be lost.
If you want to cook with MCT, much better solution is to add solid coconut to whatever you’re cooking. It is high in MCT and won’t damage the fats. Coconut oil, on the other hand, has a similar smoke point to MCT so it is not suitable for cooking as well.
As far as MCT oil powder goes, its use is more or less the same. One of the differences is that smoothies and drinks usually get a creamier texture if powder is used.
Powder is also a bit trickier to use with cooked food, but it works quite well with some sauces and baked goods. On the other hand, powder is a bit more pleasant to consume straight, if mixed with water.
Bottom Line
All in all, the benefits of MCT oil are obvious. As long as you find a way to include it into your daily meals, you should notice the positive effects soon enough. If you are following a ketogenic diet, you may find even better success.
I hope the best MCT oil list that I’ve compiled will help you navigate the complex market of dietary supplements! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or write a comment.
