7 Amazing Health Benefits of Bulletproof Coffee

Bulletproof Coffee | Keto | Fasting | Coconut vs MCT Oil | Effects | Benefits | Recipe | Conclusion | FAQ | Studies

Why do people mix butter into their coffee? Although this may seem like a new online challenge at first glance, it is a popular intermittent fasting and keto recipe.

Bulletproof Coffee has become a staple not only as a jump-start for fasting and ketogenic diets but also for athletes and other ambitious people because of its energy boost.

What is Bulletproof Coffee?

Bulletproof Coffee, also known as butter coffee or keto coffee, is an energizing drink made from high-quality fats and fresh coffee.

Hence, the classic Bulletproof Coffee recipe consists of:

• Coffee
• Grass-fed butter or ghee
• Coconut or MCT oil

MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides, a type of fat that is extracted from coconut oil.

This Bulletproof Coffee recipe is a recipe developed and protected by the bio-hacker Dave Asprey. In recent years, however, various high-fat, sugar-free coffee varieties have developed.

Because this buttery coffee provides energy, reduces appetite, and fosters ketosis – a metabolic state in which the body burns fat as its primary energy source – it is very popular.

If you want to try Bulletproof Coffee, you can easily prepare it home. Although there are instant products, I would advise against them and stick to the natural Bulletproof Coffee recipe.

If you drink Bulletproof Coffee instead of a high-carbohydrate breakfast, you will feel full and energized for hours. That’s why it’s an excellent tool to help jump-start intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet.

Benefit From Bulletproof Coffee on Keto

The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet.

Since ketosis means the body has depleted carbohydrate stores, it can burn body fat for energy.

Then this fat energy is delivered as ketones throughout the bloodstream into your body.

Ketone bodies are energy carriers that the mitochondria in cells can burn more cleanly. Hence, they reduce cancer risk since cancer cells use glucose as their primary energy source (Maurer et al. 2011¹).

Because the storage hormone insulin acts as an on-switch for fat storage and an off-switch for fat burning, the restriction of carbohydrates is essential.

Since pure fat, such as ghee or MCT oil, hardly stimulates insulin production, Bulletproof Coffee’s benefits are ideal for keto.

Moreover, Bulletproof Coffee is also excellent for fasting because it is also based on the depletion of glycogen stores to burn fat for energy.

Useful Butter Coffee Benefits for Intermittent Fasting

Bulletproof Coffee is incredibly popular among beginners of intermittent fasting. Why?

In the beginning, it helps to stay full longer. That is why fasting enthusiasts use Bulletproof Coffee to prolong their fasting period.

But doesn’t high-fat coffee break the fast?

Although pure fats are high in calories, they do not affect blood sugar. Nevertheless, they represent a meal. And any eating affects insulin production.

However, in the case of these pure fats, this happens only indirectly. Therefore, fat breaks technically break a fast. Nevertheless, this impairment is only minimal.

Thus, using Bulletproof Coffee during the fasting period may burn a little less fat.

But drinking butter coffee makes sense if you can only get by with black coffee for 12 hours but feel amazing for 18 hours with Bulletproof Coffee instead.

Should You Make Butter Coffee With Coconut or MCT Oil?

MCT stands for “Medium-Chain Triglycerides.” These are medium-chain fatty acids that occur mainly in coconut oil.

Therefore, pure MCT oil is derived from coconut oil but contains a higher MCT concentration.

Since exceptionally high-quality MCT oil (affiliate link) consists of Caprylic acid (C8), which is only eight carbon atoms long, it can be metabolized faster than ordinary coconut oil.

Hence, MCT oil can be four times as effective as coconut oil in ketone production. As a result, most people report increased mental focus after drinking Bulletproof Coffee.

In this sense, there is a difference between regular coconut oil and MCT oil when talking about energy boosts and weight loss.

Nevertheless, coconut oil contributes to the well-known benefits of Bulletproof Coffee.

What Are the Benefits of Bulletproof Coffee?

Bulletproof Coffee has an entirely different effect than your average latte.

Because unlike latte, it is a stimulating, performance-enhancing, and keto drink that provides lasting energy for everyone, from athletes and CEOs to power moms.

Thus, the benefit of Bulletproof Coffee includes the following advantages:

• Saturation
• Focus
• Performance
• Disease Prevention
• Prolonged fasting
• Fat burning
• Nutrient density
• Energy boost

The Amazing Health Benefits of Bulletproof Coffee

When you drink Bulletproof Coffee, you combine energy from coffee and high-quality fats to create a nutritious and powerful energy drink that puts an ordinary latte in the shade.

1. Energy

Bulletproof Coffee provides constant long-lasting energy without causing a blood sugar crash.

Since fat slows down digestion, the caffeine in coffee can be absorbed more slowly and provide longer-lasting energy.

However, it is instead the MCT oil that makes Bulletproof Coffee’s long-term energy-boosting effect.

Due to the shorter chain length, MCTs are metabolized and used by the body more quickly than other fats (Schönfeld et al. 2016²).

Hence, they can be used immediately as a source of energy or converted into ketones, i.e., molecules that your liver makes from fatty acids, which can help increase energy levels over a more extended time.

2. Weight Loss

A significant benefit of Bulletproof Coffee is that it helps to enter or remain in the metabolic state of ketosis.

Accordingly, research shows that taking MCT oil helps to induce ketosis through diet.

Moreover, it helps to alleviate side effects during the initial transition to burning fat as the primary energy source – the so-called “keto flu.”

Since MCT oil is more “ketogenic” than other fats, i.e., it converts ketones more quickly. Thus, it supports a ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting (Harvey et al. 2018³).

Also, coconut oil, butter, or ghee can keep insulin levels low and maintain ketosis.

3. Nutrients

Black coffee contains several micronutrients such as niacin (=vitamin B3) and potassium. For example, potassium prevents cramps and helps regulate blood pressure (Iimura et al. 1981⁴).

Besides, grass-fed butter and ghee in Bulletproof Coffee provide a stunning range of nutrients:

• A, D, E, and K vitamins
• Beta-carotene
• Omega-3 fatty acids
• Conjugated linoleic acid
• Butyrates

Butyrates are short-chain fatty acids consumed by intestinal bacteria and contribute to better gut health.

Since they do not require digestive enzymes for metabolization, they can provide a rapid energy boost, similar to MCTs.

Regarding nutrients, butter or ghee in coffee is crucial – especially if the cows nourished themselves on grass.

Not only does grass-fed butter contain more vitamins, but it also provides a wide range of healthy fatty acids.

For example, it contains about six times more conjugated linoleic acid than butter from grain-fed cows (Dhiman et al. 1999⁵).

Since this fatty acid helps to replace body fat with lean mass, Bulletproof Coffee promotes weight loss. Furthermore, conjugated linoleic acid helps prevent heart disease, cancer, and diabetes (McCrorie et al. 2011⁶).

4. Satiety

Supporters of Bulletproof Coffee report that it suppresses the appetite and helps to feel full for much longer.

On the one hand, butter coffee contains a large amount of fat, naturally promoting satiety (Marciani et al. 2014⁷).

For example, it stimulates the secretion of leptin and cholecystokinin (CCK) – satiety hormones that reduce food intake (McLaughlin et al. 1998⁸).

On the other hand, coconut oil or MCT oil provides a significant amount of these medium-chain triglycerides, which promote the feeling of satiety more than long-chain triglycerides (LCTs).

For example, such LCTs are found in other oils, nuts, or meat (St-Onge et al. 2002⁹).

Accordingly, one study showed that men who consumed 22 grams of MCT oil in the morning for four weeks finished 220 calories less at lunchtime and burned body fat more efficiently than others who consumed LCTs instead (St-Onge et al. 2003¹⁰).

5. Caffeine

It keeps you awake, and caffeine boosts metabolism and fat burning (Acheson et al. 1980¹¹).

So when you combine coffee with the benefits of grass-fed ghee and MCT oil, you get a powerful blend that provides a sustained energy boost and keeps you full for hours.

In addition to MCT oil, the caffeine in Bulletproof Coffee can also improve concentration, performance, and alertness (Glade 2010¹²).

6. Focus

One of the well-known benefits of Bulletproof Coffee is mental clarity. Besides caffeine, it is mainly MCT oil that sharpens cognitive abilities.

For example, studies show a strong link between the brain and gut health (Zhou et al. 2015¹³).

Since ketones are an essential source of energy for the brain, it is beneficial for mental performance to replace carbohydrates with fats and enter ketosis (Schönfeld et al. 2016¹⁴).

7. Disease

Studies suggest that coffee can prevent the following diseases (Higdon et al. 2006¹⁵):

• Type-2-diabetes
• Parkinson
• Liver diseases

Also, the conjugated linoleic acid from grass-fed butter or ghee has a preventive effect against the following diseases (Moon 2014¹⁶):

• Arteriosclerosis
• Insulin Resistance
• Cancer

Finally, MCTs can also support gut health and reduce inflammation. Similarly, coconut oil is considered a natural antibiotic that can fight harmful bacteria while maintaining the good bacteria in the gut (Shilling et al. 2013¹⁷).

Bulletproof Coffee (Keto)

Print Recipe

Total Time 5 mins

Servings 1 Cup

Author Dave Asprey

Ingredients

• 2½ Tablespoons Coffee freshly ground
• 1-2 Tablespoons MCT Oil or Coconut Oil
• 1-2 Tablespoons Grass-Fed Ghee or Butter

Instructions

• Brew a cup of coffee using 2 ½ tablespoons of freshly ground coffee beans.
• Add 1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons of MCT oil. Start with 1 teaspoon and work your way up to 1-2 tablespoons over several days.
• Add 1-2 tablespoons of grass-fed butter or ghee.
• Mix everything in a blender for 20-30 seconds until it looks like a creamy latte.

Amazing Butter Coffee Recipe Variations

You can experiment with the Bulletproof Coffee recipe on keto if you stay within your nutritional ambitions.

Popular Keto-friendly additives include:

• Natural cocoa powder
• Cocoa butter
• Whipped cream
• Coconut milk
• Celtic sea salt or pink Himalaya salt

Although I would avoid salted butter, high-quality salt can bring essential electrolytes into the coffee and thus counteract the side effects of intermittent fasting and the keto flu.

How to Make Delicious Vegan Bulletproof Coffee

The question about a vegan Bulletproof Coffee variant comes up again and again. Although the nutrient boost of grass-fed butter is lost, there is also vegan Bulletproof Coffee.

Since the creamy part is missing butter or ghee, the following vegan substitutes can help out:

• Cocoa butter
• Pecan butter
• Almond butter
• Almond paste
• Coconut milk

Thus, you can prepare vegan Bulletproof Coffee at home as well.

Bulletproof Coffee Is Bread and Butter for Health Benefits

In my opinion, Bulletproof Coffee can stimulate metabolism and performance.

Accordingly, the powerhouse of nutrients from grass-fed butter and MCTs from coconut oil is enjoying great popularity.

If prepared correctly, keto coffee can help to burn more fat. Also, it’s ideal for starting intermittent fasting or a ketogenic diet.

Nevertheless, at some point, it is time to write off the training wheels. If you have been 16/8 intermittent fasting for some time, you won’t need an additional energy supply in the morning anymore.

Then it is no longer necessary to enrich your coffee with fat as an energy source.

Accordingly, I use Bulletproof Coffee, somewhat depending on the situation. If there is no time for a meal, Bulletproof Coffee can help you feel satiated, energized, and focused in no time.

Nevertheless, many people do not want to miss it in their everyday life. Because the mixture of ghee and MCT oil not only tastes delicious but also supplies extremely high-quality fatty acids.

However, also experienced keto dieters and fasting enthusiasts can benefit from the satisfying and energizing effect of Bulletproof Coffee again and again.

For example, they start a new intermittent fasting schedule like One Meal A Day (OMAD).

Bulletproof Coffee Benefits FAQ

Studies

#1-7

¹Maurer GD, Brucker DP, Bähr O, Harter PN, Hattingen E, Walenta S, Mueller-Klieser W, Steinbach JP, Rieger J. Differential utilization of ketone bodies by neurons and glioma cell lines: a rationale for ketogenic diet as experimental glioma therapy. BMC Cancer. 2011 Jul 26;11:315. doi: 10.1186/1471-2407-11-315. PubMed PMID: 21791085; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3199865.

²Schönfeld P, Wojtczak L. Short- and medium-chain fatty acids in energy metabolism: the cellular perspective. J Lipid Res. 2016 Jun;57(6):943-54. doi: 10.1194/jlr.R067629. Epub 2016 Apr 14. Review. PubMed PMID: 27080715; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4878196.

³D C Harvey CJ, Schofield GM, Williden M, McQuillan JA. The Effect of Medium Chain Triglycerides on Time to Nutritional Ketosis and Symptoms of Keto-Induction in Healthy Adults: A Randomised Controlled Clinical Trial. J Nutr Metab. 2018;2018:2630565. doi: 10.1155/2018/2630565. eCollection 2018. PubMed PMID: 29951312; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5987302.

⁴Iimura O, Kijima T, Kikuchi K, Miyama A, Ando T, Nakao T, Takigami Y. Studies on the hypotensive effect of high potassium intake in patients with essential hypertension. Clin Sci (Lond). 1981 Dec;61 Suppl 7:77s-80s. doi: 10.1042/cs061077s. PubMed PMID: 7318362.

⁵Dhiman TR, Anand GR, Satter LD, Pariza MW. Conjugated linoleic acid content of milk from cows fed different diets. J Dairy Sci. 1999 Oct;82(10):2146-56. doi: 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(99)75458-5. PubMed PMID: 10531600.

⁶McCrorie TA, Keaveney EM, Wallace JM, Binns N, Livingstone MB. Human health effects of conjugated linoleic acid from milk and supplements. Nutr Res Rev. 2011 Dec;24(2):206-27. doi: 10.1017/S0954422411000114. Review. PubMed PMID: 22296934.

⁷Marciani L, Cox EF, Pritchard SE, Major G, Hoad CL, Mellows M, Hussein MO, Costigan C, Fox M, Gowland PA, Spiller RC. Additive effects of gastric volumes and macronutrient composition on the sensation of postprandial fullness in humans. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2015 Mar;69(3):380-4. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2014.194. Epub 2014 Sep 17. PubMed PMID: 25226819; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4351404.

#8-14

⁸McLaughlin JT, Lomax RB, Hall L, Dockray GJ, Thompson DG, Warhurst G. Fatty acids stimulate cholecystokinin secretion via an acyl chain length-specific, Ca2+-dependent mechanism in the enteroendocrine cell line STC-1. J Physiol. 1998 Nov 15;513 ( Pt 1):11-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7793.1998.011by.x. PubMed PMID: 9782155; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2231256.

⁹St-Onge MP, Jones PJ. Physiological effects of medium-chain triglycerides: potential agents in the prevention of obesity. J Nutr. 2002 Mar;132(3):329-32. doi: 10.1093/jn/132.3.329. Review. PubMed PMID: 11880549.

¹⁰St-Onge MP, Ross R, Parsons WD, Jones PJ. Medium-chain triglycerides increase energy expenditure and decrease adiposity in overweight men. Obes Res. 2003 Mar;11(3):395-402. doi: 10.1038/oby.2003.53. PubMed PMID: 12634436.

¹¹Acheson KJ, Zahorska-Markiewicz B, Pittet P, Anantharaman K, Jéquier E. Caffeine and coffee: their influence on metabolic rate and substrate utilization in normal weight and obese individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1980 May;33(5):989-97. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/33.5.989. PubMed PMID: 7369170.

¹²Glade MJ. Caffeine-Not just a stimulant. Nutrition. 2010 Oct;26(10):932-8. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2010.08.004. Review. PubMed PMID: 20888549.

¹³Zhou L, Foster JA. Psychobiotics and the gut-brain axis: in the pursuit of happiness. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2015;11:715-23. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S61997. eCollection 2015. Review. PubMed PMID: 25834446; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4370913.

¹⁴Schönfeld P, Wojtczak L. Short- and medium-chain fatty acids in energy metabolism: the cellular perspective. J Lipid Res. 2016 Jun;57(6):943-54. doi: 10.1194/jlr.R067629. Epub 2016 Apr 14. Review. PubMed PMID: 27080715; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4878196.

#15-17

¹⁵Higdon JV, Frei B. Coffee and health: a review of recent human research. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2006;46(2):101-23. doi: 10.1080/10408390500400009. Review. PubMed PMID: 16507475.

¹⁶Moon HS. Biological effects of conjugated linoleic acid on obesity-related cancers. Chem Biol Interact. 2014 Dec 5;224:189-95. doi: 10.1016/j.cbi.2014.11.006. Epub 2014 Nov 18. Review. PubMed PMID: 25446861.

¹⁷Shilling M, Matt L, Rubin E, Visitacion MP, Haller NA, Grey SF, Woolverton CJ. Antimicrobial effects of virgin coconut oil and its medium-chain fatty acids on Clostridium difficile. J Med Food. 2013 Dec;16(12):1079-85. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2012.0303. PubMed PMID: 24328700.