High-quality caprylic acid (C8) has unique benefits that help people achieve incredible results faster through a ketogenic diet.
But caprylic acid doesn’t just help you lose weight. We’ll look closer at what benefits it offers for your physical and mental performance in this article.
Caprylic acid, or C8 MCT, is a saturated fatty acid ideal for weight loss.
MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides. These are medium-chain fatty acids found especially in coconut oil. C8 means that caprylic acid is only eight carbon atoms long and therefore metabolized more quickly than ordinary coconut oil.
It is the most potent fatty acid found in coconut. However, you can also find it in palm kernel oil, human breast milk, cow’s milk, goat’s milk, and other mammals’ milk.
Caprylic acid (C8) and capric acid (C10), which is converted to ketone bodies somewhat more slowly, are the most ketogenic MCTs, according to researchers (Jensen et al. 2020).
For this reason, they are often used in dietary supplements together.
Caprylic acid is used by professional health care providers and people who want to increase energy levels, reduce inflammation, and practice a keto diet or intermittent fasting.
Why it is so popular can be explained by the exceptional health benefits of caprylic acid.
1. Improves Fat Burning
Fat burning is more important than weight loss if you want a healthy body. The stated goal is fat loss while building muscle.
MCT oil, like caprylic acid, can reduce waist circumference in addition to body weight.
Caprylic acid is metabolized so rapidly that it provides immediate energy that can be utilized, which reduces fat storage and lowers body fat percentage (St-Onge et al. 2003).
Studies show that MCTs increase energy expenditure and fat burning compared to longer fatty acids, measurably reducing body fat (St-Onge et al. 2003).
2. Accelerates Ketosis
Using MCTs such as caprylic acid helps to enter ketosis much more quickly through ketogenic diets and to remain in this fat-burning state.
Ketone bodies are unique energy-producing molecules that can be made from supplied fatty acids like MCTs or stored body fat.
MCTs, such as caprylic acid, can convert rapidly to ketones, which provide instant energy and nourish all body cells, including organs, without raising blood glucose or insulin levels (Odle 1997).
Caprylic acid can be converted to ketones faster than other MCTs. Compared to pure coconut oil, it is four times more effective for ketone production (Vandenberghe et al. 2017).
3. Regulates Blood Sugar
Increasing ketone levels and naturally lowering blood sugar levels by consuming caprylic acid helps stabilize blood sugar. Which reduces inflammation in the body and improves brain function without causing side effects (Page et al. 2009).
Caprylic acid can also reduce glucose production by the liver, increasing its ability to utilize glucose while improving carbohydrate tolerance (Zee et al. 1976).
4. Increases Energy Levels
MCTs are absorbed by the body much faster than long-chain fatty acids. They pass directly from the intestine to the liver without an intermediate bile-breaking step. Thus, energy from caprylic acid, which is only eight carbon atoms long, reaches its targets quickly.
Especially on a ketogenic diet, the liver can also convert it into ketones. Ketone bodies have the advantage of being able to cross the blood-brain barrier and deliver clean energy to brain cells faster. As a result, caprylic acid can improve your cognitive performance, mental clarity, and energy levels in general (Schönfeld et al. 2016).
5. Curbs Cravings
High-quality saturated fats, like caprylic acid or grass-fed butter, stimulate the release of satiety hormones (Dockray et al. 2012).
Because the combination fights cravings and keeps you full longer, I use both healthy fats in my Bulletproof Coffee recipe.
Finally, some satiety hormones increase proportionately to the number of fatty acids consumed in the diet (Pironi et al. 1993).
Studies show that overweight people can increase basal metabolic rate, reduce caloric intake, and lose weight even more efficiently by using MCT oil than by using virgin olive oil (Hainer et al. 1994; Stubbs et al. 1996; St-Onge et al. 2008).
6. Reduces Antibiotic Resistance
Antibiotic resistance is an ever-increasing problem due to the growing consumption of antibiotics worldwide.
Due to its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, caprylic acid can be a disinfectant to reduce foodborne illness without antibiotics.
In one study, caprylic acid reduced five different types of bacteria, including the dangerous E.coli (Nair et al. 2005).
Thus, it may help reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance.
7. Fights Bacteria
Caprylic acid boosts the immune system without the risks of antibiotics and other drugs.
Its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties can reduce yeast and potentially harmful bacteria in the gut.
Caprylic acid can help fight infectious diseases caused by Candida and other fungi and increase microbiological safety in general (Bae et al. 2019).
Candida yeast infections cause vaginal yeast infections and nail fungus, among others.
In addition to being potent against numerous infections, researchers attribute caprylic acid with properties to fight cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, autism, aging, and cardiovascular disease.
The best results were found when caprylic acid was taken orally with marine omega-3 fatty acids (Omura et al. 2011).
8. Supports Skin Health
Similarly, the topical application of caprylic acid may help treat infectious dermatological diseases (Valipe et al. 2011).
Natural coconut oil has anti-inflammatory and skin-protective effects. It increases skin barrier function.
Clinical studies have shown that it improves symptoms of skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis and eczema by moisturizing and soothing the skin (Varma et al. 2018).
9. Fights Digestive Disorders
The anti-inflammatory benefits of caprylic acid may help treat inflammatory bowel diseases (Dixon et al. 2015).
In particular, these include Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), which can lead to intestinal damage, complications, surgical intervention, bowel failure, and disability (Papamichael et al. 2014).
Because caprylic acid suppresses the release of a pro-inflammatory messenger in the intestinal mucosa, it may help against these conditions and other digestive complaints, such as bloating or even intestinal bleeding (Hoshimoto et al. 2002).
10. Improves Blood Lipids
High-quality MCT oil with caprylic acid can most effectively increase HDL cholesterol levels compared to other plant-based or animal fats (Teng et al. 2020).
You most likely know high-density lipoprotein (HDL) as the good cholesterol.
HDL is a far better predictor of heart health than low-density lipoprotein (LDL). The higher the HDL level, the lower the risk for heart disease (Marotta et al. 2010).
If you want to bring the health benefits of high-quality C8 MCT into your everyday life, here are the best products caprylic acid products to buy:
Mag. Stephan Lederer, MSc. is an author and blogger from Austria who writes in-depth content about health and nutrition. His book series on Interval Fasting landed #1 on the bestseller list in the German Amazon marketplace in 15 categories.
Stephan is a true man of science, having earned multiple diplomas and master's degrees in various fields. He has made it his mission to bridge the gap between conventional wisdom and scientific knowledge. He precisely reviews the content and sources of this blog for currency and accuracy.
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