MCT Oil: Benefits, Keto, Weight Loss, Dose & Side Effects

Dr. Josh Axe · Free quiz

Metabolic Health Quiz

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MCT oil is coconut's fastest-burning fat, concentrated into a light, neutral oil. It's made almost entirely of two medium-chain fats, caprylic acid (C8) and capric acid (C10), and your body handles them differently from nearly every other fat you eat.78

Most fats take the long way, through your lymph system. Medium-chain fats take a shortcut: they're absorbed quickly and carried in your blood straight to your liver, where they're burned for energy or turned into ketones.2

That shortcut is the reason to use it. If quick energy or ketones are your goal, MCT oil takes you further.7 It's one of the keto supplements our keto diet guide lists, and in my 2025 episode on the year's best wellness trends, I named it, with matcha and cordyceps, among my picks for sustained energy.69 MCT oil is a tool for those jobs, while extra virgin olive oil stays the oil you build your kitchen around.7

Did you know?

• In Japan, medium-chain fats are built into foods approved for specific health uses, and in the United States they're generally recognized as safe (GRAS) as a food ingredient.1

• Sugar dims the effect: in 15 healthy adults aged 65 to 73 who each took C8 in coffee after an overnight fast, adding 50 g of glucose cut the ketone response from 0.45 to 0.28 mmol/L.10

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What is MCT oil?

"Triglyceride" is the chemical name for a fat molecule: three fatty acids attached to a glycerol backbone. Medium-chain fats are built from fatty acids 6 to 12 carbons long, while long-chain fatty acids have 14 or more.111 Manufacturers make MCT oil by joining caprylic and capric acids to glycerol, which yields a high-purity oil used in foods, supplements and medical nutrition.1

MCT oils are commonly half to three-quarters caprylic acid.312 In one clinic's protocol, a 20 g daily dose supplied 163.8 calories.13

C8, C10 and C12: which MCT is which?

The number tells you how many carbon atoms the fat has. Caprylic acid (C8) turns into ketones fastest: in a test-day study at the Université de Sherbrooke, 9 healthy adults each took 20 mL of a C8, C10 or C12 oil (91% to 95% pure), or a C8/C10 blend, with breakfast and again four hours later without lunch. C8 raised blood ketones 2 to 2.5 times as much as capric acid (C10), while lauric acid (C12) raised them far less than either. Ketones also ran about twice as high when a dose came without a meal.14

Lauric acid, the main fat in coconut oil, sits on the border between medium- and long-chain fats and behaves partly like a long-chain fat, which is why coconut oil and MCT oil each have their own research.15 Classic MCT oils are blends of C8 and C10, and the weight trials and the memory trials in mild cognitive impairment below used C8/C10 blends, while pure C8 oils are sold for people who want the biggest ketone response.45163

A short history of MCT oil

MCT oil comes out of clinical nutrition. A 1982 review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition summarized the research since 1970 on its medical use for malabsorption, epilepsy and defects in the carnitine system, among others.17 Medium-chain fats are absorbed so easily that they've long been used in clinical nutrition for people who struggle to digest regular fats.7 They've also served as an energy source in intravenous nutrition for patients who need it.18

In 1971, an MCT version of the ketogenic diet was introduced for epilepsy, letting patients eat more carbohydrate while staying in ketosis.19 Today, in Germany and across the European Union, medium-chain fats go mainly into medical foods for people who can't absorb ordinary fats, for ketogenic epilepsy therapy and for inherited disorders of fat burning.1

MCT oil vs. coconut oil: what's the difference?

Coconut oil isn't the same as MCT oil. Its purest medium-chain fats, caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acids, make up only about 12% of the oil.7 By USDA's numbers, 100 grams of coconut oil carries 6.8 grams of caprylic acid and 5.39 grams of capric acid, along with 41.8 grams of lauric acid, its main fat.20 That's why coconut oil's weight and brain benefits come mostly from concentrated MCT oil.7

The difference shows up in your blood. At the Université de Sherbrooke, 9 healthy adults each tried six oils on separate test days, taking two 20 mL doses (about 1⅓ tablespoons each) in milk, one at breakfast and one at noon. Pure caprylic acid oil, more than 95% C8, raised blood ketones the most. Ketones peaked at 900 µmol/L on C8 and at 300 on coconut oil, and over the whole day they averaged 363 µmol/L on C8 against 107 on coconut oil, more than three times as high. No significant stomach side effects were reported.3

Coconut oil has its own place in your kitchen, for baking and medium-heat cooking, where MCT oil, which works best unheated, doesn't fit.7 Use coconut oil for cooking and MCT oil when quick energy or ketones are the goal. Our full coconut oil guide covers its heart, skin and kitchen uses, and on skin-care shelves you'll also find fractionated coconut oil.

What is MCT oil good for?

How does MCT oil work in your body?

Here's the path MCT oil takes, from your gut to your liver and, as ketones, on to your brain:

MCT oil benefits, ranked by evidence

Ranked by how much human research backs each one, MCT oil's benefits start with fast ketones, then weight and waist, eating less at later meals and seizure control on a medical ketogenic diet, followed by brain energy and memory, after-meal blood sugar and less yeast in the gut.

Does MCT oil help you lose weight?

The pooled numbers come from a 2015 analysis of 13 randomized trials lasting more than three weeks, all comparing C8/C10 fats with long-chain fats. Besides weight and waist, MCT lowered hip size by 0.79 cm and reduced total body fat, the fat under the skin and visceral fat, the deeper belly fat around your organs, with no difference in blood lipids.4 A 2024 analysis focused on adults with overweight or obesity found that diets enriched with MCT lowered body weight 1.53% more than diets built on long-chain fats.36

In a 16-week weight-loss program, people using MCT oil ended about 1.67 kg (about 3.7 pounds) lighter than those using olive oil.7 In that randomized trial, 49 overweight adults took 18 to 24 g a day of MCT oil or olive oil within a program that included weekly group counseling, and 31 finished. Besides weighing less, the MCT group ended with less trunk fat, total fat and fat inside the abdomen.37 A companion report from the same trial found no harmful change in blood sugar, cholesterol or blood pressure on MCT oil.38

A 2023 study from a university obesity clinic adds a keto-diet result. Researchers looked back at the records of 263 women with overweight or obesity during the 45-day active phase of a very-low-calorie ketogenic diet. Women who added 20 g of MCT oil a day lost 7.2 kg (about 16 pounds), and those who started the oil 5 days before the diet lost 8.8 kg (about 19 pounds), against 4.8 kg (about 11 pounds) on the diet alone. Waist size fell 7.3 and 8.1 cm on MCT oil, against 4.4 cm without it, and the early-start group lost about twice as much fat mass as the diet-alone group, with a larger gain in muscle mass. Among the 207 women whose CRP was measured, this marker of inflammation fell about 45% in both MCT groups, against about 23% on the diet alone. The groups weren't assigned at random, so the result shows an association.13

Researchers propose two reasons MCT oil helps. It raises the calories you burn after a meal more than long-chain fats do, and in a study where 16 adults, lean and with obesity, each tried both fats, MCT raised ketones and metabolic rate and lowered blood sugar over 5 hours, effects that held after 8 days of daily use.239 The second reason is appetite.

Does MCT oil curb your appetite? {#appetite}

In a 2021 analysis of 17 studies with 291 people, MCT led to a moderate drop in how much people ate at their next meals in lab settings compared with long-chain fats, even though people didn't rate themselves as less hungry.21 In one study, 7 overweight men each had 20 g of MCT oil or corn oil at breakfast plus a 10 g top-up three hours later, and they ate about a third less at lunch after MCT oil (about 530 versus 800 calories), with a bigger rise in PYY, a hormone that signals fullness. In a companion test of 10 men without the top-up, lunch intake didn't differ.33 For more ways to feel full on less, see these natural appetite suppressants.

Every weight trial above used MCT oil in place of other fats or alongside a calorie-controlled plan, so use it the same way: swap a spoonful of MCT oil for some of the fat you already eat rather than adding it on top. For a full plan, see my Healthy Weight & Metabolic Reset protocol and these metabolism boosters.

Is MCT oil good for keto?

MCT oil fits a keto diet well, because carbohydrate blunts its ketone response and keto already keeps carbohydrate low. A 2024 analysis of 7 trials found that carbohydrates taken with caprylic acid lower the ketone response.40 In a 2026 trial in which 11 healthy young women each tried every combination, a fixed dose of pure C8 raised ketones when taken with low and medium amounts of glucose, but not with the highest amount, and neither the women nor the researchers knew which drink was which.41 A moderate amount of carbohydrate mostly delays the peak: in a study of 19 healthy young adults, MCT oil with glucose peaked later than MCT oil alone, and slightly higher.42

Our keto guide describes keto at its best as clean, whole-food, personalized keto, and as a short- to medium-term tool, a reset rather than a forever-restriction.6 MCT oil belongs in clean keto, and our guide to MCT oil on the keto diet and the best keto fats show how to work it into meals. If you're new to keto, it can help to know what ketosis feels like and how to ease the keto flu.

MCT oil and fasting

Timing matters too. In test days at the Université de Sherbrooke, groups of 6 to 10 healthy young adults took a C8/C10 MCT drink. Taken with breakfast, 10 g and 20 g raised ketones for about 3 hours, peaking at 455 and 612 µmol/L, and the blood-sugar rise over the next 4 hours was 30% to 42% smaller. When people skipped breakfast and took the 10 g drink alone, their ketones rose and stayed up until their next meal.43 That 10 g dose supplied 88 calories, so MCT oil isn't part of a water-and-black-coffee fast, but it fits a gentler approach, sometimes called dirty fasting, and pairs well with intermittent fasting on keto.43

MCT oil for energy and exercise

On my show, I've described medium-chain fats as the type of fat your body can use the fastest as fuel.44 For endurance athletes, the research points to pairing them with carbohydrate. In a study of 6 trained cyclists who each tried three drinks during a 2-hour ride, adding MCT to a glucose drink shaved their 40-km time trial from 66.8 to 65.1 minutes; MCT in place of glucose slowed them to 72.1 minutes.29 A later trial in 8 trained cyclists found no extra gain from adding MCT to a carbohydrate drink.30 If you train long, take MCT oil with carbohydrate such as fruit or raw honey, and try it in training before race day. For other options before a workout, see these best pre-workout foods.

Does MCT oil help your brain?

Brain health is personal for me. My grandmother was 96, and in her last few years she battled dementia and Alzheimer's. It was hard on her, on my mom and on our whole family.45 In Heal Your Cells, Dr. Will Cole and I explain that as we age, the brain often loses its ability to use glucose efficiently, and that ketones from coconut provide an alternative energy source.46

Brain scans show ketones helping fill that gap. In a brain-scan study with no placebo group, 11 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's took 30 g a day of an MCT oil for a month, and their brains took up twice as many ketones without losing any glucose use. Their brains took up ketones in step with their blood levels, at the same rate seen in healthy young adults, and 6 of them went on to take pure C8 for a month with the same result.31

What the trials in memory loss show

The strongest results come from mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a decline in memory or thinking beyond normal aging that still leaves daily life largely intact. In a 6-month trial in Canada, adults with MCI drank an MCT drink (15 g twice a day) or a calorie-matched placebo, and neither the people nor the researchers knew who got what. An earlier report on the first 52 people found the brain's ketone use rose 230% on MCT, while glucose uptake didn't change.32

Of the 122 people who enrolled, 83 finished, 39 on MCT and 44 on placebo. The MCT group improved more than placebo on four memory, language and thinking tests: recall of a word list, naming words in a category, naming pictured objects and errors on a connect-the-dots task, and the people whose ketones rose most tended to improve most. More people stopped taking the MCT drink than the placebo, 24 versus 15, mostly for stomach and gut complaints.5

A 12-month trial in China went longer. Researchers assigned 280 older adults with MCI, 70 to each group, to MCT (14 g of C8 and 10 g of C10 a day), the omega-3 fat DHA (800 mg a day), both, or placebo, and neither the people nor the researchers knew who got what. All three active groups scored better than placebo on full-scale IQ at 12 months, ketones rose, and markers of mitochondrial damage fell, with the combination of MCT and DHA doing best.16

Pooled together, the trials point the same way. A 2023 review of 10 studies in MCI and Alzheimer's pooled 4 of them and found MCT improved general cognition compared with placebo, though memory, language and attention didn't improve when scored separately, and the gain was larger in people who don't carry the APOE4 gene variant.47 A 2020 analysis of 422 patients found MCT raised ketones and improved a combined memory-and-thinking score.48

In Alzheimer's disease itself, the results are mixed. In a 90-day trial of 152 adults with mild to moderate Alzheimer's, neither the people nor the researchers knew who got a powdered C8 formula, 20 g a day, and who got placebo. At day 45, memory and thinking scores were 1.9 points better on the formula than on placebo, and among the 55 people who didn't carry the APOE4 gene variant, the gap was 4.77 points. At day 90, the trial's main checkpoint, the gap for the whole group was small enough that it could have been chance, while the non-carriers stayed 3.36 points better. The company that made the formula designed and ran the trial.27 A larger 26-week trial of 413 patients found no difference from placebo; the researchers noted that ketone levels ran lower than expected and the placebo group didn't decline.28

I've also written that coconut and MCT oil are being studied as therapies for conditions like Alzheimer's and epilepsy.46 Alongside MCT oil, the daily habits that feed your brain matter most: see these brain foods, ways to improve memory and the steps that clear brain fog.

Does MCT oil affect blood sugar and cholesterol?

MCT oil lowered the rise in blood sugar after breakfast in people with type 2 diabetes, and it left cholesterol largely unchanged.2549

In a study where 21 adults with type 2 diabetes each tried three 24-hour plans, 15 g of MCT before breakfast cut the blood-sugar rise after breakfast by about 17% and steadied the swings in blood sugar over 24 hours, 16.8% versus 18.7% variability, though total blood sugar over the day didn't change. Ketones and PYY rose too.25 In a 90-day pilot trial of 40 moderately overweight adults with type 2 diabetes in China, 18 g a day of MCT in place of corn oil lowered weight, waist size and insulin resistance compared with corn oil, and people on MCT ate less without trying.35 If blood sugar is your focus, start with the food steps in the insulin resistance diet and learn your normal blood sugar targets.

For heart health, judge fats by ApoB, cholesterol ratios, triglycerides and CRP rather than LDL alone.7 By that lens, a 2021 analysis of 7 randomized trials found MCT oil didn't change total, LDL or HDL cholesterol overall and raised triglycerides slightly, by about 12 mg/dL, while a 2024 analysis in adults with overweight or obesity found that MCT-enriched diets lowered triglycerides and insulin resistance compared with diets built on long-chain fats.4936 LDL rose when MCT oil replaced mostly unsaturated oils and tended to fall when it replaced longer-chain saturated fats.49 In a 12-week randomized trial at Walter Reed, 60 healthy adults drank plain coffee or coffee with MCT oil and butter, and among the 41 who finished, there was no difference between the groups in ApoB, LDL, HDL or triglycerides.50 If your ApoB or triglycerides run high, check them a couple of months after making MCT oil a daily habit.7

How much MCT oil should you take a day?

MCT oil has no official daily intake. Here are the amounts the studies used:

Mix it into a drink.6 In a study where 10 healthy adults each took 10, 20 and 30 g of MCT oil with breakfast, either stirred into skim milk or emulsified into it in a dairy lab, the emulsified oil raised ketones faster, and higher at 20 and 30 g, with a bigger rise at each step up in dose, and it delivered about 2 to 3 times more medium-chain fats to the blood.11 The same researchers found that in their 1- to 6-month studies, people tolerated MCT better when they started at about 5 g in the morning and again in the evening and built up over at least a week toward 15 g twice a day.11

Take it in the morning, with food. On my show, I've suggested having coffee with a little coconut milk, MCT oil or grass-fed butter, and with a little food rather than on an empty stomach.51 For larger amounts, split the dose, as the 6-month memory trial did with 15 g twice a day.5

Can you cook with MCT oil?

It's better not to: MCT oil works best unheated, so add it to drinks, dressings and finished dishes, and cook with other fats.7 For sautéing and baking, extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil are good choices, and if you use coconut oil every day, ApoB is the number to watch.7 See our guide to healthy cooking oils for more.

How to choose an MCT oil

Look for these on the label:

• C8 and C10 named, with the amount of each per serving; C8-rich oils make the most ketones14

• The source oil named, such as coconut, and organic if you prefer

• For powders and capsules, the grams of MCT per serving and the full ingredient list

• Bovine or fish gelatin, or a plant-based capsule shell

• Third-party tested for identity and purity

MCT oil side effects and who should be careful

Stomach upset is the main side effect researchers see, and it tracks the amount. A 2026 review of 33 studies with 1,100 people found digestive symptoms were the most common: diarrhea was reported in 22 of the 29 studies that gave numbers, along with abdominal pain or discomfort and nausea, and less often fatigue or headache. Symptoms usually began within 2 hours and faded within 30 minutes to 6 hours, and they were more frequent at higher doses.52 Large amounts at once can loosen stools, so start with a teaspoon or two and build up.7

The dose study above shows why. With MCT oil stirred into milk at breakfast, 1, 2 and 5 of the 10 people reported diarrhea at 10, 20 and 30 grams over the next 4 hours, and abdominal discomfort usually faded within 30 to 60 minutes. When the same doses were emulsified into milk, no one reported diarrhea.11 If your stools loosen, drop back to the last amount that sat well; these tips for how to stop diarrhea can help in the meantime.

Beyond the gut, MCT oil showed no notable toxicity in 90-day feeding studies of lab animals, and intakes up to 1 g per kilogram of body weight have been tolerated in human clinical trials.18 Its effect on triglycerides is covered in the cholesterol section.

The bottom line

MCT oil: frequently asked questions

References

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2. Papamandjaris AA, MacDougall DE, Jones PJ. Medium chain fatty acid metabolism and energy expenditure: obesity treatment implications. Life Sci. 1998;62(14):1203-15. doi:10.1016/s0024-3205(97)01143-0 · PMID:9570335
3. Vandenberghe C, St-Pierre V, Pierotti T, et al. Tricaprylin Alone Increases Plasma Ketone Response More Than Coconut Oil or Other Medium-Chain Triglycerides: An Acute Crossover Study in Healthy Adults. Curr Dev Nutr. 2017;1(4):e000257. doi:10.3945/cdn.116.000257 · PMID:29955698
4. Mumme K, Stonehouse W. Effects of medium-chain triglycerides on weight loss and body composition: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2015;115(2):249-263. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2014.10.022 · PMID:25636220
5. Fortier M, Castellano CA, St-Pierre V, et al. A ketogenic drink improves cognition in mild cognitive impairment: Results of a 6-month RCT. Alzheimers Dement. 2021;17(3):543-552. doi:10.1002/alz.12206 · PMID:33103819
6. Axe J. Keto Diet: Benefits, Food List, 7-Day Meal Plan & How to Start (A Doctor's Guide). DrAxe.com (supplements list, item 3, MCT oil: "a fast way to raise ketones for energy, appetite control, and brain fuel"; "Typical: start at 1 tsp and build to 1–2 tbsp/day in coffee, smoothies, or dressings"; history section: "keto works best as clean, whole-food, personalized keto"; FAQ: "For most healthy adults a well-formulated keto diet is safe short to medium term"; weight-loss section: "treat it as a reset, not a forever-restriction"; benefits section: "Medical keto for epilepsy is always run with a neurology and dietitian team"; contraindications: anyone on insulin, a sulfonylurea or an SGLT2 inhibitor needs a clinician first).
7. Axe J. Coconut Oil Benefits: Heart Health, Uses, vs. Butter & MCT Oil. DrAxe.com. 2026 ("if quick energy or ketones are your goal, MCT oil takes you further"; "Coconut oil isn't the same as MCT oil. Its purest medium-chain fats, caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acids, make up only about 12% of the oil"; MCT oil row of the oil-types table: "Concentrated caprylic and capric acids", "Neutral and liquid; best unheated"; "medium-chain fats have long been used in clinical nutrition for people who struggle to digest regular fats"; "in a 16-week weight-loss program, people using MCT oil ended about 1.67 kg lighter than those using olive oil"; "its weight and brain benefits come mostly from concentrated MCT oil"; "Build your kitchen around extra virgin olive oil"; judging fats by cholesterol ratios, triglycerides and CRP rather than LDL alone, and checking ApoB a couple of months after a new daily fat habit; "if you use coconut oil every day, ApoB is the number to watch"; coconut oil "shines for baking and medium-heat cooking"; "Large amounts at once, especially of MCT oil, can loosen stools. Start with a teaspoon or two and build up").
8. Jadhav HB, Annapure US. Triglycerides of medium-chain fatty acids: a concise review. J Food Sci Technol. 2023;60(8):2143-2152. doi:10.1007/s13197-022-05499-w · PMID:35761969
9. Axe J. The Top 1% in Health Do THIS | Best Wellness Trends of 2025. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2025 (Dr. Axe speaking, solo; "sustained energy. Um MCT oil, matcha, cordyceps are good for that" at 28:59-29:05; YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaBgATFJb6c).
10. Norgren J, Sindi S, Sandebring-Matton A, et al. Ketosis After Intake of Coconut Oil and Caprylic Acid-With and Without Glucose: A Cross-Over Study in Healthy Older Adults. Front Nutr. 2020;7:40. doi:10.3389/fnut.2020.00040 · PMID:32351966
11. Courchesne-Loyer A, Lowry CM, St-Pierre V, et al. Emulsification Increases the Acute Ketogenic Effect and Bioavailability of Medium-Chain Triglycerides in Humans: Protein, Carbohydrate, and Fat Metabolism. Curr Dev Nutr. 2017;1(7):e000851. doi:10.3945/cdn.117.000851 · PMID:29955713
12. Lemarié F, Beauchamp E, Legrand P, et al. Revisiting the metabolism and physiological functions of caprylic acid (C8:0) with special focus on ghrelin octanoylation. Biochimie. 2016;120:40-8. doi:10.1016/j.biochi.2015.08.002 · PMID:26253695
13. Vetrani C, Verde L, Savastano S, et al. Supplementation with medium-chain fatty acids increases body weight loss during very low-calorie ketogenic diet: a retrospective analysis in a real-life setting. J Transl Med. 2023;21(1):29. doi:10.1186/s12967-023-03880-7 · PMID:36647097
14. St-Pierre V, Vandenberghe C, Lowry CM, et al. Plasma Ketone and Medium Chain Fatty Acid Response in Humans Consuming Different Medium Chain Triglycerides During a Metabolic Study Day. Front Nutr. 2019;6:46. doi:10.3389/fnut.2019.00046 · PMID:31058159
15. Wallace TC. Health Effects of Coconut Oil-A Narrative Review of Current Evidence. J Am Coll Nutr. 2019;38(2):97-107. doi:10.1080/07315724.2018.1497562 · PMID:30395784
16. Duan H, Yang T, Li C, et al. Supplementation of medium-chain triglycerides combined with docosahexaenoic acid improves cognitive function in Chinese older adults with mild cognitive impairment: A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Affect Disord. 2025;378:263-270. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2025.03.008 · PMID:40044083
17. Bach AC, Babayan VK. Medium-chain triglycerides: an update. Am J Clin Nutr. 1982;36(5):950-62. doi:10.1093/ajcn/36.5.950 · PMID:6814231
18. Traul KA, Driedger A, Ingle DL, et al. Review of the toxicologic properties of medium-chain triglycerides. Food Chem Toxicol. 2000;38(1):79-98. doi:10.1016/s0278-6915(99)00106-4 · PMID:10685018
19. Liu YM. Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) ketogenic therapy. Epilepsia. 2008;49 Suppl 8:33-6. doi:10.1111/j.1528-1167.2008.01830.x · PMID:19049583
20. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Oil, coconut. FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC ID 171412.
21. Maher T, Clegg ME. A systematic review and meta-analysis of medium-chain triglycerides effects on acute satiety and food intake. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2021;61(4):636-648. doi:10.1080/10408398.2020.1742654 · PMID:32212947
22. Neal EG, Chaffe H, Schwartz RH, et al. A randomized trial of classical and medium-chain triglyceride ketogenic diets in the treatment of childhood epilepsy. Epilepsia. 2009;50(5):1109-17. doi:10.1111/j.1528-1167.2008.01870.x · PMID:19054400
23. Meer N, Fischer T. Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) for the Symptomatic Treatment of Dementia-Related Diseases: A Systematic Review. J Nutr Metab. 2024;2024:9672969. doi:10.1155/2024/9672969 · PMID:38715705
24. Castro CB, Dias CB, Hillebrandt H, et al. Medium-chain fatty acids for the prevention or treatment of Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr Rev. 2023;81(9):1144-1162. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuac104 · PMID:36633304
25. Pabla P, Mallinson J, Nixon A, et al. Effect of medium-chain triglycerides and whey protein isolate preloads on glycaemia in type 2 diabetes: a randomized crossover study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2025;121(2):232-245. doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.12.022 · PMID:39732398
26. Arsenault AB, Gunsalus KTW, Laforce-Nesbitt SS, et al. Dietary Supplementation With Medium-Chain Triglycerides Reduces Candida Gastrointestinal Colonization in Preterm Infants. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2019;38(2):164-168. doi:10.1097/INF.0000000000002042 · PMID:29596218
27. Henderson ST, Vogel JL, Barr LJ, et al. Study of the ketogenic agent AC-1202 in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2009;6:31. doi:10.1186/1743-7075-6-31 · PMID:19664276
28. Henderson ST, Morimoto BH, Cummings JL, et al. A Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group, Randomized Clinical Trial of AC-1204 in Mild-to-Moderate Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2020;75(2):547-557. doi:10.3233/JAD-191302 · PMID:32310169
29. Van Zyl CG, Lambert EV, Hawley JA, et al. Effects of medium-chain triglyceride ingestion on fuel metabolism and cycling performance. J Appl Physiol (1985). 1996;80(6):2217-25. doi:10.1152/jappl.1996.80.6.2217 · PMID:8806933
30. Angus DJ, Hargreaves M, Dancey J, et al. Effect of carbohydrate or carbohydrate plus medium-chain triglyceride ingestion on cycling time trial performance. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2000;88(1):113-9. doi:10.1152/jappl.2000.88.1.113 · PMID:10642370
31. Croteau E, Castellano CA, Richard MA, et al. Ketogenic Medium Chain Triglycerides Increase Brain Energy Metabolism in Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2018;64(2):551-561. doi:10.3233/JAD-180202 · PMID:29914035
32. Fortier M, Castellano CA, Croteau E, et al. A ketogenic drink improves brain energy and some measures of cognition in mild cognitive impairment. Alzheimers Dement. 2019;15(5):625-634. doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2018.12.017 · PMID:31027873
33. St-Onge MP, Mayrsohn B, O'Keeffe M, et al. Impact of medium and long chain triglycerides consumption on appetite and food intake in overweight men. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2014;68(10):1134-40. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2014.145 · PMID:25074387
34. Martin-McGill KJ, Bresnahan R, Levy RG, et al. Ketogenic diets for drug-resistant epilepsy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;6(6):CD001903. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001903.pub5 · PMID:32588435
35. Han JR, Deng B, Sun J, et al. Effects of dietary medium-chain triglyceride on weight loss and insulin sensitivity in a group of moderately overweight free-living type 2 diabetic Chinese subjects. Metabolism. 2007;56(7):985-91. doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2007.03.005 · PMID:17570262
36. He H, Liu K, Liu M, et al. The impact of medium-chain triglycerides on weight loss and metabolic health in individuals with overweight or obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Nutr. 2024;43(8):1755-1768. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2024.06.016 · PMID:38936302
37. St-Onge MP, Bosarge A. Weight-loss diet that includes consumption of medium-chain triacylglycerol oil leads to a greater rate of weight and fat mass loss than does olive oil. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008;87(3):621-6. doi:10.1093/ajcn/87.3.621 · PMID:18326600
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44. Axe J. How to Use Coconut Oil. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2017 (Dr. Axe speaking, solo; medium-chain fats as "the type of fat ... that your body can use the fastest as fuel" at 7:10-7:22; YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BLbk2lImCk).
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51. Axe J. How Coffee Affects Your Brain, Hormones, and Gut. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2025 (Dr. Axe speaking, solo; coffee with coconut milk, MCT oil or grass-fed butter and food at 10:38-10:55; YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuM1ceuyUlk).
52. Scheller M, Frenser M, Valembois J, et al. Gastrointestinal issues predominate among side effects of medium-chain triglyceride consumption in humans. Front Nutr. 2026;13:1829954. doi:10.3389/fnut.2026.1829954 · PMID:42688103
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Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS

Doctor of Natural Medicine · Founder, DrAxe.com

Dr. Axe is a certified doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist, and multiple New York Times bestselling author. He has spent 20+ years in clinical practice helping people heal at the root cause and founded one of the most-visited natural-health platforms in the world.

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