What Is Capric Triglyceride?

Capric triglycerides is an oil derived from coconut or palm kernel oil. It is a colorless, tasteless and odorless substance. Widely used in the cosmetic, medical and food industries, the oil is very versatile, as well as nutritional. The oil is known as fractionated coconut oil, and is used in many products on the market today. The oil does not feel greasy, and is non-comedogenic which means that it does not block pores of the skin. It is also known for its health benefits in both sports nutrition and medicine.

Cosmetics

• MCT's, or medium-chain triglycerides, as fractionated coconut oil is known, is used as a binding agent for cosmetic powders, as carrier oils for other essential oils, in massage oils, lotions, sunscreens, lip balms, in creams to give the product emolliency, or skin softening properties, and as a superfatting agent in soap. Superfatting is the process soap makers use to get just a bit more oil than lye into the soap so that it replaces the oils in the skin rather than dry it out.

  A drawback to superfatting is that the soap can eventually develop unsightly yellow spots from the oils in it. This does not have an effect on lathering, or its cleaning properties.

Foods

• Capric triglycerides are fatty acids that are rapidly hydrolyzed, absorbed and burned by the body for energy. In sports nutrition, these oils are low in calories, and able to provide quick energy. MCT's are just now being used as cooking oils due to their beneficial properties. This type of triglyceride is cholesterol-neutral meaning it has a very small effect on serum cholesterol levels in the body, and does not add trans-fats to formulas.

  MCT's have been in baby formulas for many years, and athletes use them to boost performance and control their weight.

  In 2002 a Canadian company Forbes Medi-Tech developed a cooking oil using MCT's in place of hydrogenated oil, and their research found the oil to help reduce cholesterol levels in the body and reduce weight.

Medicine

• MCT's are given to patients with fat malabsorption syndrome, as well as infants, and surgical patients due to the ease in which they are metabolized. With emphasis placed on some specific types of triglyceride levels contributing to all kinds of medical problems, the fatty acids in this category are neutral, and some research has shown that bad cholesterol had been reduced with these fatty acids.

  MCT's are in use in hospitals serving the critically ill as well, patients needing nutrients via IV or through a tube down the throat, providing these patients with the sustenance to assist them in fighting their condition.

  A major difference with MCT's (medium-chain triglycerides) versus LCT's (long-chain triglycerides) is that the breakdown of the former bypasses the lymphatic system, and is metabolized by the liver, unlike the LCT's which break down, and are transported by the lymphatic system. The bloodstream then distributes the LCT's throughout the body.

Protection

• MCT's also serve to protect us from becoming sick. When babies are born they are at the mercy of the disease elements. However, one of the ways the infants are protected is through mother's milk. Without an adequate supply of MCT's for the baby, infections can set in risking the well-being of the infant.

  A report in 2003 by Bruce Fife, N.D., of the Coconut Research Center, indicated mothers who include coconut oil in their diet have less chance of passing diseases on to their infant, including HIV.

  In a 1994 Institute of Biology, University of Iceland study, researcher H. Thormar, et al, found that human milk became a visna antiviral when stored at 4 degrees centigrade due to the release of fatty acids in the milk. Visna is a retrovirus belonging to the lentivirus family. HIV is also a member of the lentivirus family. Medium-chain fatty acids were found to break down the viral envelope, and destroy it.

Benefits

• Capric triglycerides were developed in the 1950s for use in the medical field for treating patients with cystic fibrosis, and later epilepsy. Over the years it has found its way into our lives in many products now offered on the market. MCT's deliver less calories than regular fats, and the body can digest them much easier.

  Benefits of MCT's include killing viruses like HIV, SARS, hepatitis C, herpes, kills bacteria, improves digestion, kills tapeworms, reduces inflammation, protects arteries from hardening, dissolves kidney stones. The substance is also non-toxic to humans.

  Throughout the years capric triglyceride has been discovered to be an all-around substance capable of serving in many areas of our lives. From sunscreens to nutrition, coconut oil has been helping us regain, enhance, and maintain our health.