Many of you have probably heard of Bulletproof coffee. It became all the rage a couple years back. Butter in coffee? Yuck or YES? Hard to say. Nonetheless, you probably heard something about it. If you looked into it you probably heard that bulletproof coffee consists of coffee + MCT oil or Brain Octane Oil + butter from grass-fed cows, frothed/blended into a "latte." I won't delve into all the pros of making this particular concoction in this article, but will focus on the unique oils that contribute to it. MCT oil and Brain Octane Oil seem to be everywhere. In matcha, coffee, smoothies, you name it- people are adding it! But what is it? It sounds scary and complicated. 

Well, I wouldn't define it as scary, but to explain it I would just say it's "science-y". Let me break it down: 

MCT is an abbreviation of medium-chain triglycerides also known as medium-chain fatty acids. All fats are categorized by how many carbons they have. There are short-chain (less than 6 carbons), medium-chain (6-12 carbons), and long-chain (13-21 carbons) fatty acids. Omega 3 fats (love those!) are long-chain. MCTs are absorbed in the body better than long-chain because they are smaller. It is easier for the body to utilize them for this reason. (Note: this does not mean to stop eating Omega 3s though! Omega 3s are anti-inflammatory, awesome for our cognitive function, and also may help lower the risk of heart disease, depression, dementia, and arthritis.) Did I lose you, yet? Don't worry, the worst is over!

But why are MCTs a top source of essential healthy fats? According to Dr. Axe,  "Medium-chain fats are digested easily and sent directly to your liver, where they have a thermogenic effect and the ability to positively alter your metabolism. This is one reason why many people claim that MCTs, including coconut oil, are burned by the body for energy, or “fuel,” instead of being stored as fat." So basically, they can be awesome for weight loss. 

Some of the reported benefits of incorporating MCTs in your diet:

• Having more energy
• Thinking more clearly
• Feeling satisfied and full, which helps in maintaining a healthy weight
• Reducing body fat by raising metabolic function
• Better digestion
• Hormonal balance
• Mood improvement
• Fight bacterial infection and viruses
• Increased ability to absorb fat-soluble nutrients from various foods

In addition to getting MCTs from supplementing, they also occur naturally in coconut oil, butter (from grass-fed cows), whole milk, full-fat yogurt, palm oil and cheeses. 

So, where does Brain Octane Oil fit in? Well, it is a form of MCT oil. The fancy one of the bunch. It is also known as Caprylic acid or MCT C8. There are other variations of MCT oils, one of which is XCT oil (a mix of C8+C10). XCT oil was the original used in bulletproof coffee. I won't focus on the others, but know there are other variations. 

The biggest perk I heard about Brain Octane Oil was that it helps your brain kick into gear quickly in the morning. According to Eduard de Wilde of Live Helfi, "The body rapidly metabolizes Brain Octane Oil into ketones that the brain can use for instant energy without the need for glucose from carbohydrates or sugar." This means it offers a higher level of brain performance than XCT Oil or other MCT oils.

In addition:

• (Brain) Octane Oil helps balance yeast in the digestive tract. If your gut is out of whack in this way, you could experience: bloat, IBS, depression, and other awful stuff. 
• Brain Octane Oil has been known to help with hypertension and Crohn's Disease, to boot.

Okay- so now we know this stuff seems pretty awesome. But what happens when you actually start taking it?  

I am going to take Brain Octane Oil every day for a week and will report back with my findings. I can give you a mini preview:  it froths beautifully (see pic) and tastes amazing.  I will leave the rest of the updates for when I report back. 

Also, I used the following articles to help form this post: 

• Dr. Axe 
• Live Helfi

If you are looking for more details I recommend reading at your leisure! 

Looking forward to updating you soon! Have a great week, loves! 

AHS