Coconut oil and MCT oil

[DBradley]

Hi, does anyone have a view on the benefits or harm in consuming coconut oil and/or 100% MCT oil, both generally and with respect to NAFLD?

[nash2 Partner]

As is typical there is not a single perspective. Coconut oil and all oils with chain lengths shorter than 14 carbons, go directly into the blood stream and to the liver. Longer fat molecules enter the body through the lymph system and bypass the liver initially. Since MCT is a manufactured product they may not tell you what the carbon chain length is but presumably shorter. These are useful for people who have absorption problems and may help with fatigue. They are generally well tolerated but may cause some people gastric issues. The flip side of coconut oil is that it is a saturated fat so it is somewhat more inflammatory than unsaturated fats so no perfect answers. Research is limited so there is a lot we don't know.

[timotur]

I have some MCT oil that I was occasionally using to make a keto coffee. After diagnosed with NAFLD, I looked at the label, and saw 1tsp has 70% of saturated fat daily requirement. So I'm holding off on MCT for now.