Caprylic Acid

What is Caprylic Acid?

Caprylic acid is a medium chain fatty acid (MCT) consisting of 8 carbon atoms. The systematic designation is octanoic acid, the short designation is C8:0.

The name caprylic acid is derived from the word 'capra' meaning goat. Caprylic acid occurs naturally in the milk fat of goat milk, as well as in the milk fat of other ruminant animals. Human breast milk also contains caprylic acid.

The richest source of caprylic acid is coconut oil. Other natural sources include palm kernel oil, cuphea seed oils and hemp oil. It is also produced in small amounts by the body itself.

What is Caprylic acid good for?

Caprylic acid is converted by the body into ketones that are an important source of energy for both the brain and other organs in the body that use a lot of energy.

Caprylic acid is also used for other very specific purposes and often in combination with Pau d'Arco, Thyme and/or Grapefruit Seed. Unfortunately, due to EFSA claim legislation, we cannot comment on this.

Does Caprylic Acid have any side effects? / Is it dangerous?

The use of caprylic acid may cause gastrointestinal symptoms, dizziness, headache and fatigue in an occasional case. Advice is to build up the dosage slowly to avoid these symptoms.

For people with liver disease or hypotension (low blood pressure), the advice is to consult your treated physician before use. Not recommended for children, pregnant and breastfeeding women.

What is MCT oil?

MCT is a collective name of fatty acids of which Caprylic Acid is one. MCT stands for Medium Chain Triglycerides; triglycerides made up of medium-chain fatty acids. MCT fats differ from each other by the number of carbon atoms bound to the fatty acids. They include C6, C8, C10 or C12, where the C stands for the number of carbon atoms.

C6:0 ➜ apric acid
C8:0 ➜ caprylic acid
C10:0 ➜ capric acid
C12:0 ➜ lauric acid

The lower the number, the shorter the carbon chain and the faster the fatty acid can be converted into energy.

The advantage of MCTs is that the fatty acids are absorbed directly through the small intestine (through the portal vein to the liver) and provide a quick energy boost/ there is a quick energy conversion possible. Most fatty acids do not enter the blood directly but enter the body through lymphatic vessels (via the thoracic duct), so the energy is not released until much later. MCTs do not require energy from the bile, liver and pancreas in digestion, which all other fats do. Therefore, it does not affect cholesterol metabolism in the liver and does not increase cholesterol.

What does MCT oil do?

The main reason MCT oil is used is its influence on ketone production.

The body can basically function on 2 types of fuel: Glucose or Ketone bodies. Ketone bodies are produced when the body has insufficient glucose in the blood. This can occur when following a ketogenic diet (high protein/fats, low carbohydrates), the inability to absorb longer-chain fatty acids, an extreme calorie deficit or prolonged physical exercise.

MCT oil can be used to increase the body's ketone production, allowing a person to enter so-called "ketosis" more quickly.

Fats: healthy and vital

Fats have long had a bad name. Fat was seen as a "fattener," but it is becoming increasingly clear that fats can also make us slim and that a lack of fats is not good for our health.

Fats are important sources of energy (more important than the energy provided by carbohydrates and proteins) and have many other good properties. For example, our brain is composed of as much as 60% fat.

People who buy Caprylic Acid also use:

• Grapefruit seed
• Oregano
• Berberine
• Garlic
• Pau D'Arco