Something I happened upon while doing research on grass fed meat is Brain Octane Oil or C8. I have heard about it before from nutritionalist and other people of the sorts but it was never something I looked into much. I figured this was the perfect opportunity to do so.
Brain Octane oil is a type of MCT (medium chain triglyceride) oil, a special type of fat derived from coconut oil. The article I found talks about the different types of MCT oils (apparently there are 4 different types) and what each one does. Not all are good. Brain Octane oil is the most effective at turning into ketones, providing the body with a clean burning energy source. Kentones put your body into ketosis which is where you burn fat instead of carbs. This helps you lose weight, curb your hunger, kick your brain into a higher gear, and even recover faster.
The first type of MCT oil discussed in the article is Caproic acid. This is the shortest MCT, only having 6 carbons. This MCT can cause digestive problems even in small doses. C8 (caprylic acid) is the good stuff. This is what Brain Octane oil is. This can only be made from coconut oil. The others can be made with palm oil, which kills orangutans when it is harvested. C8 converts into ketones within minutes and raises ketone levels the most. Capric acid has 10 carbons. The artel says, “the extra two carbons mean your liver takes longer to turn C10 into ketones, but you do still get mental and metabolic boosts from it. C10 is much less rare than C8, making it cheaper to produce”(Bulletproof article). It works about the same as C8 except it takes longer to kick in and it doesn’t raise ketones as high. Last is Lauric acid (C12). The extra carbons mean the liver absorption is less efficient and it won’t break down into ketones unless you are eating an extremely low carb diet. However, C12 is the most efficient MCT when it comes to fighting off bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Coconut oil is 50% Lauric acid, so if you are eating about a tablespoon of coconut oil a day then you are reaping the benefits of it.
The article is written by a company that sells Brain Octane oil, so it is very pro- C8 but it gives almost 30 sources where you can find the information yourself.
Amanda Mayerhofer 