OLIMP MCT is a complex of medium-chain triglycerides of plant origin. They are found in a natural form in a very limited amount, and in food their main source is cocoa oil. MCT fats are wholly metabolised by the liver with energy release, without a tendency to their accumulation in the body in the form of adipose tissue. The dietary properties of MCT fatty acids arise from the fact that they are absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract directly into the portal vein, and in contrast to other fatty acids lipase or bile is not necessary for their digestion. Therefore, MCT oil is often used in diseases associated with fat absorption impairment. MCT fatty acids are absorbed into the general blood circulation very rapidly (similarly as glucose), and for their burning two times less oxygen is needed than in the case of the remaining fatty acids. They are characterised by twice higher burning energy (8.3 kcal/g) than carbohydrates or proteins (4 kcal/g), which results in increased thermogenesis (temperature increase) of the body. Very rapid absorption and transformation of MCT oil allow saving muscle glycogen stores during sports training. Furthermore, MCT acids slow down the migrating motor complex of the body, which prolongs the time of mucosal contact of food, and thus improves food absorption. Moreover, a favourable influence of MCT oil on absorption of vitamin E, calcium, and magnesium was found. MCT oil does not raise the total cholesterol level in blood, but regulates the quantitative shares of its fractions, elevating the content of HDL-cholesterol (beneficial) while lowering at the same time the share of "bad" fractions (LDL-cholesterol). OLIMP MCT is recommended as: - a source of rapid energy indispensable during a workout and for physically active persons, - a factor supporting anabolic transformations and limiting catabolic processes of muscle mass, - a factor contributing to adipose tissue reduction, - a factor regulating the share of individual cholesterol fractions in blood (HDL, LDL).
