{"ok":true,"entry":{"slug":"mct-oil","kind":"supplement","name":"mct oil","aliases":["medium-chain triglycerides","caprylic acid","C8"],"brands_sg":["California Gold Nutrition","Sports Research","NOW Foods","Nature's Way","BulletProof"],"class":"fatty acid","tags":["energy","cognitive"],"use_for":"ketone fuel — reviews find little effect on performance","use_after":"daily","use_duration":null,"take_with":null,"pros":["2021 meta-analysis: no change in ldl or hdl","2023 meta-analysis: small general cognition gain","30 g a day is the tolerance ceiling in review"],"cons":["little to no effect on endurance performance","2021 meta-analysis: triglycerides rose slightly","hsa bars dementia and obesity claims in sg"],"dose_note":"the 2022 systematic review of endurance trials reports that thirty grams of mcts seems to be the safe maximal dosage to minimize adverse reactions during or after exercise — a tolerance ceiling observed in exercise studies, not a recommended intake — and the same review concludes mct oil showed very little to no ergogenic effects on exercise performance and substrate utilization in healthy populations; the 2023 cognition meta-analysis pooled ten studies of oral mct against placebo in people with mild cognitive impairment or alzheimer's disease and its authors state that better characterized clinical studies are warranted before making a definitive conclusion; sg.iherb.com sells this both as bottled oil and as 1,000 mg softgels, so a per-serving figure is not comparable across formats","dosage":{"ul":null,"unit":"g","fda_dv":null,"rda_ai":null,"ul_status":"none_established","population":"general adult","hsa_max_daily":null},"ul_status":"none_established","sg_class":null,"cautions":["gi upset — the 2022 review frames 30 g as the dose that minimises adverse reactions","raised triglycerides — the 2021 meta-analysis found a small increase","apoe4 carriers — the 2023 cognition effect was smaller in this group","buying in sg — hsa bars alzheimer's, dementia and obesity claims on hs labels"],"clashes":[],"sources":[{"id":"chapman2022","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/36096496","label":"The Effects of Medium-Chain Triglyceride Oil Supplementation on Endurance Performance and Substrate Utilization in Healthy Populations: A Systematic Review (Chapman-Lopez & Koh, J Obes Metab Syndr 2022; PMID 36096496)","quote":"Most studies reported that MCT oil did not improve exercise performance and had no effect on respiratory exchange ratio, glucose concentration, fat and carbohydrate oxidation, and lactate concentration.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"chapman2022_dose","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/36096496","label":"Chapman-Lopez & Koh 2022 (J Obes Metab Syndr) — maximal tolerated dose","quote":"Thirty grams of MCTs seems to be the safe maximal dosage to minimize adverse reactions during or after exercise.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"sun2023","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/37248908","label":"The Effects of Medium Chain Triglyceride for Alzheimer's Disease Related Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Sun et al., J Alzheimers Dis 2023; PMID 37248908)","quote":"Meta-analysis showed cognitive improvements in general (SMD = 0.64; 95% CI [0.05, 1.24]), but not in memory, language, and attention domains after oral MCT administration, compared to placebo.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"sun2023_caveat","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/37248908","label":"Sun et al. 2023 (J Alzheimers Dis) — authors' conclusion and caveat","quote":"Better characterized clinical studies are warranted before making a definitive conclusion on the use of MCT for MCI and AD management.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"mckenzie2021","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/34255085","label":"Medium-Chain Triglyceride Oil and Blood Lipids: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials (McKenzie et al., J Nutr 2021; PMID 34255085)","quote":"MCT oil does not affect total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, or HDL cholesterol levels, but does cause a small increase in triglycerides.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"hsa_claims","url":"https://file.go.gov.sg/hsa-hs-guidelines.pdf","label":"HSA Singapore — Health Supplements Guidelines, GL-CHPB-3-001 Rev. No. 020 (January 2026), s6.6 and Table 6: Examples of Diseases/Conditions/Disorders Not Allowed for Health Supplements","quote":"HS must not be labelled, advertised or promoted for any specific medicinal purpose … Brain and nervous system: Epilepsy … Alzheimer's disease, Parkinsonism, dementia … Metabolic system: Obesity, gout","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"hsa_annex","url":"https://file.go.gov.sg/hsa-chp-prohibited-restricted-ing-guidelines.pdf","label":"HSA Singapore — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in HS and TM, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev. No. 001 (October 2025), Annex A/B full ingredient list","quote":"GUIDELINES ON PROHIBITED AND RESTRICTED INGREDIENTS IN HEALTH SUPPLEMENTS AND TRADITIONAL MEDICINES … The information in these Guidelines may be updated from time-to-time.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"iherb_sg","url":"https://sg.iherb.com/c/mct-oil","label":"iHerb Singapore — Supplements > Weight Management > MCT Oil & Caprylic Acid category, default order (1 - 48 of 83 results)","quote":"California Gold Nutrition, Sport, Organic MCT Oil, Unflavored … Sports Research, Organic MCT Oil, Keto C8 … NOW Foods, Caprylic Acid, 600 mg … Nature's Way, Organic MCT Oil … BulletProof, Brain Octane® MCT Oil","accessed":"2026-08-27"}],"brand_certs":[{"brand":"Sports Research","example":null,"programme":"NSF Certified for Sport","matching_products":0,"brand_total_certified":2}],"updated_at":"2026-08-30T17:59:38.376296+08:00"},"disclaimer":"kozen-x is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. it lists what published sources have written down. absence of a record is not the same as safe."}