MCT oil / ketogenic MCT drink
Cognitive · Ketogenic fat / alternative brain fuel
Tier B-
What this is
Most interesting for MCI/older-adult cognition, not as magic coffee fat for healthy 25-year-olds. BENEFIC showed 6 months of a ketogenic MCT drink improved several cognitive measures in MCI and response tracked with ketone exposure. A 2025 Chinese RCT found MCT, DHA, and MCT+DHA improved full-scale IQ and ketone biomarkers in MCI, but the combination design makes the clean MCT-specific claim narrower. Distinct from ketone esters and from ketogenic dieting.
Mechanism
Medium-chain triglycerides, especially C8 and C10, are absorbed via the portal vein and rapidly converted to beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate; ketones can serve as alternative brain fuel when cerebral glucose metabolism is impaired.
Dose & route
Start 5 mL with food and titrate; common target 15-30 g/day; kMCT MCI trial used 15 g twice daily; 2025 MCT+DHA trial used 14 g/day octanoic acid + 10 g/day capric acid.
Citations
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33103819/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26675661/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40044083/
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This is an independent synthesis of published research by a non-clinician. Scores are opinions supported by citations, not prescriptions. See the full disclaimer and methodology for how this score was produced and what it does and doesn't mean.