MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides) are fats built from medium-length fatty acids, mainly 8 and 10 carbons long (C8 and C10), unlike the long-chain fats (LCTs) they were compared with in studies. MCT oil is taken in place of other fats for weight loss, on the idea that MCTs raise energy use and fat burning.
Also known as: medium-chain triglycerides, MCTs, C8, C10, caprylic acid, capric acid.
There is no intake value or upper limit. The meta-analyses below pooled trials with different amounts, durations and diets, comparing MCTs with long-chain fats.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling.
What studies show: a 2015 meta-analysis of 13 trials (749 healthy adults) found that replacing long-chain fats with MCTs lowered body weight by about 0.5 kg and reduced waist size and body fat, without changing blood lipids; the authors found signs of commercial bias and called for large trials by independent groups (Mumme 2015). A 2024 meta-analysis in people with overweight or obesity found more weight loss on MCT-enriched diets than on long-chain fat diets (about 1.5%), with pure MCTs but not mixed medium- and long-chain fats, plus lower triglycerides and insulin resistance (He 2024).
The sources here do not describe side effects or drug interactions in detail.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for MCT oil that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one.
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