MCT Oil

Medium-chain triglycerides · Medium-chain triglyceride · Caprylic triglyceride

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Chyle leak diet therapy^1–3 Fat malabsorption⁴ Mild cognitive impairment^{5, 6} Alzheimer's disease cognition^{5, 7} Drug-resistant epilepsy^{8, 9} Keto-induction symptoms¹⁰	Coconut or tree nut allergy¹¹ Liver disease¹¹

Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil supplies fatty acids of six to twelve carbons that are absorbed quickly, travel by portal transport, and are converted to ketones⁴. Use follows from that route. MCTs are added to low-fat diets for chyle leaks, where they support nutrient absorption^{2, 12}, and are used in fat malabsorption⁴. Ketone supply underlies use in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease^{5, 7}, in drug-resistant epilepsy⁸, and to ease ketogenic diet initiation symptoms.

In Alzheimer's-related impairment, a meta-analysis found improved general cognition versus placebo, with a larger effect in people lacking the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele⁵. In drug-resistant epilepsy, certainty of evidence is low to very low. In frail older adults, a 2023 combined analysis of earlier trials found MCT increased muscle function relative to long-chain triglycerides; the underlying trials were small¹³. Products listing MCT oil are mostly liquids with some softgel capsules; see Form comparison.

Gastrointestinal effects are the most consistent tolerability limit, chiefly diarrhea, abdominal pain, and nausea¹⁴. Some United States product labels ask people with diabetes, epilepsy, or liver disease to contact a healthcare practitioner before use¹¹. Health Canada labels ask for a practitioner's advice before use in pregnancy or breastfeeding¹⁵.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

71 sources, 57 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources