THE HEALTH | JANUARY-FEBRUARY , 2023

Consumers are more concerned with preventing health issues , so they are turning to nutraceuticals to help them bridge this gap . This is reflected in research by Mintel ¹ , which shows that the next two years will see growing interest in healthy ageing , weight loss and management , and in the brain and nervous system protection .

Medium Chain Triglycerides ( MCTs ) and Vitamin E Tocotrienols are nutraceutical ingredients on the market with unique properties that help make them the perfect ingredient to help consumers meet their needs . Let ’ s take a dive into each ingredient .

MEDIUM CHAIN TRIGLYCERIDES : A UNIQUE NUTRACEUTICAL OIL

MCTs are a type of oil , containing intermediate-length ( comprising six to 12 carbon atoms ) fatty acid chains attached to a glycerol backbone ( Figure 1 ) ^{2 , 3} . These medium fatty acid chains are classified based on the number of carbon atoms that they have ; caproic acid ( C6 ), caprylic acid ( C8 ), capric acid ( C10 ), and lauric acid ( C12 ). The shorter chain length of the fatty acids in MCTs gives it unique properties ³ . The shorter carbon lengths make it more easily digested by the body ³ . MCTs are broken down by the body ’ s lipase , releasing the medium chain fatty acids from the glycerol backbone ³ . These medium chain fatty acids are directly transported to the liver , where they form ketone bodies ³ . These ketone bodies can serve as an immediate energy source to the body .

TOCOTRIENOLS : SUPER VITAMIN E

Tocotrienols are members of the Vitamin E family , and are naturally sourced from oil palm , rice bran , and annatto seeds ⁴ .

Tocotrienols have four analogues , which are scientifically termed as alpha ( α ), beta ( β ), delta ( δ ), and gamma ( γ ) respectively ( Figure 2 ) ⁴ .

As members of the Vitamin E family , Tocotrienols are potent antioxidants and have strong anti-inflammatory properties ⁴ . What makes Tocotrienols different from the more common form of Vitamin E , alpha- Tocopherol , is the fact that Tocotrienols have unsaturated side chains with three double bonds which alpha-Tocopherol does not .

This key property makes Tocotrienols very efficient at keeping free radicals in check , with an antioxidative potency that is 60x greater compared to alpha-Tocopherol ⁵ .

Because Tocotrienols are such potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents , they offer a natural solution to consumers who are looking to age gracefully and healthily . Many diseases , including cardiovascular disease , diabetes , neurodegenerative conditions ( Alzheimer ’ s disease is an example ), and even general ageing are closely associated with the cumulative effects of prolonged exposure to excessive free radicals ( oxidative stress ) and low-grade chronic inflammation ( a long-term response by the body ’ s immune system ) ⁶ .

Figure 1 : The different types of medium chain fatty acids and medium chain triglyceride ² .

MCTs AND TOCOTRIENOLS : A SYNERGISTIC BLEND FOR LONGEVITY AND VITALITY

The unique properties of MCTs and Tocotrienols mentioned above make them particularly suited to address the growing needs of consumers in healthy ageing , weight management , and brain and nervous system protection . While they can be taken separately , combining them can potentially give synergistic benefits in each of these health areas : a . Healthy ageing Sustaining overall health is the cornerstone of healthy ageing . A big part of this is delaying the onset of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes . High cholesterol , high sugar and insulin resistance , and high blood pressure are major risk factors that lead to these diseases . Animal studies with MCT have shown that MCT was able to slow down body weight increase and promote the excretion of bile acids ⁷ . Producing bile acids is how the body utilises approximately 50 per cent of cholesterol intake , so an increase in bile acid secretion means lower cholesterol circulating in the blood overall . MCT oil consumption on a high-fat diet could also lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL-C ) and increase highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol ( HDL-C ) ^{8 , 9} .

Many studies have shown that Tocotrienols can help to reduce high triglycerides and high cholesterol . Tocotrienols suppress the key enzyme involved in cholesterol production ¹⁰ . Human studies have also shown that Tocotrienols supplementation reduced high triglycerides and high LDL by up to 28 per cent and 25 per cent respectively ^{11 , 12} . Some preliminary work has also shown that Tocotrienols supplementation may help to lower blood pressure by up to 30 per cent ¹³ . b . Weight loss and management The rise in popularity of the ketogenic ( a very low carbohydrate , and high fat ) diet for weight loss initially drove interest in MCT . MCTs are easily converted into ketones in the liver ³ , and MCT oil supplementation may help the body to remain in ketosis .

Beyond ketone production , MCT oil supplementation may benefit weight loss in other ways . Research has shown that MCT oil can increase the release of peptide YY and leptin , two hormones that can promote