It’s also important to note that Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT’s) get a big thumbs down
for use in the Anabolic Diet. Very few foods actually contain MCT’s, but you’ll find many people
are very big on MCT supplements, most of which are derived from coconut oil. They’ll say,
“It’s fat, why can’t we use it?” but it basically bypasses the whole energy pathway we’re trying to
establish with the Anabolic Diet and can be very counterproductive.
MCT’s can be of great use on a diet high in complex carbs because of its protein sparing
effects. But on the Anabolic Diet, the body, instead of using the long chain fatty acids that make
up most body fat, uses the MCT’s. The body ends up bypassing the very metabolic processes
that the Anabolic Diet sets up: to burn its own fat and use the long chain fatties as a primary
energy source.
The long chain triglycerides utilized in the Anabolic Diet also have several advantages over
the MCT’s. They have an even greater protein-sparing effect than the MCT’s. And along with
decreasing the formation of bodyfat, which the MCT’s also do, they increase the amount of
existing bodyfat broken down and greatly decrease bodyfat levels.
A lot of people will be tempted to run down to the health food store and buy some MCT’s
to be used on this diet, but don’t bite. They’ll actually work against the diet in terms of muscle
production and fat breakdown.