that I have briefly mentioned: by consuming special ketone-
generating foods. These are foods that contain a natural
source of a relatively rare dietary fat called a medium-chain
triglyceride, or MCT. MCTs are abundant in coconut oil,
palm oil, goat’s milk, and human breast milk, and they have
a unique and important effect on the body. Upon
consumption, these fats go straight to the liver* to become
converted to ketones, an astonishing property that can
elevate the amount of ketones in the blood, day or night,
fasted for fed.^35 Researcher Stephen Cunnane found that in
a non-ketotic, non-fasted state, the brain could potentially
derive 5 to 10 percent of its fuel from these supplementary
ketones. Interestingly, this is the same degree of fuel lost to
the hypometabolism seen in young brains with the ApoE4
allele.
Of the 14 grams of fat in a typical tablespoon of coconut
oil, 62 to 70 percent is pure MCT, most of which is lauric
acid. In breast milk, lauric acid also makes up the largest
proportion of MCTs. On top of lauric acid, coconut oil
contains other fatty acids including capric acid and caprylic
acid, which may be even more ketogenic—particularly the
latter, which is the main fatty acid advocated for use in the
treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy.^36 Often, these fatty
acids are isolated to create formulations of pure MCT oil,
which are nearly 100 percent ketone-producing medium-
chain triglycerides.