Lose Weight with Keto Friendly CBD MCT Oil
There is no magic supplement that will just melt away the extra pounds if you do not exercise and change your diet. But CBD and keto-friendly MCT oil may help you maximize the benefits of a healthy lifestyle so you can lose weight faster.
What Does “Keto” Mean?
“Keto” is short for “ketogenic” and refers to a particular kind of very low carbohydrate diet that can shift the body’s metabolism in some profoundly beneficial ways. It has been used to reduce the frequency and intensity of epileptic seizures since the 1920’s, and for weight loss since the 1960’s. (Paoli 2013.) In recent years it has gained the attention of athletes, doctors, researchers, and personal trainers as a very effective way of shedding excess body fat fat – and keeping it off!
Normally our bodies convert the energy from the food we eat into a simple sugar called glucose that we use to power our cells. Carbohydrates are the nutrients most easily converted to glucose (which is itself a carbohydrate, and together with fructose forms half of every molecule of sugar or starch.)
When we dramatically reduce our carbohydrate intake, the body is forced to look to a new source of fuel. The liver begins converting fat (both body fat and dietary fat) into a group of molecules called ketone bodies at a much higher rate. This state is called “ketosis” and very low carbohydrate diets that put people in this state are called “ketogenic” diets. (Paoli 2013.) It usually takes a few days for the body to stop looking for carbohydrates and shift into ketosis. During that conversion period most people feel a little sluggish and groggy – a phenomenon some dieters call “carb flu” or “keto flu,” that finally gives way to a feeling of increased energy and mental clarity once ketosis is achieved.
Very interesting things happen when we have high levels of ketone bodies in our bloodstreams. These molecules help to reduce appetite (Mohorko 2019,) and improve brain function (Evans 2018; Mohorko 2019; Paoli 2013,) and aid in exercise recovery (Evans 2017) as well as helping the body burn fat (Paoli 2013). Researchers at Ohio State University recently put a group of soldiers, most of whom were overweight, on a ketogenic died for twelve weeks and found that they all lost body fat while gaining or maintaining muscle. They concluded that the military should consider using a ketogenic diet to improve troop readiness. (Lafountain 2019) A similar study of a ketogenic diet in a group of obese adults leading a sedentary lifestyle showed equally remarkable results. Participants lost weight without feeling hungry, felt better about their bodies, and increased their physical performance. (Mohorko 2019).
Some of the benefits of ketosis can be achieved by taking ketone supplements derived from raspberries (Evans 2018; Stubbs 2018,) but early research suggests that they may not promote weight loss to the same degree that ketogenic diets do (Cotten 2017.) One reason for this appears to be that we spend more energy converting fat into ketone bodies than we do turning carbohydrates into glucose (Paoli 2013) – in other words we burn more calories to get the calories we use when we are in ketosis.
Rather than just pouring ketones from outside your body into your bloodstream, MCT oil works with your body’s own processes to help you achieve ketosis more easily and lose weight faster.
The Magic of MCT
Not all fats are created equal. MCT – medium chain triglycerides – found in Coconut oil have unique benefits for people trying to lose weight.
MCT is processed by the liver much more efficiently than other fats, rapidly ramping up the production of ketone bodies (Bach 1977) and thus helping the body quickly enter ketosis. A 2001 study showed that women given an MCT-rich diet began losing weight more rapidly than women on a very-low-carbohydrate diet that did not include MCT (Krotkiewski, 2001).
Even in people who are not cutting back on carbohydrates, MCT seems to help the body burn calories and fat faster. (St-Onge 2013.) At the same time, MCT increases endurance and reduces inflammation, making it easier to exercise harder and longer. (Wang 2018.)
In recent years we have been learning a great deal about the role of the gut microbiome – the colonies of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that help us break down and digest our food – in mental and physical health. Antibiotics, alcohol, stress, and inflammation can all throw off the microbial balance in the gut, contributing to weight gain. It turns out that MCT can help restore this balance can help make our intestines a friendlier environment for the good bacteria that help us achieve and maintain a healthy weight! (Rial, 2016.)
If MCT is so great, and coconut oil is rich in MCT, why not just east more coconut oil? MCT is not the only fat in coconut oil, and researchers are finding that the other fats in coconut oil may not be as healthy as MCT. (Sankararaman, 2018; Wallace, 2018.) So this is one of the rare cases where extracting one particular compound from a plant is better than using the whole plant.
MCT oil can combine well with another compound that can aid the body in weight loss: CBD.
What is CBD?
CBD – cannabadiol – is a unique compound found in the flowers of the Cannabis plant. (Our CBD products are all made from Hemp plants that don’t contain THC, the compound in Marijuana that makes people feel “high.”)
The Cannabis plant has a unique relationship with the human body – it produces chemicals that interact with a special system in our bodies called the endocannabinoid system that helps us regulate our hormones, our neurotransmitters, and our immune systems. CBD acts on a set of chemical receptors throughout our bodies (known as the CB-2) receptors to help the body respond better to stress. (Booz, 2011; Gorzalka, 2008; Pisanti, 2017; Senst and Bains, 2014.)
What does this have to do with losing weight? Stress makes us hungrier, and the stress hormone cortisol makes us store more of the calories we ingest as fat. High levels of stress are associated with weight gain – which in turn increases stress. (Chao, 2017; Geiker, 2018.) By managing your stress with CBD you can help keep your body from gaining back the weight you lose through exercise and dietary changes.
Cannabis has a reputation for giving people “the munchies” – but it is the THC in marijuana that makes people hungry. CBD reduces appetite. (Farrimiond, 2012.) CBD products made from hemp with barely measurable levels of THC can help you manage your stress and your appetite!
Start Losing Weight Today!
If you are going to make a commitment to changing your diet and exercising more to lose weight, why not maximize your results by combining the benefits of MCT and CBD? Together, these two amazing compounds may:
- Help you burn fat and calories more efficiently
- Make it easier to achieve ketosis with a ketogenic diet
- Reduce your appetite
- Help you manage stress so you won’t gain back the weight you lose
CBD and MCT are great additions to a comprehensive weight-loss plan.
References
Bach, A. et. al. (1977) Ketogenic response to medium-chain triglyceride load in the rat. Journal of Nutrition. Vol. 107. No. 10.
Booz, G.W. (2011) Cannabidiol as an emergent therapeutic strategy for lessening the impact of inflammation on oxidative stress. Free Radical Biology & Medicine. Vol. 51. No. 5.
Chao, A.M. et. al. (2017) Stress, cortisol, and other appetite-related hormones: Prospective prediction of 6-month changes in food cravings and weight. Obesity (Silver Spring) Vol. 25. No. 4.
Cotten, B.M. et. al. (2017) Raspberry ketone fails to reduce adiposity beyond decreasing food intake in C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet. Food & Function. Vol. 8. No. 4.
Evans, M. et. al. (2017) Metabolism of ketone bodies during exercise and training: physiological basis for exogenous supplementation. Journal of Physiology. Volume 595. No. 1.
Evans, M. et. al. (2018) Intermittent Running and Cognitive Performance after Ketone Ester Ingestion. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Volume 50. No. 11.
Farrimond, J.A. et al. (2012) Cannabinol and cannabidiol exert opposing effects on rat feeding patterns. Psychopharmacology. Vol. 223. No. 1.
Geiker, N.R.W. et. al. (2018) Does stress influence sleep patterns, food intake, weight gain, abdominal obesity and weight loss interventions and vice versa? Obesity Review. Vol. 19. No. 1.
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Krotkiewski, M. (2001) Value of VLCD supplementation with medium chain triglycerides. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders. Vol. 25. No. 9.
LaFountain, R.A. et. al. (2019) Extended Ketogenic Diet and Physical Training Intervention in Military Personnel. Military Medicine. Vol. 184.
Mohorko, N. (2019) Weight loss, improved physical performance, cognitive function, eating behavior, and metabolic profile in a 12-week ketogenic diet in obese adults. Nutritional Research.
Paoli, A. et. al. (2013) Beyond weight loss: a review of the therapeutic uses of very-low-carbohydrate (ketogenic) diets. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Vol. 67. No. 8.
Pisanti, S. et al. (2017_ Cannabidiol: State of the art and new challenges for therapeutic applications. Psychopharmacology & Thereapeutics. Vol. 175.
Rial, S. A. et al (2016) Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Health: The Potential Beneficial Effects of a Medium ChainTriglyceride Diet in Obese Individuals. Nutrients. Vol. 8. No.5
Sankararaman, S. (2018). Are We Going Nuts on Coconut Oil?. Current Nutrtional Reports. Vol. 7. No. 3.
Senst, L. and J. Bains (2014) Neuromodulators, stress and plasticity: a role for endocannabinoid signalling. Journal of Experimental Biology. Vol. 217.
St-Onge, M.P. et al. (2003) Medium-chain triglycerides increase energy expenditure and decrease adiposity in overweight men. Obesity Research. Vol. 11. No. 3
Stubbs, B.J. et. al. (2018) A Ketone Ester Drink Lowers Human Ghrelin and Appetite. Obesity (Silver Spring.) Vol. 26. No.2
Wallace, T.C. (2018) Health Effects of Coconut Oil-A Narrative Review of Current Evidence. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Vol. 38. No. 2.
Wang, Y et. al. (2018) Medium Chain Triglycerides enhances exercise endurance through the increased mitochondrial biogenesis and metabolism. PloS One. Volume 8. No. 3