Just as some humans are resilient to harsh climates and situations, so too are some types of plants. Interestingly, the qualities of plants that make them robust to mother nature might also make them beneficial for building up strength and resilience in humans who consume them. Those bitter-tasting vegetables are a double-edged sword. Compounds in plants designed to ward off predators are sometimes profoundly beneficial for health when eaten in smaller doses. Lucky for us, people long ago discovered many types of plants that do exactly this.
What are Exogenous Ketones?
Originally posted on HVMN and authored by Brady Holmer on July 27th, 2019
The ketogenic diet is more lifestyle than diet. It’s gaining popularity among those who wish to improve their metabolic health, lose weight, or boost their productivity. The many purported benefits of the diet are due, in part, to the properties of ketones, which are produced by the liver in someone on the low-carb diet, or someone in a fasted state.
Table of Contents
Endogenous vs. Exogenous Ketosis
General Health Benefits of Ketosis
Exogenous Ketones: Another Avenue to Ketosis
The Science on Ketone Salts for Health
The Science on Ketone Salts for Performance
Advantages and Disadvantages of Ketone Salts
Ketone Esters: Acetoacetate Diester
The Science on AcAc Diester for Health
The Science on AcAc Diester for Performance
Advantages and Disadvantages of AcAc Diester
Ketone Esters: BHB Monoester (HVMN Ketone)
Advantages and Disadvantages of BHB Monoester
Advantages and Disadvantages of MCTs
How do MCTs Differ from Exogenous Ketones?
When and How to Use Exogenous Ketones
Final Thoughts on Exogenous Ketones
But, keto isn’t for everyone. Some may find it restrictive, and others, like athletes, may find that this way of eating does not lend itself to optimal performance (depending on their specific needs). Fortunately, there is another way to benefit from ketones without going on a keto diet or fasting.
Exogenous ketone supplements are another way to get into ketosis.
Endogenous vs. Exogenous Ketosis
Being in a state of ketosis means that you have elevated levels of ketones in your blood, usually measured at > 0.5mM. That’s simply the line you must cross to enter ketosis; but there are two distinct ways of arriving there.
Traditionally, this happens as a result of eating a very low carbohydrate-ketogenic diet (called nutritional ketosis) or practicing caloric restriction or intermittent, prolonged fasting. In these situations, carbohydrate depletion and a reduction in insulin causes free fatty acids (FFAs) to be released from fat stores in the body through a process called lipolysis. Then, these FFAs are transported to the liver, where they’re used to produce ketone bodies. This is known as endogenous ketosis—meaning ketones are being produced by the body.
Someone who is producing their own ketones is in a ketogenic state.
There are three ketones: beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), acetoacetate(AcAc), and acetone. However, we don’t produce an equal amount of each.
Normally, the ratio of circulating BHB to Acetoacetate is about 1:1. However, in ketosis (whether due to fasting or a ketogenic diet), this ratio can rise up to 6:1. In ketosis, you’ll have higher levels of circulating BHB compared to AcAc.1 Acetoacetate is the first ketone produced and from this. BHB and then acetone are also produced. While BHB is highly active and stable, acetone can essentially be thought of as a waste product of metabolism—most of it gets excreted in the breath, although a small amount may be metabolized.
The other avenue by which we can enter ketosis is known as exogenous ketosis. Exogenous means that ketones are coming from an outside source—either directly through exogenous ketone supplementation or indirectly through another supplement that can serve as a ketogenic precursor (like an MCT oil). We will discuss these later on.
General Health Benefits of Ketosis
What’s the big deal about being in ketosis? In order to enter ketosis, the BHB ketone body must be present in your blood at >0.5mM—this is true regardless of whether ketosis is achieved endogenously or exogenously (through supplements).
Ketosis achieved through dietary or fasting-related routes has a variety of health benefits. Some of these are distinct to endogenous ketosis, and some benefits are provided by ketones regardless of the source.
For one, using ketones as an energy source, as opposed to carbohydrates, actually produces more ATP molecules per unit of oxygen consumed.2 The ketogenic diet is one way to create a body that burns a “cleaner” fuel that results in less oxidative stress. When looking specifically at the benefits of the ketogenic diet, appetite suppression and satiety,3 enhanced memory,4 lower levels of inflammation,5 weight loss, increased fat burning, and protection from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes6 are all cited.
Similar metabolic benefits have been shown to occur with intermittent/prolonged fasting—which is another way to achieve ketosis.
Exogenous Ketones: Another Avenue to Ketosis
As you already know, instead of becoming ketogenic (producing our own ketones from body fat stores), we can consume ketones and ketogenic precursors exogenously. If your blood ketones are above 0.5mM, you’re in ketosis—regardless of how you got there.
For the most part, exogenous ketones come in the form of BHB or acetoacetate. The ketogenic precursors include types of fats known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) which are also present in food sources like coconut oil, another exogenous “ketone supplement.” We have “ketone supplement” in quotes because these products don’t actually contain ketones—they’re simply the fats that are readily converted into ketones in someone following a low-carb high-fat diet.
Exogenous ketones provide a way to achieve ketosis even in the absence of a ketogenic diet, carbohydrate restriction, or fasting. While the route to ketosis differs, the signaling effects of exogenous vs. endogenous ketones are virtually the same—BHB and AcAc from the liver are no different structurally than BHB or AcAc taken as a supplement. It’s just simple biochemistry!
Since exogenous ketones don’t require modified dietary practices, they can be used by anyone who wants to get the benefits of ketosis without the time it takes to get there through diet alone (sometimes it can take weeks). Athletes and mathletes alike can use ketone supplements to get themselves into a ketotic state. These supplements rapidly elevate blood ketones and with consistent supplementation, can keep blood ketone levels elevated for a prolonged period of time. For example, H.V.M.N. Ketone Ester drink keeps blood ketones elevated between 4 - 6 hours.
It is important to differentiate ketosis from ketogenesis here. Those who elevate blood ketones through supplements aren’t ketogenic, but they are in ketosis.
For those who are eating a ketogenic diet or practicing fasting, exogenous ketones can be used to deepen ketosis, helping to achieve higher levels of blood ketones than might be possible through dietary restriction. Essentially, you’d be superimposing exogenous ketones onto the endogenous ketones you’re already producing.
Benefits of Exogenous Ketones
Using supplements vs. a ketogenic diet or fasting does have some benefits. While the metabolic health boost might not be the same (for instance, exogenous ketones aren’t ideal for weight loss), exogenous ketones have several other assets, depending on your personal needs.
Quicker ketosis is one of them.
Many ketone supplements, like H.V.M.N. Ketone Ester, can elevate blood ketone levels within 30 minutes of ingestion.7,8 For this reason, they can be used like many other performance aids (i.e. caffeine) in a short period of time. They don’t require a change in diet or prolonged fasting. This could be ideal for those who might not find either of these lifestyle practices ideal or enticing. Intermittent fasting is a hot topic, sure, but it’s not for everyone.
Exogenous ketones are also a great way to aid the transition into a ketogenic diet.
For example, if you’re practicing a carbohydrate periodization or carb cycling routine, exogenous ketones can quickly get you back into ketosis. New to the keto diet? Exogenous ketones could help prevent the keto flu—the period when the brain has no glucose for energy, but the liver hasn’t yet fully started to produce a steady supply of ketones.9
For already-keto folks, exogenous ketones can be one way to deepen ketosis. Using these supplements while on a fast can also raise ketone levels above what your body is naturally producing.
Finally, while they don’t directly aid in weight or fat loss, exogenous ketones have an appetite suppressant effect.
This property just might help you adhere to a dietary regimen or prevent the munchies that could derail your strict eating habits. H.V.M.N. Ketone Ester reduces ghrelin (the hunger hormone).10
With the benefits explained, it’s time to delve into the various types of exogenous ketone supplements. The most common—ketone salts and ketone esters—directly elevate blood ketones. In addition, MCTs and other sources of fat (coconut oil) can be consumed as supplements to provide a source of fat through which ketone production can be stimulated or maintained.
Ketone Salts
Ketone salts won’t be found in your table-side salt grinder.
These supplements usually are found in a powder form which can be mixed with a liquid and consumed. Ketone salts are composed of a ketone body (usually BHB) bound to one of several minerals that might include sodium, potassium, calcium, or magnesium.
Some salts also include an amino acid like lysine or arginine. The fact that ketones come bound to another mineral or amino acid makes ketone salts one way to consume ketones plus some necessary nutrients. But they aren’t without certain considerations of side effects.
The Science on Ketone Salts for Health
The use of ketone salts for health conditions isn’t exactly a new concept. Two of the earliest studies on these supplements investigated their potential therapeutic use for children with metabolic disorders (fatty acid oxidation defects). In these studies, ketone salts were found to improve heart function and cognitive performance, which resulted in a better walking ability and disappearance of many neurological symptoms.11
In rats, exogenous supplementation with BHB salts has been shown to improve blood lipid profiles (higher HDL, lower LDL/HDL ratio), reduce blood glucose, and reduce the amount of visceral fat and the size of fat cells.12,13
More studies (again, in rats) show that ketone salts can reduce anxiety-like behavior. This suggests that ketosis achieved through supplementation may be one strategy to reduce anxiety in people, but more studies need to be done in this area, especially in humans.14
The Science on Ketone Salts for Performance
If you’re an evidence-based athlete, the published literature suggests you might want to steer away from ketone salts, or at least be aware of the potential performance-negating side effects that have been reported. But hey, you are your own experiment.
To date, there have been three studies on ketone salts and athletes.
One study was done on cyclists. They were put through a maximal exercise protocol (essentially, a VO2 max test) after ingesting a BHB ketone salt. While ketosis was achieved, the BHB salt showed no advantage compared to a placebo beverage when comparing lactateappearance, perceived effort, or muscular efficiency. In fact, 13 out of the 19 participants complained that the ketone salt led to severe gastrointestinal issues that limited their athletic performance.15
In a second study, ketone salt ingestion prior to exercise (again, cycling) led to a 7% decrease in average power output throughout a time trial simulation (though the participants' fat oxidation was increased during exercise). Again, it’s important to note that the performance impairment likely occurred due to GI issues reported by many participants—and not to direct effects of ketosis itself.16
A third study investigated how ingestion of a BHB salt would influence high-intensity cycling performance and cognitive measures during and after exercise. While the ketone salt induced ketosis (0.53mM), no improvement was seen in cycling or cognitive performance. In fact, a “fatigue index” measured in the study was higher in the participants consuming BHB compared to the control group not receiving a ketone supplement.17
While the efficacy for ketone salts inducing ketosis is strong, the impact on performance is inconclusive, if not mostly negative.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Ketone Salts
Compared to other ketone supplements, ketone salts only mildly raise blood BHB (up to around 1mM). This is still well above the ketotic threshold (0.5mM) but below levels achieved with ketone esters.
Ketone salts are also cheaper to produce (and purchase) than currently available BHB ketone esters (discussed later).
Salts are also one way to deliver other nutrients (minerals, amino acids) along with BHB, which could have certain health benefits.
On the other hand, pairing BHB with a mineral comes with a cost. To get 50g of BHB in a formulation with a ketone salt would require consuming about 5,800mg of magnesium, 9,600mg of calcium, 11,0000mg of sodium, or 18,800mg of potassium—amounts way above any FDA recommended intake for these minerals.
Another obvious disadvantage is the possible side effects, often taking the form of gastrointestinal issues. This may be a result of the acid load and/or mineral load that is obtained when consuming BHB salts at high doses.
Finally, most BHB salts contain a mixture of BHB isoforms—essentially a different structural configuration of BHB. The D-form of BHB is the one we produce. The L-form, which is basically a “mirror image” of the D-form, is only obtained exogenously, and might not be as rapidly metabolized as the D-form, and thus may not have the same benefits; although studies are needed to confirm this.
Ketone Esters: Acetoacetate Diester
The acetoacetate diester (1,3-butanediol acetoacetate diester) is one of two common supplements collectively known as ketone esters. It’s comprised of the ketone body acetoacetate and butanediol (BDO), connected by an ester bond (hence the name “ketone ester”).
While fewer studies on this ester have been done compared to the more popular BHB ester (discussed later), there is still some science to support using this ketone supplement.
The Science on AcAc Diester for Health
Most studies to date on this ketone ester have been done in mice; application to humans should come with the necessary caveats. Nevertheless, the AcAc diester has shown promising results in regards to neurological health.
Ketosis achieved through AcAc diester ingestion effectively delayed the onset of seizures due to central nervous system oxygen toxicity18—a danger encountered by undersea divers and patients on oxygen therapy. This same protective mechanism has also been shown to occur as a result of fasting, perhaps by altering brain energy metabolism.18
In a mouse model of neurological disease, AcAc diester ingestion improved several aspects of brain health including motor coordination, learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity.19 This could have relevance for several human diseases of the brain, like cognitive decline, epilepsy, and other learning disorders. More research needs to be done here, however.
The Science on AcAc Diester for Performance
There has been only one performance-related study to date conducted on AcAc; results were generally negative. When ingested prior to a 31-kilometer cycling time trial, AcAc ingestion led to a greater reduction in performance compared to consuming just carbohydrates and caffeine.20 These results should be interpreted with caution, however. A probable cause of the performance decline, similar to the ketone salts, was the severe and frequent GI symptoms experienced by the study participants who ingested the ketone.20
Instead of ketosis, it seems like tummy trouble was a big reason for the bonk in performance.
Advantages and Disadvantages of AcAc Diester
The AcAc diester produces a milder elevation in blood BHB (~1mM) compared to other ketone supplements.
As with some of the ketone salts, AcAc diester has been described as “unpalatable” and routinely produces GI symptoms in research study participants who consume it. This, or potentially some other reason, leads to performance declines.
As such, this ketone supplement might not be recommended for athletes prior to competition or training, especially if it’s your first time experimenting with it.
Ketone Esters: BHB Monoester (HVMN Ketone)
The BHB Monoester (R-1,3-butanediol-R-3-hydroxybutyrate) is the ketone ester found in H.V.M.N. Ketone.
In contrast to the BHB salts, this ketone ester, when broken down, releases D-BHB into the blood along with a molecule of butanediol (BDO), which is eventually metabolized to D-BHB in the liver. This results in two molecules of D-BHB in the blood, one reason why this particular ketone supplement is the most efficacious for elevating blood ketones.
The Science on BHB Monoester
There have been few studies regarding the BHB monoester in regards to general human health, but one study suggests that this ketone ester may have the ability to treat human conditions associated with metabolic abnormalities.
When rats were given a diet containing the BHB monoester, they experienced an improvement in heart function, increase in endurance capacity, cognitive performance enhancement, and were more efficient at using energy from ATP breakdown.21
The data on human performance is much more promising for the BHB monoester than for the other exogenous ketone supplements.
Ketosis achieved through BHB ester ingestion has been shown to improve physical endurance in cyclists by switching the body’s fuel preference to favor ketone metabolism vs. glucose/glycogen oxidation even in the presence of high muscle glycogen.22
The BHB ester has also been investigated as a recovery aid. When consumed along with a post-exercise carbohydrate or protein source, the BHB monoester increases activation of mTORC123 (which plays a role in protein synthesis) and also enhances the resynthesis of muscle glycogen.24
A recent study provides compelling evidence that chronic BHB monoester (which is the key ingredient in H.V.M.N. Ketone Ester) ingestion during periods of strenuous endurance training can prevent symptoms of overreaching and improve endurance performance in fit individuals.25
“The real magic isn’t what ketones do for you during exercise; it’s what they do afterwards.” - Alex Hutchinson, Outside Magazine
While the precise metabolic signals responsible for the benefits are not completely known, the evidence for using BHB ketone ester in the setting of athletic performance is strong.
Advantages and Disadvantages of BHB Monoester
The BHB monoester results in the most rapid and highest elevation of blood BHB of all the ketone ester supplements (3 - 6 mM within 30 minutes).8 One study demonstrated that blood BHB can be elevated to about 2.8mM following BHB ketone ester ingestion, while the same amount of BHB provided from a ketone salt will elevate blood ketones to around 1mM.7
Furthermore, this ketone ester delivers only the D-isoform of BHB (this is the isoform we naturally produce when ketogenic). Ketone salts also provide a greater amount (but usually a mix) of the L-isoform of BHB along with some of the D-isoform.
H.V.M.N. Ketone Ester is FDA generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use as a food, and is approved by the world anti-doping association (WADA). No doping violations here, if you’re a serious athlete who has these types of considerations for your supplements.
The side effects of BHB monoester appear to be generally mild, if not non-existent, at low doses.
Most studies report no side effects of ketone ester ingestion.8,7 BHB ketone esters do have a distinct, bitter taste, which some may find unenjoyable. The tolerability of this aspect is highly individual, however. We like to say “it tastes like it works.”
Ketone Oils and Powders
What are ketone oils and powders? This name may be a bit misleading, since technically these supplements are actually types of fats known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) and not actually ketones.
However, they can be considered as part of the family of exogenous ketone supplements because once they’re ingested, they can serve as substrates for ketogenesis.
Popular among the keto crowd is a supplement known as MCT oil or powder. MCTs are fat molecules made up of a glycerol bound to medium-length fatty acids that are 6 - 12 carbons in length. Coconut oilis a rich source of MCTs.
These fats are the most efficient type for producing ketone bodies.
The medium-chain fats go right into the liver once ingested, where they are then broken down faster in comparison to short- and long-chain fatty acids. There are several MCTs: caproic acid (C6), caprylic acid (C8), capric acid (C10), and lauric acid (C12). Caprylic acid (C8) is the most “ketogenic” of the MCTs;26 if you’re looking for an MCT supplement, this should be the one you look for. Coconut oil is high in lauric acid (C12), which makes up about 50% of the stuff.
Due to it’s ketogenic nature, we selected pure C8 a part of the base (along with prebiotic acacia fiber) of H.V.M.N.’s MCT Oil Powder. It’s 100% natural, real food, harvested sustainably and carefully purified into pure C8. No additives, no artificial ingredients, zero net-carbs. It’s a great source of MCT without all the other junk you might find in other MCT products.
The Science on MCTs
The benefits of MCTs for a ketogenic or low-carbohydrate diet might come in the form of appetite-suppression.
This might be great for those having a hard time adhering to a dietary regimen and may indirectly aid in weight loss. Intake of MCT oil has been shown to lead to a reduction in food consumption, while also reducing the rise in blood glucose and triglycerides after eating.27 This satiating effect was observed with MCT, but not coconut oil.28Interestingly, the subjects also reported that the MCT oil was more palatable than the coconut oil.
There is also interesting research on the ability of MCTs to assist in weight loss directly. Supplementation with MCTs led to weight loss in overweight men. 29 This might have been due to the effects that MCTs had on increasing energy expenditure, fat oxidation, metabolism, and body heat production (thermogenesis).
MCTs have also been shown to lower cardiovascular risk factors like LDL cholesterol and increase lipoprotein particle size.30
Advantages and Disadvantages of MCTs
Like any supplement out there, consuming a large amount of MCTs has been reported to induce GI issues as a side-effect.31,32
Unfortunately, consuming enough MCTs or coconut oil to get blood ketones as high as you could with a ketone supplement (like H.V.M.N. Ketone Ester) might require a dose likely to upset your stomach. Expect an elevation of blood ketones to around 0.5 - 1mM following a reasonable dose of MCTs. This will depend highly on diet and other lifestyle factors, however.
Another downside to MCT/coconut oil consumption might be the caloric load. When using these supplements in large quantities, it’s easy to overdo it.
Even though MCTs result in a lower level of ketosis compared to ketone salts and esters, MCT oils are a cost-effective and approachable option for people new to the keto diet.
MCTs might be advantageous especially for people looking to lose weight. Through their thermogenic and appetite suppressing effects, MCTs might help you feel fuller longer and more satisfied when added to a meal, shake, or coffee.28,29 And, similar to ketones, MCTs have been shown to have a variety of protective effects for the cardiovascular system and other health markers.30
How do MCTs Differ from Exogenous Ketones?
MCTs have their benefits, which include being a bit more tasty (especially if you’re mixing them in coffee or baked goods), less expensive, and versatile—you can use MCTs in everything from cooking veggies and meats to preparing smoothies and shakes.
But MCTs aren’t direct ketone supplements, and therefore aren’t as effective at raising blood ketones when compared to salts or esters. The shorter length MCTs must first be broken down in the liver and then used to produce ketones, it’s not a “direct path” to ketosis.
Nevertheless, feeding MCT oil has been shown to elevate blood ketones 18-fold (in rats) after just one hour, suggesting this fuel source is readily and rapidly oxidized.33 Furthermore, it was shown that MCT administration led to lower blood sugar and depressed lipogenesis, which appeared to potentiate ketosis, but not initiate it. Although these findings are interesting and may apply to humans, more studies are needed to confirm this.
This suggests that MCTs might be more beneficial in terms of sustaining or maintaining ketosis rather than directly plunging you into it.
When and How to Use Exogenous Ketones
There are many different scenarios where exogenous ketones could make a big difference in your performance or help you reach your goals, whatever they may be.
One situation to use ketone supplement is on top of your ketogenic diet. In this sense, exogenous ketones would be used to deepen your level of ketosis by raising blood ketones even further. They might also come in handy if you’re trying to re-enter ketosis after a cheat day or a carb-cycling routine.
You might give ketone supplements a try while you’re on a prolonged fast—say something like a 24 - 48-hour water-only fast. While ketones do contain calories, they’re negligible, and might help you last a bit longer in your fast, or help with mental clarity and focus, if those are your fasting goals.
If you’re someone who likes to workout while fasting, exogenous ketones might be the perfect supplement to fuel your workout instead of some quick-burning carbohydrates.
But you don’t have to be on a keto diet or regularly fast to use exogenous ketones.
Anyone wishing to raise blood ketones can use these supplements. Athletes might try them out before a workout or big race, or perhaps even consume exogenous ketone supplements regularly throughout a tough training stint to prevent overtraining.
Exogenous ketones are also great for recovery—take them after a workout with a meal high in protein and some carbohydrates to refuel.
What does dosing look like? This depends on how high you want your blood ketones to be. For acute benefits, supplements like the BHBketone ester should be taken about 30 minutes before activity and perhaps another serving during. For workout recovery, take one serving of a ketone supplement like H.V.M.N. Ketone Ester with your normal post-workout nutrition.
For more information on dosing H.V.M.N. Ketone Ester, visit this page for instructions.
If you’re transitioning to ketosis, using ketone supplements for about 3 - 5 days is recommended to “jump start” ketosis and prevent some of the symptoms (from keto flu) that might occur before your body is naturally producing ketones.
Final Thoughts on Exogenous Ketones
Whatever your goal, exogenous ketones and other ketone supplements have the potential to help you meet them.
The advancing science is allowing new and more practical formulations of ketone supplements to be produced and consumed. The benefits of ketosis are now available to almost everyone.
Scientific Citations
.9.D c harvey CJ, Schofield GM, Williden M, Mcquillan JA. The Effect of Medium Chain Triglycerides on Time to Nutritional Ketosis and Symptoms of Keto-Induction in Healthy Adults: A Randomised Controlled Clinical Trial. J Nutr Metab. 2018;2018:2630565.
Supplements for Athletes: A Nutritional Edge
Athletes need to eat.
The importance of nutrition for athletic performance has been known since the Ancient Greek Olympics. Athletes ate dried figs for muscle health and stamina and used products like deer liver and lion heart to impart bravery, speed and strength. One olympic runner even won several races following a carnivore diet.
MCT Oil on Keto: How to Supercharge Your Diet
Originally posted on HVMN and written by Ryan Rodal on July 19, 2019
If you’re in the keto diet community, you've likely used—or at least heard about—MCT oil. It’s a staple for helping people with satiety and energy while on keto.
But, that buzz is starting to spread beyond just keto. MCT oil is starting to appear in more and more products on the shelves of grocery and health food stores around the country. So maybe you've seen MCT oil out there, but you're not exactly sure of why you should be adding it to your diet, and what the potential benefits are. To understand why MCTs are so powerful, it's important to look at the science behind them.
Table of Contents
Improved Energy Through Ketone Production
Enables Athletes to Burn Fat as Fuel
May Reduce Risk of Heart Disease
How MCT Oil Increases Ketone Production
How to Use MCT Oil on the Keto Diet
Weight loss and increased energy are just a couple of the positive effects you might experience with MCT oil use. To get a better understanding of MCTs, you have to dive deeper into their chemical makeup, and how they trigger certain biological responses.
Let’s explore what MCTs are, how they work, and how they might be a particularly beneficial addition to a keto diet for improved results. And if you'd like to learn some ways of incorporating MCTs into your diet, be sure to check out our recipes at the bottom of the page.
What are MCTs?
To understand MCTs, let’s start with the basics. MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides. Triglycerides are three fatty acid groups bound to a glycerol backbone; they’re the main constituents of body fat in humans and animals, and are natural fats found in food.
People tend to have a misconception when it comes to triglycerides—they usually associate triglycerides with bad cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease. There’s some truth to that.
High levels of triglycerides in the blood pose a risk of cardiovascular disease, but not all triglycerides should be viewed negatively.
In fact, some MCTs are considered to be the healthiest fats around.
There are three types of fatty acids: short-chain, medium-chain, and long-chain. The length of the “chain” refers to the number of carbon atoms linked together to form these fatty acids.
Short-chain fatty acids (or triglycerides): composed of 0 - 5 carbon atoms
Medium-chain fatty acids (or triglycerides): composed of 6 - 12 carbon atoms
Long-chain fatty acids (or triglycerides): composed of 13 - 21 carbon atoms
Short-chain fatty acids are not obtained through food, but are actually produced by bacteria in the gut when dietary fiber is fermented. They help reduce inflammation and protect the digestive system.
Long-chain triglycerides can be found in olive oil, fish, nuts, avocado, and meats. Some long-chain triglycerides, such as Omega 3s, provide cardiovascular benefits.
Medium-chain triglycerides can be found in limited amounts in foods such as coconut oil and palm oil.
The distinction between MCTs and other types of fats (and lengths of fatty acid chains) is in how they're processed by the body.
Unlike other fatty acid chain lengths, MCTs are not digested and absorbed in the same way as other fat sources. MCTs go directly from the gut to the liver and can be used as an immediate energy source themselves, or they are quickly converted to ketones. MCTs can be extracted from food sources, such as coconut, and liquified into a pure form of 100% medium-chain triglycerides.
Now that you understand what makes MCTs unique from other types of fats, let’s get into the different types of MCTs.
Types of MCTs
MCTs contain anywhere between six and 12 carbon atoms in the fatty acid chain. It’s a range—and the term MCT covers all the triglycerides that have “medium” length fatty acid chains.
Although they are all considered MCTs, the different chain lengths have slightly different physical properties, metabolism in the body and therefore, different effects and uses. So, depending on your goals, not all MCTs are created equal.
Caproic Acid (C6)
Known as the shortest MCT, caproic acid contains six carbons in each fatty acid chain. Although it can be converted quickly to ketones, it has a bitter taste and may cause stomach problems.
It can be found naturally in plant and animal sources, but generally comes with an unpleasant odor. Some MCT products on the market contain caproic acid, but it’s not the optimal source of MCT to use as a dietary supplement.
Caprylic Acid (C8)
Caprylic acid, or C8, contains eight carbon atoms in each fatty acid chain. Known as the most ketogenic form of MCT, it can provide an array of health benefits because it can be converted to ketones faster than any other form of MCT.1
When it comes to enhancing fat burning and increasing energy levels, C8 is the MCT to choose. Its effect was significantly higher in the absence of an accompanying meal.1 So, taking MCT (C8) while fasted may increase ability to maintain a ketogenic state.
About 6% of C8 occurs naturally in coconut oil, so it makes sense to try and find a more concentrated version of C8 instead of just using coconut oil. While on keto, products with the highest levels of caprylic acid (C8) can help you hit your goals. H.V.M.N.’s MCT Oil powdercontains pure C8 and a gut-friendly prebiotic called acacia fiber. With zero net carbs, it’s a fast way to kickstart ketone production and boost your metabolism.
Some of the benefits of C8 include:
Quick energy: when ingested, C8 turns into ketones rapidly.2Enhanced ketone production will help you stay in ketosis. MCTs may also increase mental and clarity and focus because ketones are such a potent brain fuel—they evolved to keep us sharp and functioning at a high level in situations of desperate need (like hunting between big meals)
Helps fight infection: in studies performed on animals, researchers added C8 to milk and it helped kill streptococcus, staphylococcus, and E. coli3
Reduces gut inflammation: C8 may help aid in digestion by lessening intestinal inflammation4
These are just some of the benefits associated with caprylic acid (C8). As the world’s most ketogenic form of MCT, you should strive to make sure the majority of MCTs in your diet contain C8 to maximize health benefits.
Capric Acid (C10)
Capric acid, or C10, can be found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and some forms of animal milks. It provides a few unique benefits in addition to what we’ve already mentioned regarding metabolism:
Antifungal properties: one research study concluded C10 destroyed strains of Candida albicans, a yeast causing digestive gut issues5
Boosting immunity: a study performed on breastfeeding mothers found nursing infants were able to fight off infections and viruses more effectively when the mother supplemented with C10.6Although the study has not been performed on adults, its reasonable to assume they may experience some of the same benefits
C10 is seen in many MCT products, but it might not be the optimal MCT for ketone production—that’s still C8.1
Lauric Acid (C12)
Lauric acid can most commonly be found in coconut oil, accounting for nearly half of coconut oil’s MCT content. The main benefit associated with lauric acid (C12) is its antimicrobial properties.
Lauric acid helps your body develop monolaurin, a compound responsible for killing pathogens such as measles, herpes simplex, staph, and E. coli.
Besides from the antimicrobial benefits, it can also serve a few other functions, including:
Fighting acne: the antimicrobial properties were put to the test in a study performed on people with acne.7 People taking lauric acid in the study found it to be a better form of treatment than benzoyl peroxide, a leading acne fighting ingredient.
Treatment for psoriasis: coconut oil (which contains nearly 50% lauric acid) was found to increase hydration and skin elasticity in a 2013 study.8
The topical benefits of lauric acid (C12) possibly make it a viable form of skin treatment in certain circumstances. But again, for purposes of ketone production, stick with C8.
Benefits of MCTs
You know the differences between different MCT chain lengths. Now, let’s look at the benefits of including MCT into your diet.
Improved Energy Through Ketone Production
Not only are MCTs a direct source of energy, they can also help create ketones for brain and body fuel.
MCTs are rapidly digested and absorbed—most fats travel slowly from the gut into the bloodstream, whereas MCTs are directly shuttered to the liver where they can be used for energy for the body or converted into ketones.
While fat can’t be used directly as brain fuel, that’s where the ketone production comes into play. Ketones pass through the blood-brain barrier making them a direct source of energy for the brain as well. This mechanism supports the anecdotal feelings of mental sharpness associated with MCT use and ketosis overall.
Helps Promote Weight Loss
One of the main benefits of MCTs are helping directly or indirectly aid in weight loss. MCT oil can help increase the production of certain hormones—like peptide YY and Leptin—which help you feel full.9 With an increase in fat consumption, you are more likely to feel satisfied for longer and thus, you’ll be less likely to overeat.
A research study showed that when people consumed a breakfast containing MCT oil they ate less food at lunch compared to those who had the same amount of coconut oil.10 This means that MCT, rather than coconut oil, is a better choice if you are looking to use fat to curb your appetite. That’s why many people choose to add MCT oil to their butter coffee in the morning.
MCT oil can also help to assist directly with weight loss through increased energy expenditure.
In one study, individuals taking MCT oil increased their energy expenditure, leading to weight loss.11 These people had a higher resting metabolic rate, so in essence, they were able to consume more calories without gaining weight.
Compared to long-chain fatty acids, MCT consumption resulted in greater fat loss (due to increased energy expenditure and fat oxidation).11 These studies lead researchers to believe MCTs could be used to prevent obesity or stimulate weight loss.
Studies performed on animals also showed MCT oils may result in decreased body fat through improved metabolism and enhanced thermogenesis.12
Enables Athletes to Burn Fat as Fuel
Consuming MCT oil may also boost your athletic endurance. One study showed that taking MCT prior to exercise enabled athletes to work at 80% of their VO2 max for longer when compared to athletes taking LCTs.13
The ingestion of foods containing MCTs may help suppress utilization of carbohydrates for energy production through increased utilization of fatty acids for generating energy. In other words, you replace the energy coming from carbs and glucose with energy coming from fat and ketones to fuel your workout. It takes a while to become fat adapted, but once you’re able to tap into the seemingly endless fat stores in the body, endurance performance may get better.
MCT oils may also impact athletic performance through reduction in lactate buildup due to a shift in balance from carb to fat metabolism. In that study where athletes could exercise for longer, the researchers also found that they had lower lactate levels.13
If you take MCTs prior to exercise, your fat burning capabilities may increase due to a higher resting energy expenditure. Essentially, you burn more fat during your workouts than you may have otherwise, in part because you’re consuming more fat.
May Reduce Risk of Heart Disease
Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most effective ways of lowering the risk of heart disease.
Since MCT oil can help with weight and fat loss, this can in turn lower the incidence of heart disease in some people.
A study was performed on twenty-four healthy overweight men who consumed controlled diets designed to maintain weight over the course of two months.14 These diets contained 40% energy from fat, of which 75% was added fat in the form of an MCT oil based compound (also containing phytosterols and flaxseed oil) or olive oil. Body composition and blood samples were analyzed after each month. The MCT oil-based compound resulted in a ~14% decrease in LDL levels of cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) compared to the control group. Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels is crucial to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Poor diet, lack of exercise, and genetic predisposition can cause heart disease, but MCT oil consumption may be a tool capable of supporting heart health.
May Help Treat Diabetes
Building off the other metabolic benefits of MCT, it may be able to help treat individuals with diabetes.
A study was conducted on two groups of overweight type 2 diabetic patients.15 One group was given 18g of MCT and the other was given 18g of LCTs in the form of corn oil over the course of 90 days. The results of the study showed a reduction in body weight, waist circumference, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin in subjects taking MCT oil. No differences were noted in the LCT group. These results suggest MCTs have a positive effect on diabetic-related treatment.
Why Use MCTs on Keto?
While the benefits of MCTs obviously stretch outside of just ketone production, they’ve found a special home among keto diet practitioners.
Ketones 101
What’s so special about ketones?
Before we dive into specifics, let’s talk basics. Ketones are fundamentally different substrates than the carbohydrates or fats your body typically uses to create energy.16 They are produced when your body begins using fat instead of carbohydrates for fuel. Ketones may even be a more efficient source of fuel than glucose; they provide more energy per unit.17
Keto is a low-carb, high-fat diet. So when the body doesn’t have any carbohydrates to rely on for energy, it will begin using the copious fat stores we all carry with us.
The brain’s usual source of energy is carbohydrates. They’re a quick, easily-used fuel. But what about when the brain doesn’t have those carbs to rely on? That’s why we evolved to create ketones, to fuel our brain (ketones cross the blood-brain barrier). In our neanderthal days, we’d go days or weeks without food. Our bodies needed a way to create energy from what we already had—fat.
Once the body is producing ketones, ketosis in considered ketones present in the blood at greater than 0.5mM; when you hear people say they’re in ketosis, this is what they mean.
Ketosis can be achieved in two distinct ways. The first is endogenously, which means through internal mechanisms within the body. By following a low-carb diet and/or fasting, the body will eventually stop running on glucose and begin producing ketones.
However, there’s another way to get into ketosis. Exogenous ketonesare consumed through external means. Using exogenous ketones can raise blood ketones to a physiological level even if you aren’t following a high-fat diet or fasting.
The level of ketosis achieved can vary depending upon the type of supplement used. H.V.M.N. Ketone is a form of exogenous ketones (it’s the world’s first ketone ester drink) used to get into a deeper state of ketosis.18 Its patented technology is designed to deliver pure consumable ketones for sport, cognition, fasting or keto diet support. Ketone salts are another option, but can require a high amount of sodium be ingested to reach desired ketone levels.19
MCT oil has gained substantial traction in recent years as a product shown to enhance ketone production and provide an immediate source of energy, albeit a lesser levels than H.V.M.N. Ketone and salt-based products (because MCTs don’t actually contain ketones themselves).
Benefits of Ketones
Biologically, the body is designed to run on glucose and fat as its main forms of energy; but ketones are a more efficient fuel source when compared to glucose.17 Also, as you get into endogenous ketosis, the body is able to breakdown more and more fat for energy.
There are several evidence-based health benefits seen during a ketogenic diet, including:
Losing weight: the most common reason people follow a ketogenic diet is for weight loss reasons.20 By changing your diet, you can help switch your body from a glucose-reliant to running on ketones and fat
Managing diabetes: a keto diet may help control symptoms of type I and II diabetes by lowering carbohydrate intake and keeping blood glucose levels under control21
Satiation: ketones can improve satiation, leading to less overeating.16 Research suggests a diet high in fat provides satiating benefits not seen with carbohydrates
Treatment of certain diseases: the keto diet may help act as supplemental treatment for diseases such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s, and even Alzheimer’s22
Lowers rate of inflammation and aging: ketogenic diets have been shown to improve survival, memory, and healthspan in animal studies.23 Future studies may show the same effects could be seen in humans as well
The keto diet has gained popularity for a reason. Not only are the physical benefits sought after, but the mental clarity of ketosis, along with other neurological benefits, have also emerged as some of the main reasons people decide to switch to keto.
How MCT Oil Increases Ketone Production
MCTs go directly to the liver, and it's here where they are converted into ketones through a process called ketogenesis. MCTs can help you stay in ketosis or get to ketosis faster, because they're a healthy source of fat and are less likely to be stored as body fat.24 Longer-chain fatty acids, on the other hand, do not directly enhance ketone production because of how they're metabolized.
MCT oil can be found in coconut oil, palm oil, and even some dairy products. However, these products do not contain 100% pure MCTs. They contain roughly a low percentage of C8 (the most optimal form of MCTs), along with other types of lower-quality fatty acids. In order to optimize the effects of high-quality MCT oil, it must be extracted from other sources into a highly-concentrated, stand alone product.
Disadvantages of MCT Oil
Although MCT oil can provide plenty of health benefits, it can be easy to go overboard on calories if you do not measure serving sizes correctly. Even on a ketogenic diet, you should still be cognizant of your overall caloric intake to avoid overeating.
Taking too much MCT oil can also cause gastrointestinal distress in certain individuals in the form of side effects such as diarrhea, vomiting, bloating, and cramping.
How to Use MCT Oil on the Keto Diet
MCT oils can be incorporated into your diet in a variety of different food and beverage choices.
You can use MCT oil as a cooking oil, smoothie ingredient, or even to create fat bombs. The possibilities are endless, and you can use a bit of creativity when determining how best to use MCT oil in your own diet. While we've discussed MCT oil at length, MCT oil powder is also a viable option for easy mix-ability.
Butter Coffee
One way many people choose to consume MCT oil as part of their diet is by making butter coffee (also called Bulletproof coffee). A unique blend of coffee, MCT oil, and grass-fed butter, butter coffee can provide a boost of energy to help jump start your day.
Traditional Butter Coffee
Ingredients:
1 cup of coffee
1 tbsp unsalted grass-fed butter
1 scoop chocolate or vanilla H.V.M.N. MCT Oil Powder
Instructions:
Brew a cup of coffee using your favorite coffee beans
Add coffee, butter, and HVMN MCT Oil Powder into a blender and blend for approximately ten seconds
Pour the finished drink into a mug and enjoy
Drinking butter is an easy way of incorporating MCT oil for a daily energy boost.
MCT Smoothies
If you prefer to get fruits and vegetables through smoothies, why not try adding some MCT oil to your drink?
Fruit MCT Smoothie
Ingredients:
½ frozen banana
½ cup frozen apple
¼ scoop chocolate or vanilla of H.V.M.N. MCT Oil Powder
¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
Add in other fruits and vegetables as desired, to taste.
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients into a blender and mix to desired consistency
Pour, drink, and enjoy
MCT-based smoothies are a satisfying, filling snack that can be made with limited time, and may even be used to replace a meal.
MCT Salad Dressings
If salads are a staple of your diet, you may want to try creating a MCT-based dressing to enjoy your greens and get a boost of healthy fat.
Green Keto Dressing
Ingredients:
1 scoop unflavored H.V.M.N. MCT Oil Powder
¼ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 minced garlic cloves
1 teaspoon mustard
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions:
Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl
Pour on top of salad or store in a glass container to use later on
Regularly eating salads is a great way of ensuring you get enough micronutrients in your diet. This recipe will add a dose of healthy fat to your greens.
MCT Fat Bombs
If you are unfamiliar with fat bombs, they are keto friendly snacks designed to curb sugar cravings.
They generally contain ingredients such as oil, butter, nuts, and seeds, designed to satisfy cravings and keeping you full. If you are following a ketogenic diet, but still get a sweet tooth, try making some fat bombs.
Chocolate Delight Fat Bombs
Ingredients:
2 cups macadamia nuts
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 scoop chocolate H.V.M.N. MCT Oil Powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup monk fruit sweetener
¼ cup cocoa powder
Instructions:
Puree macadamia nuts in a food processor or blender. Add HVMN MCT Oil Powder, coconut oil, and vanilla. Continue blending until a nut butter like consistency is formed
Add cocoa powder and sweetener little by little and continue pureeing until smooth
Grab a muffin pan lined with parchment paper
Pour the batter into each liner until ⅓ of the way filled
Freeze for at least 30 minutes until a solid consistency is formed.
Instead of reaching for the candy bar, try making some fat bombs to get rid of that nagging sweet tooth.
Why MCTs Work with Keto
If you’re on keto, adding MCTs to your diet is almost a no-brainer.
Reducing body fat, improving satiety, and enhancing of ketone production—these are just a few of the potential health benefits of MCTs.
If you are practicing a ketogenic diet and want to get into ketosis faster, MCT is a great way to increase ketone production via healthy fat. Simply using an MCT-based supplement daily may supercharge the metabolic benefits associated with keto. And even if you’re not keto, adding a high-quality source of fat to your diet may help reduce cravings and help you feel fuller for longer throughout the day.
Scientific Citations
Bacopa Monnieri: Memory Boosting Herb For Anxiety
Originally published on HVMN by Jamie Witherby
You’re in the waiting room of the dentist’s office, nervously tapping your foot on the patterned carpet and grinding your teeth until they finally call your name. You didn’t floss enough. You didn’t take care of that molar sensitivity when it first popped up three months ago. And you definitely didn’t schedule this cleaning a prompt six months after the last one. In short, you’re anxious.
Stress comes in many forms, and paths to relief are equally varied. Between the dizzying sound of the drill, you notice a fish tank: bubbles from the filter, fish floating through plastic pirate ships, swaying underwater plants. Interestingly, the simple sight of a fish tank can be a form of stress relief (maybe that’s why so many doctors’ and dentists’ offices have them). Hypnotic aquatic environments can lower your blood pressure and produce a state of relaxation.1 But if you really need extra tension relief, you may be better off reaching into the tank, pulling out the greenery, and feeding it through your chattering teeth.
Table of Contents
Bacopa: The Herb of Many Names
Bacopa Monnieri Mental Benefits
Bacopa Monnieri Physical Benefits
Radical Agent: Bacopa as an Antioxidant
Treat Yourself: Bacopa as Anti-inflammatory
Supplementing with Bacopa Monnieri
Bacopa monnieri (buh-COH-puh moh-nee-AIR-ee) is an aquatic creeping perennial plant commonly sold to decorate fish tanks; but it can be used for much more than just underwater interior design. It can have a significant effect on cognitive function.
Let’s discuss how this powerful little plant can reduce anxiety and depression while enhancing memory and attention.
Bacopa Background
Before diving into the benefits, it’s best to know a bit more about why this herb has been used in medicine for centuries.
Bacopa: The Herb of Many Names
Native to the lush wetlands of South Asia, East Asia, and Australia, Bacopa monnieri has been an essential herb in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. It joins a family of common medicines, Rasayanas, known for their youthful and rejuvenating enhancements, which is why they’ve primarily been prescribed to the elderly community.2
However, Bacopa monnieri is also part of the coveted Medhya Rasayana group along with another notorious nootropic, Ashwagandha. The prefix, “medha”, means “mind.” Thus, Medhya Rasayanas are prescribed to people of all age groups needing a mental boost. The list ranges from those recovering old memories to those recovering from brain injuries.2
Ayurvedic physicians in India have used Bacopa monnieri in combination with other herbs to treat conditions of the mind, such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, and dementia. The herb has also been used for inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis and ulcers.3,4,5
Bacopa monnieri goes by many names. If you’re buying it in a shop, you can ask for the classic carpeting varieties: moneywort or water hyssop. If you're researching its extracts, search for bacosides. If you’re talking to an Ayurvedic physician about it, try asking about Brahmi—a nickname based on the Hindu creator god, Brahma. Or if you're looking for the form of Bacopa monnieri extract, try changing a single letter: Bacopa monniera.
You won’t have to remember all those names to get through this article. But if you wanted to, you should consider taking a dose of Bacopa monnieri to help.
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Bacopa Monnieri Mental Benefits
From memory to anxiety, supplementing with Bacopa monnieri can be a powerful tool for the mind.
The Herb You Can’t Forget
It’ll take more than just a single dose to feel the full effects, but research has shown that regularly taking Bacopa monnieri for eight to twelve weeks can improve your memory.6,7,8,9,10
Human studies have found that supplementing with Bacopa monnieri can greatly increase your chances of acquiring and remembering new information.10,9 A 2001 double-blind study on healthy adults found that subjects increased their learning rates after Bacopa monnieri supplementation. While the results were evident in as little as five weeks, the most significant improvements were noted after the full twelve-week course.9
Not only was the information acquired more easily, but it was accessed from long-term memory more effortlessly.
A 2002 study echoed these findings after testing Brahmi’s memory capabilities in middle-aged adults.
Testing showed that Brahmi had significant effects on decreasing the rate of forgetting newly acquired information.10
Even after experiencing short delays to refocus the mind on other tasks, participants of all ages were able to recall new information more readily and fully after supplementing with Bacopa monnieri, including verbal processing.10 A 2012 meta-analyses of six memory intervention studies found that Bacopa monnieri can improve free memory recall.8 Imagine being able to actually remember the name of the road your maps app told you to take before your phone died. Or even just the name of that really cool plant you saw in a nature documentary last night. It could have been Bacopa monnieri.
Elderly participants even found Bacopa monnieri to be a very effective treatment for the unavoidable age-associated memory impairment (AAMI), enjoying increased memory procurement and retention.11,12 Grandma probably won’t stop confusing you with your sibling by taking Bacopa monnieri, but she will be more likely to remember the details of your life over time.
Commit this to memory: Bacopa monnieri can help the process of converting your short-term memories into long-term memories, known as memory consolidation.13
Every time you studied for a test, you engaged in this process. There’s a reason cramming the night before isn’t as efficient as studying over the period of a couple weeks. Your brain hasn’t had a chance to repeatedly fire this information on a pathway in your brain. The more frequently you study something, the stronger the pathways between the synapses in your brain become. That’s why mnemonic devices and other repetitive practices are suggested to help you rapidly store facts and figures. When it’s test time, strong pathways will allow you to more readily access information as needed.14
If you’re ready to spice up your daily routine a little, try testing your spatial memory in your current environment. Take a mental picture of your surroundings, close your eyes, and challenge yourself with questions: how many plants are on the window sill? What color is the book on the end table? Are the stripes on the area rug running vertically or horizontally? Then, open your eyes and see how you did. Supplementing with Bacopa monnieri could drastically improve your spotting skills because it boosts your spatial working memory. Working memory is about as straightforward as it sounds—it’s the part of your short term memory working to immediately process information. Add the spatial component, and you get an enhanced ability to remember things inhabiting space around you.6
Paying Attention
We can train many parts of our bodies, but Bacopa monnieri can help us focus on a soft spot: our eyeballs. Evidence supports that this herb can improve rapid visual information processing and speed of information processing.7 Translation? You can concentrate on what you’re seeing and comprehend it more quickly.
If faster processing didn’t get your attention, this will: elderly subjects also performed better on the infamous Stroop Test when taking the plant extract.7,15 You may have taken this tricky test yourself at some point. In it, participants are required to say the color of a word rather than reading the word itself. Easy, right? But all the words are colors…and the word does not match its hue. For instance, if the word "BLUE" is boldly scrawled in the color red, the subject should say ‘red.’ The test was developed to convey that embedded information about our environment strongly influences how we interact with it.
Doing well on the Stroop test assesses a few key things: cognitive processing speed, cognitive control, and attentional capacity, all of which were improved with Bacopa monnieri as an aide.15,7
These promising improvements are in line with the traditional Ayurvedic uses for the plant, further demonstrating why it’s been used as a memory aid for such a long time.
If you’ve been missing out on your memory’s potential, HVMN paired Bacopa monnieri with calming Ashwagandha and defensive Citicholine in Rise. Rise is a nootropic stack for long-term health benefits, including increased memory, adapting to chronic stress in order to reduce it, and building cognitive resiliency. The only thing you have to remember is to take two pills every day. In as little as two weeks of consistent supplementation, you could begin to see an increase in memory, stamina, and cognitive task efficiency.8,9,16
Anxiety and Stress
From the start, you were hooked with the promise of this plant being able to reduce anxiety. Like your hand in the fish tank, let’s dive right in.
In patients with anxiety, Bacopa monnieri had an anxiolytic effect, simply meaning an anti-anxiety effect. Participants in clinical trials experienced reduced heart rates and anxiety levels.15 These physiological effects point to the adaptogen potential of Bacopa monnieri.17Note the word “adapt” nestled inside. Adaptogens are classified by their abilities to help us adapt to stress by normalizing the body’s physiological responses to them.
But the criteria for being labeled an adaptogen are rather strict. The herb must not only be able to assist the body in coping with stress but also decrease stress-induced damage and produce beneficial effects over time.18 The kicker? Adaptogens must be devoid of significant negative side effects.
One of Bacopa monnieri’s adaptogenic effects is cortisol reduction.19 Although cortisol is the infamous “stress hormone,” it’s responsible for numerous processes—many of them beneficial. Cortisol is made in the adrenal glands and released into the bloodstream to transport it all over your body. Most of our cells contain cortisol receptors, which allows cortisol to have different effects depending on which cells it acts upon. The hormone can manage blood sugar levels, regulate metabolism, and influence blood pressure. Our cortisol levels are constantly fluctuating, but they generally cycle in a sensical way for a steroidal hormone, like being higher when we first wake up. Don’t worry if you’re not eager to jump out of bed every morning, though; cortisol doesn’t quite have the same vigor as caffeine.
When we feel stressed, we release cortisol to help us respond appropriately to the situation.
Fight-or-flight response, anyone? This reaction is very important for our survival. But we aren’t really supposed to engage this response over a long period of time, and elevated cortisol levels from chronic stress can negatively impact your body’s systems. On the minor side, you may suffer from digestive distress, such as diarrhea or constipation.20 Muscle tension could lead to daily soreness, headaches, or even migraines.21 On the major end, you could experience higher blood pressure, which is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and cardiovascular disease.22
In a 2013 study examining the anxiolytic effects of Bacopa monnieri supplementation, human subjects dosing with 640mg of the herb experienced a significant reduction in cortisol levels in as little as two hours after taking it.19
Depression
Bacopa monnieri’s calming effect may also be attributed to its modulation of serotonin levels, which Bacopa monnieri has been shown to regulate.9,15 Serotonin is the targeted neurotransmitter for the most successful antidepressive agents: the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (or SSRIs).
Antidepressants also often increase the availability of dopamine in synapses, which is another neurotransmitter involved in regulating mood and motivation. Both dopamine and serotonin levels can decline with age, but Bacopa monnieri may be able to mitigate this decline by protecting dopaminergic neurons from death.23
In animal models, bacosides isolated from the Bacopa monnieri plant exhibited antidepressive effects.24 Better yet, human subjects reported a significant improvement in depression symptoms after supplementing with Bacopa monnieri for a twelve-week period.15
Bacopa Monnieri Physical Benefits
We can’t just let the brain have all the fun. Bacopa monnieri is a strong fighter for the body as well.
Radical Agent: Bacopa as an Antioxidant
Twelve weeks may seem like a long time, but Bacopa monnieri does its best work when given ample time to shine. Remember that in order for Bacopa monnieri to be classified as an adaptogen, it must be able to decrease stress-induced damage and produce beneficial effects over time. If you’re patient, it will react like an antioxidant in your system.25
Joining the ranks of other common antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, Bacopa monnieri can help remove free radicals such as nitric oxide from your system. Free radicals are unstable molecules missing an electron, which they attempt to take from our lipid membranes (known as lipid peroxidation). Over time, lipid peroxidation can cause tissue and muscle damage and contribute to a scary list of diseases: diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.25
Treat Yourself: Bacopa as Anti-inflammatory
If one disease-reducing quality wasn’t enough, here’s another.
In vivo studies on rats found that Bacopa extracts inhibit the release of cytokines and enzymes associated with inflammation in the brain, leading to an overall reduction in inflammation of the central nervous system (CNS).3,5
A 2016 study on the effects of Bacopa on signaling enzymes and inflammatory markers found that Bacopa monnieri targeted specific inflammatory mediators found in the central nervous system and the periphery that are linked to arthritis and neuroinflammation.3Similarly, a 2011 in vivo study found that the isolated bacosides prevented age-dependent elevation of pro-inflammatory markers in the aged cortex.4
While this doesn’t imply that Bacopa monnieri reduces aging, it does encourage further research into using the herb to reduce systemic inflammation.
This is especially promising because reducing inflammation can assist with the treatment of serious CNS disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and multiple sclerosis.3,5
Epilepsy: Bacopa Beginnings
While the research on Bacopa monnieri’s effects in individuals with epilepsy is in its infancy, the herb’s mechanisms are promising.
Epilepsy is a neuronal disorder often characterized by memory and learning impairments.26Frequent recurrent seizures can adversely affect cognition and contribute to brain injuries associated with cognitive degradation. For genetic epilepsies, the mechanisms of seizure activity are actually quite similar to the mechanisms of cognitive impairment.26 These mechanisms appear to occur as a result of abnormal signaling patterns, which result in modified synaptic function and hyperexcitability. Don’t get too excited—normal cognitive function requires a stable balance of excitatory and inhibitory drive.27
In epileptic animal models, Bacopa monnieri treatment significantly reversed the down-regulation of essential gene expression during seizure activity. In other words, neuronal cell receptors appeared to function normally again.28
Bacopa monnieri’s effects on epilepsy behavioral deficits were also researched in 2010. Because the herb has been tested for its antioxidant, anticonvulsant, and cognition improving properties, the authors posit that it may be a beneficial herbal medicine for ameliorating the neuronal deficits associated with frequent seizure activity.29
Supplementing with Bacopa Monnieri
Daily doses range from 200mg - 400mg of the standardized extract with no major adverse effects reported. Minor side effects include diarrhea, nausea, and an upset stomach. The extract is also not known for having the most pleasant flavor.
Bacopa monnieri is generally considered safe to pair with other medications and supplements.11
Remember: Bacopa monnieri is most effective after being used consistently for an eight to twelve week period. With its hefty list of benefits, this is one herb that’s worth the wait.
Testing Your Memory
Whether you need to train your brain to process new information more quickly or train your body to process new movements more gracefully, adding Bacopa monnieri to the mix can help you achieve your memory goals and boost cognitive function.
You may not have started supplementing yet, but try to see how many of Bacopa monnieri’s benefits you’re able to remember on your own:
Increased memory acquisition and retention
Defense against age-associated memory impairment
Increased verbal processing
Increased rapid visual information processing
Increased spatial working memory
Increased memory consolidation
Defense against lipid peroxidation
Reduced inflammation in the central nervous system
Reduced heart rate
Decreased anxiety
Decreased depression
Potential for those with epilepsy and seizure activity
Bacopa monnieri's cognitive enhancement and protective effects won’t get you out of going to the dentist. But it could help you remember to floss and keep you calm while the dental hygienist does it for you anyway.
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Scientific Citations
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Mayer EA. The neurobiology of stress and gastrointestinal disease Gut 2000;47:861-869.
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