2.2.2 The medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) diet

In an effort to make the ketogenic diet more palatable, the MCT diet was introduced in the 1970s [22]. In its original form, the MCT diet is 60% fat by weight (roughly 75% fat by caloric intake), with fat sourced from MCT oils. Since mediumchain fatty acids yield more ketones per kilocalorie compared to long-chain fatty acids, the MCT diet allows for a lower overall fat intake, and a greater intake of protein and carbohydrate, compared to the CKD. A number of patients are prone to gastrointestinal side-effects on this diet, so a modified MCT diet was created in the 1980s, consisting of 30% medium-chain fatty acids plus 30% long-chain fatty acids by weight [23].
