Superhero among us

Let’s talk oils. As a society we’ve had a love hate relationship with them. The fat-free marketing craze which began in the mid-seventies lent itself to overconsumption of refined sugars and carbohydrates in an attempt to lower calorie intake. While it’s true that the road to health is a calorie conscience diet, that’s only half the story as it doesn’t stress the importance of the quality of calories. Today fats are making a comeback. We hear about good fats, healthy oils, and the ketogenic diet is on the up and up for being a cure-all diet based around fats. The pro-fat lifestyle is a smarter formula for health as it’s based around the science of how our bodies process nutrients.

Of course not all oils are created equally. The pesky saturated and trans fats are still widely used and should still be avoided. A good analogy is to think of some oils like Clark Kent and some like Lex Luther. Some are like Batman and some are like Robin. Much like the superhero world there are super villains and there’s also a hierarchy among the good guys.

Enter Brain Octane oil – a form of MCT (medium chain triglyceride) oil. MCT oils are naturally occurring oils that are beneficial because of the structure of their molecules. MCT’s contain only 6-12 carbon fatty acids as opposed to their LCT (long chain triglyceride) counterparts that contain fatty acids of over 12 carbons. This means they’re able to bypass digestion and go straight to giving you energy and mental clarity.

There are four kinds of MCTs – some are superheroes and some are sidekicks – they’re all beneficial but a few are extra efficient at shape shifting into ketones and passing on their superpowers to you. And you guessed it – brain octane is the superhero of the MCT and oil world.

Brain octane is 100% caprylic acid or C8. To put things into perspective coconut oil, which is hailed in the health community, is only about 6% caprylic acid. Caprylic acid increases blood ketone levels more efficiently than it’s MCT cousins meaning it reduces blood glucose levels, increases energy, helps to reduce body fat and initiates your bodies antimicrobial activity. A 2015 study found caprylic acid to be beneficial at reducing cancer cell viability while a 2014 study found it improved cognitive function in a patient with Alzheimer’s.

What sets this superhero universe apart is that you can get in on the action. So how do you get brain octanes superpowers? We’re sure you’ve heard of bulletproof coffee by this stage. At Calii Love we make our signature bulletproof blend with high quality Barocco arabica beans, brain octane and coconut milk. It’s also the star of our limitless smoothie and teams up with blue majik in our blue majik latte. You can even play around with spiking it in any of your favourite Calii smoothies or smoothie bowls.

Healthy fats are a staple at Calii Love so stay tuned to learn about the other superheroes on our team and how you can bio hack your life for more #goodvibes this summer.

^{1. Nagao, K & Yanagita, T 2010, ‘Medium-chain fatty acids: Functional lipids for the prevention and treatment of the metabolic syndrome’, Pharmacological Research, vol. 61, no. 3, pp 208–212. Available from: doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2009.11.007}

^{2. Martena, B, Pfeuffer, M & Schrezenmeir, J 2006, ‘Medium-chain triglycerides’, International Dairy Journal, vol. 16, no. 11, pp. 1374–1382. Available from:doi:10.1016/j.idairyj.2006.06.015}

^{3. Narayanan, L, Baskaran, S. A., Amalaradjou, M. R. & Venkitanatauanan, K 2015, ‘Anticarcinogenic Properties of Medium Chain Fatty Acids on Human Colorectal, Skin and Breast Cancer Cells in Vitro’, International Journal of Molecular Science, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 5014–5027. Available from: doi:  10.3390/ijms16035014.}

^{4. Farah, B 2014, ‘Effects of Caprylic Triglyceride on Cognitive Performance and Cerebral Glucose Metabolism in Mild Alzheimer’s Disease: A Single-Case Observation’, Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, vol. 6, pp. 133. Available from: doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2014.00133.}