What is Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil?
The name Bulletproof is synonymous with the ketogenic or low-carb diet. Many keto dieters start their day and maintain their energy levels with a steaming cup of bulletproof coffee – a mixture of freshly brewed coffee, coconut oil, and butter.
Bulletproof coffee was popularized by Bulletproof company founder Dave Asprey who, facing exhaustion while trekking in Tibet, was given tea with yak butter and discovered the energizing and restorative properties of caffeine and healthy fats.
That was back in 2004 and Asprey went on to start his Seattle-based company, Bulletproof, who grew to manufacture a wide range of nutritional supplements and products.
Brain Octane Oil is one of two MCT or medium chain triglyceride oils made by Bulletproof. Where XCT contains a blend of C8 and C10 oils, Brain Octane Oil, the subject of this review, contains 100% C8 oil. Don’t worry – we’ll explain the relevance of this shortly!
Bulletproof Brain Octane oil is a premium MCT oil product that is available in a wide range of sizes, from single serving sachets or go-packs to 32 oz bottles. It is also available in super-portable soft gel capsules. Because Brain Octane Oil is flavorless, you can add it so almost anything you eat or drink. However, it is not recommended for cooking as too much heat could damage the oil, negating many of its benefits.
How does Brain Octane Oil work?
Medium chain triglycerides are a special kind of fat. Most dietary fats are classed as long chain glycerides (LCTs). LCTs have to go through a lengthy digestive process before they can be used for energy. In most cases, your body prefers to put LCTs into storage, and they end up in your adipose fat cells – that’s body fat.
In contrast, MCTs are processed very differently. Instead of being digested in the usual way, they go straight from your stomach to your liver where they can be used for rapid energy or converted into ketones to provide another type of fuel. MCTs are not easy to turn into body fat either.
As a keto dieter, you should already be familiar with ketones. They are what your body produces and uses for energy when carbs and glucose are in short supply. With no carbs to use, your body turns for fat for fuel, but it cannot use fat directly. Instead, it converts fat into ketones, a source of energy it can use.
MCTs increase ketone production, a benefit for all keto dieters. More ketones mean more energy, less hunger, a clearer mind, and faster fat loss. A lot of keto dieters take exogenous ketone supplements to increase their ketone levels, an effective strategy for preventing many of the symptoms of keto flu and achieving a deeper level of ketosis for faster fat loss. MCTs increase ketone levels via a different pathway – by providing your body with more of the raw materials it needs to increase ketone production naturally.
MCTs occur naturally in things like coconut oil and grass-fed beef and butter, but Brain Octane Oil is 100% MCTs, which means you get a whole lot more MCT per serving.
What are the ingredients of Brain Octane Oil?
MCT oils are commonly made from palm oil or coconut oil. Palm oil is cheaper than coconut oil, but there is a significant environmental impact to producing it. Typically harvested from already diminished forests, palm oil production contributes to the destruction of the habitat of many already endangered animal species. In addition, MCTs obtained from palm oil is not such good quality.
Better quality MCT products, like Brain Octane Oil, are produced from coconuts, which is good news for the environment and also the consumer as coconut-derived MCTs are the most digestible and beneficial.
Pure coconut oil is a staple for many keto dieters. It’s suitable for cooking and baking and adding it to your low-carb meals makes hitting your daily keto diet fat intake of 60%+ considerably easier. However, coconut oil contains a mixture of different types of fat, including C12, C10, C8, and C6 – the number referring amount of carbon in the fatty acid chain.
All types of MCTs can be beneficial. C12 is known for its anti-microbial benefits, while C10 is anti-fungal. Both C10 and C12 can help speed up ketosis. However, C8 (also called caprylic acid) is the easiest MCT to digest, which means it provides the most readily available source of energy.
Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil is made in the USA and contains nothing but 100% C8 MCT oil extracted from coconuts. It is obtained and refined using water, heat, and pressure, and contains no additives. This means that, unlike coconut oil, Brain Octane Oil is liquid at room temperature, as well as being odorless and flavorless. This makes it very versatile and easy to use.
To summarize: Brain Octane Oil is 100% C8 caprylic acid extracted from coconuts. Think of it as concentrated coconut oil. Of all the MCTs, C8 is the easiest to digest, which means it’s very fast acting.
How to use Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil
To get the most from any nutritional product, including Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil, you should always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. In the case of this popular MCT oil product, Bulletproof recommend that you start with one tablespoon per day, and increasing your intake gradually to a maximum of four tablespoons per day.
Brain Octane Oil can be consumed straight from the tablespoon, or you can use it in salad dressings, drizzle it over vegetables, blend it into a smoothie or protein shake, or mix it into your coffee to make the famous keto beverage Bulletproof coffee. Bulletproof have also created a range of Brain Octane Oil recipes, available here.
Brain Octane Oil has a smoke point of 160°C/320°F, which means it is fairly heat resistant, but you should still avoid using it for cooking. Too much heat will damage the already highly reactive bonds in the C8 oil, rendering it much less beneficial.
The benefits of Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil
Bulletproof Brain Octane offers a wide range of benefits. Some of those benefits are due to an increase in ketone production, while other benefits are because of the unique structure and function of MCT oils in general. These benefits include:
Faster descent into ketosis
Once you cut carbs from your diet, it can take several days to two weeks to enter ketosis. The time it will take depends on how much glycogen (stored carbohydrate) you have locked inside your liver and muscles. Your body will only start manufacturing and using ketones for energy once your glycogen levels are depleted.
However, using Brain Octane Oil can help you get into ketosis faster. C8 oil, the ingredient in this product, increases ketone production more than any other type of MCT. Consuming Brain Octane Oil will help you enter ketosis faster by “jumpstarting” the ketone production process.
Fewer keto flu symptoms
When you first cut carbs from your diet, it can be a major shock to your body. This shock is commonly accompanied by a range of side-effects and symptoms, collectively called keto flu. Keto flu is not contagious, but it can be unpleasant enough to put some people off the keto diet.
Most keto flu symptoms are caused by a sudden drop in carbs combined with too few ketones – a classic rock and a hard place scenario. Using Brain Octane oil naturally increases ketone production, thus eliminating one of the leading causes of keto flu.
More brain power
Because C8 is such an easily-digested MCT, it is rapidly converted into ketones. Ketones can cross the blood-brain barrier, which means they will provide your brain with an instant but also long-lasting burst of energy. In contrast, brain energy levels derived from carbs and glucose are much shorter lasting, and while they can give you an energy high, that high is normally soon followed by a crash. Brain Octane Oil is so-called because C8 is especially good for your gray matter.
More energy
C8 MCT oil is rapidly converted into ketones, which can then be used for energy. Diets often leave you feeling tired, and tiredness is typically associated with hunger; we eat because we need an energy boost – especially sugar and carbs.
Because Brain Octane Oil is such a rapid source of energy, it can give you the lift you need, satiating hunger in the process. Also, unlike sugar and carbs, using MCTs will not increase your insulin levels. Insulin, necessary for the transportation glucose from out of your blood and into your muscles and liver. This puts the brakes on fat loss and actually promotes fat storage.
Using Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil is a great way to boost your energy quickly but without undermining fat loss. MCT oil is often described as a “clean” source of energy and, like your car, your body will work better and more efficiently without “dirty” fuels like sugar.
Fewer cravings and less hunger
Despite being a very concentrated, fast-acting source of energy, Brain Octane oil can help prevent cravings and hunger. When you eat carbs, your blood glucose levels rise very fast and then fall just as quickly – thanks insulin! However, because MCTs are digested and transported without insulin, your energy levels tend to stay stable for longer.
Wildly fluctuating blood glucose levels can trigger cravings and hunger. Every time your blood glucose levels drop, your body sets the alarm bells ringing and tells you that it’s time to eat – even if you don’t really need the energy.
When you consume MCTs, your energy levels will be more stable, which, in turn, will prevent most hunger pangs and cravings. This will leave you free and able to stick to your diet, losing weight faster in the process.
Improved digestive, heart, and brain health
Keto dieters tend to use MCT products like Brain Octane Oil for faster fat loss and a smoother transition into ketosis, but this type of nutritional supplement is also associated with a range of additional health benefits, including better digestive, heart, and brain health. Many studies have concluded that MCT oils are good for more than weight loss. Of course, you should not try to self-treat any serious medical conditions using Brain Octane Oil or any other nutritional supplement, but it’s good to know that it could improve your health as well as helping you lose weight.
The side effects and drawbacks of Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil
Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil is a very high quality, pure MCT product that offers a wide range of proven and anecdotal benefits. However, the fact that it works shows that it affects your body, and occasionally, those effects may be accompanied by some side effects. The most common side effects of Brain Octane Oil use are:
- Bloating
- Gas
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
In most cases, these side effects are caused by using too much MCT oil too soon and can be treated or avoided by reducing your dosages and increasing your intake gradually over several weeks. If you experience any of the above, reduce your consumption to one teaspoon per day and increase after that.
Other potential but very rare side effects of MCT oil use include non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and fat gain. MCTs are processed in the liver, and if you have an unhealthy liver in the first place, increasing the fat load on your liver could make a pre-existing condition worse. If you have a history of liver disease, you should speak to your doctor before using Bulletproof Brain Octane oil or any other MCT supplement.
Also, Brain Octane Oil contains 130 calories per tablespoon. If you consume too many calories from any source, you will gain weight. Because of this, make sure you reduce your non-MCT oil intake to reflect the amount of Brain Octane you are adding to your diet.
Your final consideration before starting Brain Octane Oil should be the cost. This is a premium MCT oil product, and that is reflected in the price. The best way to get great results from Brain Octane Oil is to use it regularly and in the recommended quantities. This could prove expensive. You can minimize the cost by buying the larger 32 oz bottles, taking advantage of Bulletproof’s multi-buy discounts, or signing up for a subscription where your products are shipped to you automatically.
Conclusion
Brain Octane Oil is a premium MCT oil product from one of the biggest names in keto and general nutrition supplements – Bulletproof. It’s made from nothing but C8 MCT oil which is the fastest-digesting MCT. It’s effective for rapidly increasing ketone production, delivering fast but sustained energy for your body and brain.
Made from coconuts rather than cheaper but lower quality palm oil, Brain Octane Oil offers a wide range of benefits, including faster fat loss, fewer cravings, and beating the dreaded keto flu. Using too much too soon could lead to a few unwanted side effects but, for the vast majority of users, Brain Octane Oil is very safe.
Available in a range of sizes, including single-serving sachets and capsules, Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil is odorless, flavorless, and easy to use. A tablespoon or two per day is all you need to enjoy all the benefits this supplement has to offer. Alternatively, use this product to make the famous keto beverage Bulletproof coffee.
The Review
Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil
Bulletproof Brain Octane oil is a premium MCT oil product that is available in a wide range of sizes, from single serving sachets or go-packs to 32 oz bottles. It is also available in super-portable soft gel capsules. Because Brain Octane Oil is flavorless, you can add it so almost anything you eat or drink.
PROS
- Faster descent into ketosis
- Fewer keto flu symptoms
- More brain power
- More energy
- Fewer cravings and less hunger
- Improved digestive, heart, and brain health
CONS
- May produce Bloating, Gas, Nausea or Diarrhea depending on how you are taking it
- 130 calories per tablespoon
Review Breakdown
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Quality
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Price
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Consumers Opinion
