Hormones Iinvolved in the Satiating Effect of MCT
and LCT. Clinical trials (23,24) have shown that MCT
consumption can lead to lower energy intakes but have not
explored the underlying mechanism. More recently, research
has focused on specific hormones that may be involved in the
satiating effect of MCT. McLaughlin et al. (25) examined the
relationship among fatty acid chain length, CCK secretion,
and proximal and distal gastric motor function. Healthy volunteers
(n 15) were studied for their response to a control
meal and orogastric infusion of 250 mL of a 0.05 mol/L fatty
acid emulsion. Fatty acid emulsions containing fatty acids of
11 carbon chains and less did not increase plasma CCK concentrations
compared with the vehicle, whereas long-chain
fatty acids (LCFA) did. This study showed that the human
proximal gut differentiates between fatty acid molecules; however,
it does not support the role of CCK in mediating the
satiating effect of MCT.