Your gut microbiome makes MCT oil. Just consume enough calcium & magnesium.
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Ca:Mg ratio, medium-chain fatty acids, and the gut microbiome
Summary
Background & aims
Ketogenic medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) with profound health benefits are commonly found in dairy products, palm kernel oil and coconut oil. We hypothesize that magnesium (Mg) supplementation leads to enhanced gut microbial production of MCFAs and, in turn, increased circulating MCFAs levels.Methods
We tested this hypothesis in the Personalized Prevention of Colorectal Cancer Trial (PPCCT) (NCT01105169), a double-blind 2 × 2 factorial randomized controlled trial enrolling 240 participants. Six 24-h dietary recalls were performed for all participants at the baseline and during the intervention period. Based on the baseline 24-h dietary recalls, the Mg treatment used a personalized dose of Mg supplementation that would reduce the calcium (Ca): Mg intake ratio to around 2.3. We measured plasma MCFAs, sugars, ketone bodies and tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) metabolites using the Metabolon's global Precision Metabolomics
LC-MS platform. Whole-genome shotgun metagenomics (WGS) sequencing was performed to assess microbiota in stool samples, rectal swabs, and rectal biopsies.Results
Personalized Mg treatment (mean dose 205.58 mg/day with a range from 77.25 to 389.55 mg/day) significantly increased the plasma levels of C7:0, C8:0, and combined C7:0 and C8:0 by 18.45%, 25.28%, and 24.20%, respectively, compared to 14.15%, 10.12%, and 12.62% decreases in the placebo arm. The effects remain significant after adjusting for age, sex, race and baseline level (P = 0.0126, P = 0.0162, and P = 0.0031, respectively) and FDR correction at 0.05 (q = 0.0324 for both C7:0 and C8:0). Mg treatment significantly reduced the plasma level of sucrose compared to the placebo arm (P = 0.0036 for multivariable-adjusted and P = 0.0216 for additional FDR correction model) whereas alterations in daily intakes of sucrose, fructose, glucose, maltose and C8:0 from baseline to the end of trial did not differ between two arms. Mediation analysis showed that combined C7:0 and C8:0 partially mediated the effects of Mg treatment on total and individual ketone bodies (P for indirect effect = 0.0045, 0.0043, and 0.03, respectively). The changes in plasma levels of C7:0 and C8:0 were significantly and positively correlated with the alterations in stool microbiome α diversity (r = 0.51, p = 0.0023 and r = 0.34, p = 0.0497, respectively) as well as in stool abundance for the signatures of MCFAs-related microbiota with acyl-ACP thioesterase gene producing C7:0 (r = 0.46, p = 0.0067) and C8:0 (r = 0.49, p = 0.003), respectively, following Mg treatment.Conclusions
Optimizing Ca:Mg intake ratios to around 2.3 through 12-week personalized Mg supplementation leads to increased circulating levels of MCFAs (i.e. C7:0 and C8:0), which is attributed to enhanced production from gut microbial fermentation and, maybe, sucrose consumption.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261561422003259
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@AlphaZance great find
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Maybe the math in my head is off, or I’m misreading the Conclusions, but I’m pretty sure a Ca:Mg of 2:3 would require me to be within 10 seconds of a bathroom at all times.
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Magnesium ratio for Ca:Mg is a nonsense as long you target the RDA for Ca 1000-1200 mg Ca.
We’d better target the minimum amount, which is makes more sense. Why? The body is able to optimize the assimilation.As far as I’m concerned, I target:
Ca: 800-850 mg. minimum 600 mg if other acid-base elements are correct.
Mg: 300 mg. Not higher than 450 mg (Vit D).
K: 3000 mg.
Comment: Yes, Mg is useful. And so are MCTs from coconut. But before targeting ketosis for changing the microbiote, you’d better think twice and enlarge the view / the approach. You’ll probably get the same result with a 3-4 day fast and 600 K/cal diet, combined with a 16.8 diet.Useful info:
https://mirzoune-ciboulette.forumactif.org/t2182-conversation-ia-n1-relation-calcium-mg-et-k-ajr-revisite-et-prevention-lithiase#30697
AI Conversation N° 1: Calcium, Mg, and K Relationship. Revised RDA and Kidney Stone Prevention.
Context: Kidney stones.
Excerpt (translated from French)- Potassium intake (fine for getting oxalate crystals very brittle) and fiber (25-35 g/day). This is a key element. Personally, I aim for 3000 IU of K, 300 IU of Mg, and 800-850 IU of Ca (never below 600 mg for Ca). And don't bother me with the Mg/Ca ratio and aiming for 1200 mg of Ca. That's unrealistic… Acid-base balance is the determining factor. As long as PTH (0.5-3) isn't stimulated, things should be fine. This needs to be verified and nuanced (done on the given link with the “help” of AI).
- Potassium intake (very fragile oxalate crystals) and fiber (25-35 g/day). This is a key element. And if you're wondering how I use AI to avoid dodging the issue and thus influencing other readers, here's an explanatory link on my forum:
https://mirzoune-ciboulette.forumactif.org/t8-presentation-de-luc-alias-nestor345#9
Excerpt:
I use digital tools to confront my own statements and ensure the coherence of my summaries, but the 'spirit' of the advice comes from the literature I study and the feedback from my own community at Mirzoune et Ciboulette forum.
I see my role as a translator or an analyst who reviews an interesting book or document. Having been a language teacher, my focus is on taking complex, dense information and making it structured and accessible for someone who’s lost or overwhelmed, who currently lacks the energy to digest a 200-page book.
PS: I Know: We shouldn’t trust IA (…).
