Japanese MCT powder- how we compare

I finally tried one of my many samples of MCT powder from the Japanese company Nisshin OlliO Group. It was actually more palatable than the oil for me and easy to transport in these little sachets. It looks quite milky when you mix it! It made me think a lot.

Translation of the packet:

Front:

Name: Powdered fat: Ingredients: Medium chain fatty acids, dextrin, modified starch.

Contains: 13 g. Best before: See base.

Storage: Store in a dark place away from moisture or heat.

Back: 

To Eat

- As it melts easily into hot or cold foods, it can be added to a variety of dishes.

- Using one 13g pack at a time, use three packs a day as a guideline.

Nutritional Information

Per pack (13g)

Energy: 100 kcal

Protein: 0 g

Fats: 9.7g

Carbohydrates: 3.1g

Sodium: 3.5 mg

Potassium: 0.16 mg

Phosphorus: 0 mg

Medium chain fatty acids: 9.1g

Here is the patent showing how they make it into a powder- I was curious!

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8911980.html

Can be used to treat protein energy malnutrition (PEM). 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/18231629/

More about what is happening in and around Japan with these products:

http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Consumers/Nisshin-OilliO-to-push-calorie-boosting-oil-to-Taiwan-s-seniors

My thoughts: 

It is quite striking to me that in Japan and South Korea these types of products are being used mainly in clinical settings and for the elderly while in this country use appears to be primarily for superficial reasons or for the dietary treatment of malabsorption syndromes (primary use of MCT oil since the 1950's). We have started to improve focus in this area but culturally we don't seem to value the research as much. I feel we are moving forward but still at snails pace.

In this country we are still in the stage where nutrition in care homes and in NHS hospitals is still not appropriate and we are only just starting to recognise how useful MCTs can be for treating neurological disorders and diseases. Imagine how fantastic it would be if a cancer patient received these MCT sachets rather than this sugar filled junk that they love to chuck at us!

It wouldn't be typical, for example, for a brain cancer patient with epilepsy or an Alzheimer's patient to buy our equivalent to the powders! When people see this they think about the body more than the brain which I find ironic.