goFAT® (Structured Lipid Blend)

Evidence Level
Limited
1 Clinical Trial
3 Documented Benefits
2/5 Evidence Score

goFAT® (Compound Solutions) is a proprietary structured lipid blend built around medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). No clinical trial of goFAT® itself has been published, so everything on this page comes from studies of generic MCTs. Those studies show one narrow thing consistently: certain MCTs raise blood ketone levels for a few hours after a single dose in healthy adults. No study has measured whether goFAT® improves energy, endurance, appetite, or the absorption of other nutrients.

Studied Dose No dose of goFAT® has been tested in a published study. Labels typically supply roughly 5 to 15 g of fat per serving. The MCT research behind this page used single doses in a laboratory setting, so it does not establish a daily amount.
Active Compound Proprietary MCT-based structured lipid blend from Compound Solutions. The exact composition is not disclosed, so the amount of C8 or C10 per serving is unknown, and C8 is the fraction that raised ketones most in the cited study.

Benefits

Rapid ketogenic fuel and energy

MCTs are absorbed quickly and travel straight to the liver, where they are turned into ketone bodies. In short crossover studies in healthy adults, a single dose of MCT raised blood ketones within a few hours, and pure C8 (tricaprylin) raised them more than coconut oil or other MCTs did. Ketones can be used as fuel by the brain and muscle, but these studies measured ketone levels in the blood and nothing else. None of them measured energy, alertness, endurance, or exercise performance, and none of them used goFAT®.

Ketosis support and metabolic flexibility

goFAT® has never been tested in low-carbohydrate dieters, so this is an expectation drawn from the generic MCT literature rather than a finding. In healthy adults, MCTs raise blood ketones for a few hours after a dose, and one crossover study found that emulsified MCT raised ketones more than plain MCT while causing fewer stomach complaints. Whether any of that helps someone adapt to a low-carbohydrate diet, feel more energetic, or lose weight has not been shown for this product.

Fat-soluble nutrient delivery

Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) and fat-soluble compounds such as CoQ10 and curcumin are absorbed better when eaten with dietary fat. That is a general nutrition principle, not a goFAT® finding. None of the studies cited on this page measured the absorption of any vitamin or nutrient, with or without goFAT®. It is also worth knowing that medium-chain fats take a different absorption route (straight to the liver via the portal vein) than the long-chain fats that carry fat-soluble vitamins through the lymphatic system, so it should not be assumed that an MCT-based blend is the best carrier for them.

Mechanism of action

1

Portal MCT absorption and hepatic ketogenesis

Medium-chain fatty acids, mainly C8 and C10, are absorbed directly into the portal vein and go straight to the liver, instead of being packaged into chylomicrons the way long-chain fats are. C12 (lauric acid), the main fat in coconut oil, behaves only partly this way, which fits the finding that pure C8 raised blood ketones more than coconut oil did. In the liver, MCTs undergo rapid beta-oxidation to acetyl-CoA, which is converted to ketone bodies under low-carbohydrate conditions. This pathway makes ketones appear in the blood faster than they do with long-chain fats. That is a description of how the fat is processed, not a measured effect on how energetic anyone feels, and it has been studied with generic MCTs rather than with goFAT®.

Clinical trials

1
No trials of goFAT®: all evidence comes from generic MCT studies
PubMed

There is no peer-reviewed clinical trial of goFAT® as a branded ingredient indexed in PubMed. PMID 25636220, linked on this card, is a meta-analysis of generic medium-chain triglycerides looking at weight loss and body composition. It is not a trial of goFAT® and it is not a study of energy. All of the evidence on this page comes from generic MCT research, which is not the same as this branded blend.

Healthy adults in small, short, single-dose crossover studies of generic MCTs. Nobody has been studied taking goFAT®.

What the cited research actually shows is narrow. In short crossover studies in healthy adults, a single dose of MCT raises blood ketone levels for a few hours, and emulsifying the MCT raises them further while causing fewer stomach complaints. That is an acute laboratory measurement, not a demonstrated benefit. The page also cites a 2016 review, not a trial, that asks whether ketones can make up for declining brain glucose uptake with age; it is written around Alzheimer's disease risk and treatment and does not show that a fat supplement improves memory or thinking. No cited study measured energy levels, exercise performance, appetite, or nutrient absorption, and none of them used goFAT®.

Side effects and drug interactions

Common Potential side effects

Stomach upset, nausea, cramping and diarrhea are common when MCT intake is increased too quickly; start with a small amount and build up. One crossover study found emulsified MCT caused fewer of these complaints than plain MCT.
High caloric density — account for fat calories in total daily intake
Not suitable for medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency

Important Drug interactions

Fat-soluble drug absorption — high fat intake may alter absorption of lipophilic medications; take separately
No drug interaction studies have been done with goFAT® itself. None would be expected from ordinary dietary fat at normal serving sizes, but that is an assumption rather than a tested result.

Frequently asked questions about goFAT® (Structured Lipid Blend)

What is goFAT?

goFAT® (Compound Solutions) is a proprietary structured lipid blend built around medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). No clinical trial of goFAT® itself has been published, so everything on this page comes from studies of generic MCTs.

What is goFAT used for?

goFAT is researched primarily for Energy. MCTs are absorbed quickly and travel straight to the liver, where they are turned into ketone bodies. In short crossover studies in healthy adults, a single dose of MCT raised blood ketones within a few hours, and pure C8 (tricaprylin) rais…

What is the recommended dosage of goFAT?

The clinically studied dose is No dose of goFAT® has been tested in a published study. Labels typically supply roughly 5 to 15 g of fat per serving. The MCT research behind this page used single doses in a laboratory setting, so it does not establish a daily amount. Always follow the product label and check with a healthcare provider for personal advice.

Is goFAT safe, and does it have side effects?

For most healthy adults, goFAT is well tolerated at studied doses. Reported effects can include: Stomach upset, nausea, cramping and diarrhea are common when MCT intake is increased too quickly; start with a small amount and build up. One crossover study found emulsified MCT caused fewer of these complaints than plain MCT. It may also interact with some medications. goFAT is not right for everyone, so check with a healthcare provider first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or take prescription medication.

Does goFAT interact with any medications?

Possible interactions include: Fat-soluble drug absorption — high fat intake may alter absorption of lipophilic medications; take separately No drug interaction studies have been done with goFAT® itself. If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

How strong is the scientific evidence for goFAT?

NutraSmarts rates the evidence for goFAT as Limited (2 out of 5). It is backed by 1 clinical trial and 3 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.

References(3 citations)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

  1. Vandenberghe C, St-Pierre V, Pierotti T, Fortier M, Castellano CA, Cunnane SC Tricaprylin Alone Increases Plasma Ketone Response More Than Coconut Oil or Other Medium-Chain Triglycerides: An Acute Crossover Study in Healthy Adults. Current Developments in Nutrition. 2017;1(4):e000257. doi: 10.3945/cdn.116.000257.PubMedUsed to support: Acute crossover study in healthy adults showing that pure C8 MCT (tricaprylin) raises blood ketones more than coconut oil or other medium-chain triglycerides. It followed blood ketones over a few hours, did not measure energy or performance, and did not test goFAT®.
  2. Courchesne-Loyer A, Lowry CM, St-Pierre V, Vandenberghe C, Fortier M, Castellano CA, Wagner JR, Cunnane SC Emulsification Increases the Acute Ketogenic Effect and Bioavailability of Medium-Chain Triglycerides in Humans: Protein, Carbohydrate, and Fat Metabolism. Current Developments in Nutrition. 2017;1(7):e000851. doi: 10.3945/cdn.117.000851.PubMedUsed to support: Small human crossover study showing that emulsifying medium-chain triglycerides increases the acute blood ketone response and improves how well MCT is tolerated compared with non-emulsified MCT. This is a study of a processing method for generic MCTs; it measured ketones rather than energy or metabolic flexibility, and it did not test goFAT®.
  3. Cunnane SC, Courchesne-Loyer A, St-Pierre V, Vandenberghe C, Pierotti T, Fortier M, Croteau E, Castellano CA Can ketones compensate for deteriorating brain glucose uptake during aging? Implications for the risk and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2016;1367(1):12-20. doi: 10.1111/nyas.12999.PubMedUsed to support: Review article, not a trial. It asks whether ketones can compensate for declining brain glucose uptake with age and is framed around the risk and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. It supports no energy claim and no nutrient-absorption claim for goFAT®, and a supplement cannot be presented as treating or preventing dementia.