Ketones are chemicals produced by your liver. You produce them when you burned all of your glucose/ glycogen stores and looks to use fat as its alternate source of energy. Your liver turns this fat into ketones, a type of acid, and sends them into your bloodstream.
Exogenous Ketones are Ketone produced outside of the body which most people are curious about. Exogenous come in the form of these Ketone drinks or powders being sold online, by independent distributors, and in stores. They act in your body just as the endogenous (inside your body) ketones work, and are known to help one get and or stay in ketosis.
There are conflicting arguments on whether ketones are necessary or even
work at all. I've heard comments like "they are expensive pee," "Why do you need ketones when your body makes them for free?" or "They are a gimmick." They are all uneducated responses. As you know I always go to the scientific facts and not opinions. So here is the truth about ketones.
According to a study done at the University of Oxford "We conclude that exogenous ketone drinks are a practical, efficacious way to achieve ketosis."
One of the most powerful effects of ketones is that it lowers your blood sugar without causing an insulin response as stated in the Oxford study. They proclaimed "Exogenous ketones lowered blood glucose and lipids without inhibiting endogenous insulin secretion." Lastly, they went on to report, "Ketones could maintain ketosis using drinks taken regularly around a normal meal pattern, These statements definitely support the fact that exogenous ketones do exactly what we want them to do.
There are multiple studies done on ketones which have garnered the same results which I will share the links to below. This way you can take a look at the studies for yourself.
One of my major suggestions when looking for ketones is to look for one that has a designated amount of Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). This is the actual amount of Exogenous ketones in the product. If the product does not specify the amount, there could be a very small amount of BHB's/ Ketones in it.
Ultimately, I do not subscribe to the theories of being able to eat what ever you want and just drink exogenous ketones to get into or stay in ketosis. Although exogenous ketones can bring up your ketone levels it does not last forever (2 hours). Furthermore most people are not willing to purchase the amount of ketones that are required to keep your levels up for extended periods of time. One would need to drink them every few hours and after every meal at the least to keep ketone levels up for extended periods of time.
Therefore I suggest that you think of ketones as a keto energy drink with the benefits laid out in the studies (mental clarity, energy, decrease blood glucose, decrease lipids, and more). The disappointment comes in when individuals think that ketones can be used without practicing the ketogenic lifestyle. It should be understood that exogenous ketones will not be the driving force for your weight loss, although they are a great assist.
Recommended Ketones
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Other Studies: