There are three types of ketones, that we are interested in, produced by the body.

1) Acetoacetate

The first that is produced is called Acetoacetate and is formed after the initial breakdown of fatty acids. Like the next two ketones it can be used as an energy source, but can also be converted into BHB or Beta-HydroxyButyrate or broken down into Acetone. You could say it is the Mother of all the other ketone bodies.

We can measure this in the Urine, and gives us an idea of the concentration of the other ketone levels.

(There is no direct correlation between the three different ketones as the proportions of the three can vary)

2) Beta-HydroxyButyrate (BHB)

This is the most prevalent ketone body, and is found in higher levels when we are following a ketogenic diet and restricting our carbs. It is used for energy in the brain, muscles, heart and other tissues, and can be measured directly with a blood ketone meter.

3) Acetone

This final ketone body, forms in a spontaneous reaction of Acetoacetate, and afterwards gets excreted via the breath.

It's not particularly useful to the body, hence it gets excreted quickly. We can easily measure it with an acetone breath meter (similar to the well-known breathalyser used for alcohol).

What does it mean to be in Ketosis? Although some people might define ketosis, as the presence of ketones in the blood. This definition can be misleading when it comes to what we really want which is when our body is using ketogenesis while we are restricting carbs.

When we are truly in a state of Ketosis our body is making use of the fatty acids in our body to produce ketones using the liver (Ketogenesis).

This happens in a small way all the time, but only really kicks into action when there is no glucose around, i.e. when the body runs out of its primary fuel source. Which means to get your body producing ketones you will need to restrict carbs, and force your body to use fatty acids as a fuel source. Activating Ketogenesis. (Sometimes called Nutritional Ketosis)

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What are Exogenous Ketones, and can they help me lose weight?

Exogenous Ketones are certainly getting a lot of press as their consumable products are flooding the market with plenty of claims that they can help get you into ketosis fast, and this can be very confusing when you are trying to evaluate whether to start taking them while on the ketogenic diet.

To properly answer this question it is important to get some background information (although you can scroll down to read our conclusion below) as the issue is more complex. Some people are using these supplements for bio-hacking, to increase their performance, and others are simply wanting to know if it is going to help them with weight loss on the keto diet.

To begin with lets first start with what they are trying to do and how our body normally uses ketones, because this will help us understand whether these ketone drinks can actually help us.

What are Ketones?

Ketones (Ketone Bodies) are basically another energy source for the body. They are commonly found when there is not enough blood glucose to supply the body with energy. Typically this occurs when the body is either in a state of fasting, or when we restrict our carbohydrate intake to a very low level (Carbohydrates convert to glucose in the body)

How are they produced?

They are producted by what is called the ß-Oxidation of Fatty Acids in the Liver. In simple terms your body uses Fats and converts them into Ketones so your body can use them for energy.

They are remarkable because, just like glucose, they can be used in your muscles and other parts of your bodies for energy. They also cross the blood brain barrier (unlike fatty acids) and are a great brain fuel as well.

A detailed Explanation on Youtube, how Ketone bodies are formed.

What are Exogenous Ketones?

(The down and dirty)

Firstly,

Exogenous - means from the outside, (Think Ex - External)

Endogenous - means from within.

So Exogenous Ketones, are ketones that come from outside the body. And because it's possible to get ketones into your body by drinking/eating them, a whole industry of Exogenous Ketone Supplements has developed.

What are Exogenous Ketone Supplements?

Exogenous Ketone Supplements usually come in the form of a drink that contains either a Ketone Salt, or a Ketone Ester. This then gets absorbed into your body, and increases the ketones in your blood either directly (Ketone Salts) or by further processing in the liver (Ketone Esters).

Advertising often claims it can speed up the process of getting into Ketosis, and thereby help you get into keto without the hassle of changing your diet. (NB This is different from the "Speed Keto" Product which is NOT a "magic pill" dietry supplement). So do they really work? Well simply put.. No!, the answer is a bit more complex, but let’s look a bit further at the chemistry.

Ketone Salts

Ketone salts contain a Ketone molecule + a Salt

A salt is typically just a mineral salt, such as sodium, potassium, calcium, or an amino acid like lysine or arginine.

When they get into our body, they divide into the two parts, leaving the ketone to be used by the body (or excreted), plus the salt ion.

While this is a simple way to get ketones in our body there are two main problems:

1. They don’t get processed by the liver, and therefore they do not encourage ketogenisis

2. There are Excess Salts left roaming in the blood which need to be excreted, and this is certainly not desirable.

3. We still need our liver to be using Ketogenesis to produce Ketones by metabolising fatty acids in our body (Especially if we want to lose weight).

On the positive side there are some more ketones in the blood which can be used by our brain and muscles. (Of course, these also have to be excreted if there is too high a concentration)

Ketone Esters

The jury is still out on Ketone Esters and to the best of our knowledge, only one is commercially available, D-Beta Hydroxybutyrate/ D 1,3-butanediol.

Half of this ketone body, is metabolised directly by the body, and the other half is metabolised by the liver. So there are freely available ketones as well as a part that needs to be metabolised by the liver. Hence research is still being done as to whether they can assist in dietary ketosis.

The main problems is their cost / benefit, they are very expensive. So..

Do Exogenous Ketones Help you get into dietary ketosis?

For Ketone salts, there is pretty much no evidence that it actually helps with dietary ketosis. It simply puts ketones in your blood, and your body can use them if necessary. It can however be dangerous.. To get the level of BHB required to have any effect on ketosis, you need to take high levels of supplement each day which overloads your system with mineral salts, and potentially lead to other medical problems.

Ketone esters are still under investigation, and the potential is there, that they may help. (Similar to MCT Oil), but at this stage it's not conclusive. Plus they are super expensive. Also with either of these exogenous ketones, you will just excrete excess ketones, so you can end up with very expensive Pee, or Breath.

In conclusion, they're not really worth the money.

Glossary

Ketogenesis is the biochemical process through which organisms produce ketone bodies through breakdown of fatty acids and ketogenic amino acids. This process supplies energy under circumstances such as fasting or caloric restriction to certain organs, particularly the brain, heart and skeletal muscle.

(Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenesis#:~:text=Ketogenesis%20is%20the%20biochemical%20process,brain%2C%20heart%20and%20skeletal%20muscle.)

Ketosis is a metabolic state characterised by elevated levels of ketone bodies in the blood or urine. Physiologic ketosis is a normal response to low glucose availability, such as low-carbohydrate diets or fasting, that provides an additional energy source for the brain in the form of ketones.

(Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketosis#:~:text=Ketosis%20is%20a%20metabolic%20state,in%20the%20form%20of%20ketones)

Various References

https://www.ruled.me/3-reasons-keto-better-for-brain/

Acetoacetate - https://www.ruled.me/what-is-acetoacetate/

β-Hydroxybutyrate - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6640868/

MCT-Oil

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2671041/#:~:text=Medium%2Dchain%20triglycerides%20have%20a,disorders%20(10%E2%80%9312).&text=Furthermore%2C%20animal%20data%20suggest%20that,by%20the%20brain%20(13).

https://www.google.com/search?q=mct+cross+blood+brain+barrier&oq=mct+cross+blood+brain+barrier&aqs=chrome..69i57.6376j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

https://www.water-for-health.co.uk/our-blog/2015/03/one-dose-mct-fat-can-boost-brains-function-immediately/

https://hvmn.com/blogs/blog/exogenous-ketones-ketone-salts-ketosis-with-a-cost

What can I do to help me get into Ketosis then?

Most effectivly use a carb restricted diet and and make sure your macros are correct. (If you don't know what these are, we will be writing about this soon on our site, or come and join our group to see more information).

https://www.easytastyketo.com/join-group

In other words stay on a well formulated Keto Diet, and eat good healthy food.

Use something like MCT (Medium Chain Triglyceride) oil, which is metabolised by the liver to form ketones, and thereby assists the dietary ketosis process. (Also there is some evidence that MCT oils may be able to cross the blood brain barrier, and be metabolised directly by the brain.

All in all there is no real shortcut to weight loss, unless you mean having something that cuts out the work of calculating macros, and looking up all the recipes etc. In that case the Speed Keto program is the best answer. It is proven to work effectively, and is guaranteed to have you losing weight in 30 days.

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