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Ketone Drinks - Benefits, and Side Effects

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Are you aware of ketone drinks being used as supplements? Read the article below to take an insight into them.

Written by

Dr. Zeba Jabeen

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Achanta Krishna Swaroop

Published At October 20, 2022
Reviewed AtOctober 26, 2022

What Are Ketone Drinks?

The body uses glucose as the primary energy source of energy. In conditions like fasting, starving, or during a low-carbohydrate diet intake like the ketogenic diet, when the body is deprived of glucose, the brain uses stored fats in the liver for fuel. This process requires the conversion of fatty acids to organic compounds called ketone bodies. These are known as endogenous ketones because they are produced inside the body. The process by which the body metabolizes ketones for energy production is called ketosis, and the state of achieving ketosis through a ketogenic diet is known as nutritional ketosis. Ketosis possesses many health benefits, like weight loss and enhanced physical and cognitive performance. Ketone drinks are usually used by athletes and those involved in intense workouts.

Ketone drinks and supplements like ketone esters and salts are referred to as exogenous ketones as they are artificially produced outside the body. They are prepared and marketed with the target of putting the body in ketosis within certain hours of intake, even though glucose is present in the blood. Ketone supplements have been claimed to provide similar health benefits that endogenous ketones provide.

How Do Ketone Drinks Work?

The primary ketone body that participates in ketosis is beta-hydroxybutyrate. Ketone drinks claim to increase the level of beta-hydroxybutyrate in the blood as they contain beta-hydroxybutyrate. ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is the primary energy carrier in various cellular functions. Beta-hydroxybutyrate produces more ATP than glucose; this is the main reason why ketone drinks claim to optimize performance.

How and When Should I Take Ketone Drinks?

Each brand has instructions on when, how, and how much to consume. However, generally, it is advised to take ketone drinks 30 minutes prior to a workout, in the morning, or while traveling. Ketone drinks are taken by mixing them with water or any low-carbohydrate drinks like coconut water, almond milk, coffee, and shakes.

What Are the Benefits of Having Ketone Drinks?

Ketone drinks are exogenous ketones that render the same profits as endogenous ketones, which are as follows:

1. Enhance Performance: The main ingredient in the majority of ketone drinks is beta-hydroxybutyrate, which produces more ATP than glucose. This helps increase the level of ATP in the body and eventually maximizes physical performance.

2. Help Achieve Ketosis: Ketone bodies or ketone supplements intake rapidly increases blood ketone levels without any dietary limitations and helps in achieving ketosis in spite of having glucose in the blood.

3. Suppresses Appetite: Ketones have appetite-suppressing properties. This is one of the benefits of the keto diet, as it naturally increases ketones, decreases appetite, and helps weight loss.

4. Prevents Keto Flu: Several individuals get affected by keto flu while taking the ketogenic diet due to sudden carbohydrate withdrawal and electrolyte loss. The symptoms like brain fog, dizziness, fatigue, headache, vomiting, and irritability occur. Ketone salts are enriched with beta-hydroxybutyrate and electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Since ketone drinks carry these electrolytes, they may help in reducing and preventing keto-flu symptoms.

5. Improve Cognitive Function: Ketogenic diet has also been claimed to improve cognitive function mainly because of the elevated level of beta-hydroxybutyrate, which produces increased ATP and provides more energy to the brain. Ketone drinks also help in improving cognitive performance.

6. Easy to Get Back Into Ketosis: If a person skips or occasionally cheats on the ketogenic diet or needs to have some extra carbohydrates for strenuous exercises, consuming ketone drinks makes it easier to get back to ketosis.

7. Serves as an Alternative to Practice Keto Diet: Patients with certain health conditions are not able to consume the ketogenic diet. In such cases, ketone drinks aid in reaping the benefits of ketosis without having the need to take the keto diet.

8. Help With Intermittent Fasting: A majority of people with the ketogenic diet intake practice intermittent fasting. These exogenous ketone drinks are safe to consume during intermittent fasting if some energy boost is needed, as they do not spike blood glucose levels.

What Are the Adverse Effects of Ketone Drinks?

Ketone drinks have a different mechanism of action than that of nutritional ketosis, and hence, the increase in levels of blood ketones is also not the same. However, most of the health claim benefits are credited to exogenous ketones due to the health benefits of the ketogenic diet or ketone esters.

There is insufficient scientific evidence available for ketone salts compared to ketone esters. Though both of them have been found to increase blood ketone levels yet, only ketone esters are regarded as pure ketones and require more research to be done on them.

Conclusion:

Ketone drinks are exogenous ketone supplements that possess the benefits of increasing blood ketone levels, inducing ketosis-related benefits like improved performance during workouts, and appetite-suppressing properties. They are best suitable for athletes and for those who are regularly involved in intense workouts. Ketone drinks also serve as an option for those who cannot take the ketogenic diet due to certain health issues. It is also a preferred choice for those who cheat on the keto diet and makes it easier for them to get back into ketosis. However, practicing the ketogenic diet is highly recommended for the complete benefits of nutritional ketosis, and it is incomparable to the benefits offered by exogenous ketone drinks, so ketone drinks should be taken only when there is a need to use them. In the near future, we expect more reliable studies and data to be available on various health claims related to ketone drinks as their popularity is increasing day by day, especially studies related to ketone salts. This would further help in establishing the safest dosage and any potential undiscovered side effects of ketone drinks.

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Dr. Achanta Krishna Swaroop
Dr. Achanta Krishna Swaroop

Dentistry

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