Achieving ketosis-where your body burns fat for energy instead of carbs-is how people are losing weight on the keto diet, and it isn’t easy or instant. But can taking a supplement make the process fast and effortless?
A growing number of people are giving it a try, thanks to exogenous ketone supplements that claim to launch your body into a state of ketosis within two and a half days-even if you’ve been living on pasta and cookies instead of following a low-carb diet. How can that be, though? And can that kind of rapid transformation actually be safe? Here’s what you should know.
Why would I take an exogenous ketone supplement?
Getting into a state of ketosis normally involves eating a ketogenic diet consisting of around 80 percent fat, 15 percent protein, and 5 percent carbs. Over time, the body transitions from burning carbs for fuel to burning ketones-an alternative fuel source that the liver makes by breaking down fat, explains keto diet expert dietitian Amy Davis. Since advocates say that ketosis can help you lose weight fast, think more clearly, and feel more energised, it’s tempting to try.
But moving into ketosis usually takes a week or two, and is known for having some unpleasant, flu-like side effects that keto dieters call the "keto flu." Even after crossing that hurdle, going over your allotted carb limit can throw your body out of ketosis-forcing you to start all over. That’s where ketone supplements come in.
How do exogenous ketone supplements work to help you get into ketosis?
Ketone supplements contain exogenous ketones-synthetic ketones made in a lab. Most use a type of ketone called beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), which is the same as the ketones the body produces naturally. “We’re literally biohacking," says Amie Heverly, who began taking a ketone supplement last year. "You’re not adding a foreign substance to your body, because BHB is identical to what your body would naturally produce,” she explains.
Taking exogenous ketones not only eliminates the need to follow a strict ketogenic diet to achieve ketosis (so you can have your high carb cake and eat it too), it can also help users get there faster. “They can expedite the process of getting into ketosis and becoming fat adapted,” Davis explains. “They can also help people push past the keto flu and potentially experience more mental energy and clarity than from diet alone.”
How quickly are we talking? Prüvit, for example, says it can help you “reset your metabolism by reprogramming your genes to run on fat for fuel” within 60 hours. That’s two and a half days.
Do ketone supplements help you lose weight?
Proponents like Heverly say that taking exogenous ketones can transform your body-and your life. (Her before-and-after shots below were taken just 10 days apart.) “Within 10 days, my body had this shift. My midsection wasn’t as bloated or fluffy. And I don’t have that cellulite on my legs now,” she says.
Heverly was taken 10 days after she started taking Prüvit." caption="This "after" photo of Heverly was taken 10 days after she started taking Prüvit." credit="Amie Heverly " src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/amie-heverly-keto-diet-pruvit-1533147970.jpg" title="amie-heverly-keto-diet-pruvit.jpg" />
Her clients have had similar success. One woman, for instance, has gone from around 77 to 63kg since April without making any initial dietary changes. She’s started to gravitate towards more keto foods over time, but still eats her favourite high-carb treats. As for exercise? Her routine consists of a couple of walks each week, Heverly says.
The problem? Exogenous ketone supplements work by flooding your bloodstream with ketones. But unless you’re also eating a ketogenic diet (and producing a steady stream of ketones naturally), those supplemental ketones won’t stick around forever. “The benefit of exogenous ketones is limited due to their excretion through the urine,” explains family medicine specialist Dr Madge Barnes. In other words? They’ll only work for a few hours until you pee them out. As a result, you need to keep on supplementing-which can get expensive.
That’s not all, there’s no scientific evidence available yet to show that they actually work.
That’s not to say that the supplements don’t work. They very well might. But they could also be useless-or even dangerous, says dietitian Christine Palumbo. As of right now, there’s no way to know. “Currently, there’s just not enough evidence from research studies to answer those questions,” Barnes adds.
Are ketone supplements safe to use?
It’s hard to say. Achieving a natural state of ketosis (as in, by eating a ketogenic diet) is thought to be beneficial in the short-term. But experts don’t know the long-term effects, Palumbo says. And some suspect that it could lead to problems like kidney damage or an increased risk for heart disease (and day-to-day keto diet side effects are, at this point, well-documented). Assuming that ketone supplements do work identically to natural ketones, taking them long-term could have similar health effects.
If you want to try going into ketosis, you could just do it the old-fashioned way.
There’s also the issue of supplement safety in general. All supplements-whether you’re talking about vitamins, minerals, herbs, or other nutritional mixes-are only loosely regulated. “We know that there is contamination of supplements in the U.S., often from products that are manufactured abroad,” Palumbo says. In that case, “the same concerns apply to this as for any other supplement.”
The bottom line: Exogenous ketones are unregulated, and it's unclear whether there are the long-term effects of these supplements
Talk to your doctor before you start taking ketone supplements (or any type of supplement, for that matter).
Another option? Skip the fad diets and products for a more tried-and-true approach to weight loss. “My recommendation would be to choose a lifestyle change that can safely be maintained for the duration of one’s life,” Barnes says. “The decision begins with a paradigm shift in one’s thinking.”
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