Ketones
What are ketones? They're a byproduct of ketosis caused by the process of converting fat to fuel. Your body makes them when it's in a calorie or carb restricted state. What do they do? The body and brain can use them as fuel without the presence of glucose in the blood. The problem with ketone supplementation (exogenous) is that it's not even close to the same thing as being in ketosis (endogenous ketone production).
Ketosis
Ketosis happens, in otherwise healthy individuals, when the levels of glycogen in the liver are diminished. When this occurs, the body (without the presence of carbohydrate) increases glucagon, which shifts the I/G ratio (Insulin/Glucose ratio), and since glucagon is the “liberating hormone” (as opposed to insulin as the “storage hormone”) fatty acids (stored as triglyceride in adipocytes) are released into the blood stream, find their way to the liver where “the magic happens” and they are converted to ketone bodies. Ketone bodies’ primary purpose is as an alternative fuel source to spare glucose for the tissues of the body that can be fueled ONLY by glucose. They work in symbiosis with gluconeogenesis to ensure that even during times of true fasting or modified fasting so that the body can spare muscle mass and sustain itself for long periods of time without food.
Exogenous Ketones
Can ketone supplementation, by itself, cause fat mobilization…that is, can I drink my way to fat loss? In a word, no. In the presence of dietary carbohydrate, in a carbohydrate-fed state, insulin levels will be high enough to prevent the mobilization of stored body fat from adipocytes.
Think of exogenous ketones kind of like alcohol. When they're consumed, everything is stored and nothing else is burned. So any fat burning that would be taking place is stopped; any glucose and fatty acids in your blood that were circulating are stored; and the ingested ketones are burned or excreted until there aren't any left.
So when making use of this type of product for fat loss, all you are achieving is a lighter wallet, expensive urine, and possibly more bodyfat.
What are ketones? They're a byproduct of ketosis caused by the process of converting fat to fuel. Your body makes them when it's in a calorie or carb restricted state. What do they do? The body and brain can use them as fuel without the presence of glucose in the blood. The problem with ketone supplementation (exogenous) is that it's not even close to the same thing as being in ketosis (endogenous ketone production).
Ketosis
Ketosis happens, in otherwise healthy individuals, when the levels of glycogen in the liver are diminished. When this occurs, the body (without the presence of carbohydrate) increases glucagon, which shifts the I/G ratio (Insulin/Glucose ratio), and since glucagon is the “liberating hormone” (as opposed to insulin as the “storage hormone”) fatty acids (stored as triglyceride in adipocytes) are released into the blood stream, find their way to the liver where “the magic happens” and they are converted to ketone bodies. Ketone bodies’ primary purpose is as an alternative fuel source to spare glucose for the tissues of the body that can be fueled ONLY by glucose. They work in symbiosis with gluconeogenesis to ensure that even during times of true fasting or modified fasting so that the body can spare muscle mass and sustain itself for long periods of time without food.
Exogenous Ketones
Can ketone supplementation, by itself, cause fat mobilization…that is, can I drink my way to fat loss? In a word, no. In the presence of dietary carbohydrate, in a carbohydrate-fed state, insulin levels will be high enough to prevent the mobilization of stored body fat from adipocytes.
Think of exogenous ketones kind of like alcohol. When they're consumed, everything is stored and nothing else is burned. So any fat burning that would be taking place is stopped; any glucose and fatty acids in your blood that were circulating are stored; and the ingested ketones are burned or excreted until there aren't any left.
So when making use of this type of product for fat loss, all you are achieving is a lighter wallet, expensive urine, and possibly more bodyfat.
