"Ketone Supplements" Anyone?

[Grateful]

This may be old hat to many of you but is new to me. There is an article today in the New York Times about a new study on "ketone supplements" that are designed to mimic the effect of a low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet. It sounds like an awfully bad idea to me!

"Ketone supplements that are supposed to mimic the effects of a high-fat, low-carb diet have become popular recently among athletes looking for a performance boost. But a new study suggests that the supplements may not work as advertised and could have the kinds of gastrointestinal side effects that make starting, let alone completing, an event almost impossible."

NYT uses a paywall but I hope you will be able to read this under the "10 free articles per month" rule: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/08/well/move/can-ketones-rev-up-our-workouts.html?rref=collection/spotlightcollection/smarter-living&action=click&contentCollection=topics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=collection.

 

[Guzzler]

Just another example of Industry cashing in on a sometimes gullible section of the community. A real food diet does not appeal to Industry, it does nothing for their profit margins. Instead they come up with yet another engineered pill or powder to sell to the masses.

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

Never really understood Ketones although aware that it's a source of energy for muscles in the absence of glucose (carbs) in the diet. I have been told after some tests that my body is in a state of Ketosis, but the weight doesn't seem to move that quickly, if at all, maybe I need some of this stuff.

 

[bulkbiker]

Very expensive pee..
For nutritional ketosis you should be producing your own ketones.
Exogenous ketones usually end up leaving the body fairly quickly via the shortest route.

 

[Guzzler]

Never really understood Ketones although aware that it's a source of energy for muscles in the absence of glucose (carbs) in the diet. I have been told after some tests that my body is in a state of Ketosis, but the weight doesn't seem to move that quickly, if at all, maybe I need some of this stuff.

The human brain is quite happy to use ketones and glucose as fuel.

 

[chalup]

MCT oil which is one of the main exogenous ketone products is well know for producing "disaster pants" as one well known internet guru puts it. It is also very expensive and completely unnecessary in my humble opinion.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

A strange article.

It talks of "ketone flu" which is akin to food poisoning. I'm not sure that the "carb flu" we know about fits the description.

Keto adaptaion is all about changing the cellular metabolic pathways to maximise the use of ketones for energy. As far as I cas see loading up on dietary ketones when you are still burning glucose for energy isn't going to suddenly make you a keto superstar. The "flu" stage is, I think, caused by the cells not being fully adapted, not by the lack of blood ketones.
This also seems to fall for the "you are what you eat" fallacy.
There is nothing in the article to suggest that dietary ketones pass unchanged into the blood stream.
There is also nothing to suggest that the cyclists in the tests were already keto adapted.

I would like to see something more sensible, such as a study to see if taking ketone supplements when keto adapted gives an instant energy boost akin to gel bars used by glucose powered athletes.

The article seems to be a disguised puff piece for a ketone supplement due to be launched soon. Or perhaps a negative puff piece?

Edit: forgot to day that the whole idea seems to be based on the fact that it requires hard work and major dietary changes to enter and maintain dietary ketosis. This seems to be trying to offer a way to cheat. Ketosis gives you performance benefits; ketosis is hard; look - just drink ketones! Umm..nah.

 

[bulkbiker]

Dreadful article... and pointless study..

 

[Grateful]

The article seems to be a disguised puff piece for a ketone supplement due to be launched soon. Or perhaps a negative puff piece?

Well, negative. The study showed that the ketone supplement didn't work!

 

[Indy51]

In the context of needing to be in ketosis for therapeutic reasons, I could see a use for a ketone supplement in a person already following a ketogenic diet.

However in the context of someone taking it for the "boost" but still consuming a high carb diet? I think it would be a metabolic nightmare for the body - something that would never happen in the ordinary course and who knows what the consequences of upsetting metabolic balances would be? Not something I'd want to play around with. I believe the initial research was funded by the military - I guess they can order their soldiers/sailors etc to take the stuff, but not something I'd do voluntarily, that's for sure.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

Purely by coincidence I just chanced on
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blo...nding-properties-of-caloric-restriction.1916/
which contains the interesting phrase " An exogenous ketone ester provides a new tool for mimicking the effects of caloric restriction that can be used in future research. "
Does this mean that there is an accepted way to ingest ketones (as ketone esters) to increase blood ketones?
This blog is about ketone bodies in the blood having anti-ageing properties, and I think it may be saying that you can bump up blood ketones without having to starve the subjects into ketosis.

Different from performance enhancing, but if blood ketones counter some of the metabolic aspects of ageing this could be a whole new field of supplementing without having to follow a ketogenic diet.

 

[Guzzler]

Purely by coincidence I just chanced on
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blo...nding-properties-of-caloric-restriction.1916/
which contains the interesting phrase " An exogenous ketone ester provides a new tool for mimicking the effects of caloric restriction that can be used in future research. "
Does this mean that there is an accepted way to ingest ketones (as ketone esters) to increase blood ketones?
This blog is about ketone bodies in the blood having anti-ageing properties, and I think it may be saying that you can bump up blood ketones without having to starve the subjects into ketosis.

Different from performance enhancing, but if blood ketones counter some of the metabolic aspects of ageing this could be a whole new field of supplementing without having to follow a ketogenic diet.

I suspect that the beauty industry would latch on to the 'anti aging' aspect and try to develope a product that promised an 'aid' to outward appearance without revealing that such esters are an inward mechanism. But then, I have a nasty suspicious mind. I am reminded of the time I discovered the scam of 'active ingredients' not being clear on beauty products.

 

[kokhongw]

Firstly there must be a good reason why ketones naturally rises only when glucose level has remained consistently lower...as we can see it this 10 day fast

Is it beneficial to have high level of ketones when glucose is high? Perhaps when there is significant glucose uptake impairment in the brain of those with severe insulin resistance?

As proposed by this paper:-
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blo...nd-the-treatment-of-alzheimer’s-disease.1915/

Dr Mary Newport's personal experience provides an interesting case study...