Studies show that ketones, the explosive yet steady energy source and crucial component of the ultra-popular low carb diet and ketogenic movement, may provide a host of holistic benefits.
Athletes, students, busy professionals, and more are turning to exogenous ketones for sharper focus, enhanced energy, athletic performance and weight management.
Many people interested in alternatives to traditional weight loss, health, and wellness trends have heard of ketones but aren't quite sure of their benefits or uses.
In this article, we'll break down the many benefits of exogenous ketones and answer the most common ketone questions asked by first-timers and ketosis veterans alike.
The Potential Benefits of Ketones For Your Mind
Ketones are an efficient energy source for both the mind and body. In addition, ketones support cognitive function and brain health in ways that carbohydrates alone cannot.
As we age, our brains’ ability to use carbohydrate-derived energy (or glucose) declines. This can lead to brain energy deficit, brain cell death, and serious cognitive decline. Conversely, our brains can readily use ketones for energy even when they can’t use glucose. Drinking ketones eliminates this energy deficit and allows users to support healthy, high-functioning brain activity.
Another important aspect of ketones' brain-boosting reputation is ketones' ability to reduce oxidative stress. Oxidative stress causes a host of issues in the brain, including cell damage, decreased ability to repair damaged DNA, and even cell death.
Ketone bodies may also reduce inflammation in the brain, which has been linked to improved clarity and focus, improved memory, and a decrease in mental exhaustion or "brain fog." Many fans of ketones also report enhanced cognitive performance and improvements to their overall mood and well-being.
Beyond these improvements, users have also looked to the neuroprotective benefits of drinking ketones instead of going with the keto diet. Today, researchers have found that ketones can stimulate the production of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in brain cells, or “neurons”. BDNF is known to play important roles in learning and memory and can promote the survival of nerve cells and neurons by nurturing the growth, maturation, and maintenance of these cells.
The Potential Benefits of Ketones to Your Athletic Performance
High levels of ketones can also provide a serious boost to athletic performance. The energy supplied by ketones is extremely useful in many sports and activities, including:
- Cycling
- Running
- Strength Training
- Swimming
- Hiking
- Climbing
Moreover, many athletes also turn to ketones for their accelerated post-workout recovery benefits because Ketones have been shown to reduce lactic acid build-up and support the preservation of muscle mass when dieting or undergoing strenuous exercise routines. Today, scientists are also pointing to ketones as a potential tool in expediting fatigue recovery. One recent study published by Frontiers in Physiology found that ingesting “ketones may be a potential strategy for better recovery and long-term performance enhancement” because of ketones’ role in the greater recovery process.
Ketones May Provide Added Mental Clarity During Workouts
Beyond supplying energy and helping athletes burn fat, high ketone levels can also fuel enhanced cognitive clarity during intense workouts. A recent study published by the American Physiological Society found that during strenuous workouts, executive functioning in the brain (i.e. the brain’s ability to plan, focus, and remember instructions) was diminished due to a decline in oxygenation to the prefrontal cortex. In layman's terms, this simply means that during vigorous exercise your thinking may become cloudier because the part of your brain that monitors your most complex emotional or behavioral thinking is receiving less oxygen.
That said, another study published by the National Library of Medicine found that athletes who ingested ketones before high intensity workouts saw a diminished decline in executive functioning, which suggests, “a cognitive benefit after KE [Exogenous Ketones] Ingestion.” So if you find yourself working out in the morning for an added boost of energy or focus, try fueling up with exogenous ketones to feel the benefits for yourself.
For competitive athletes, the benefits of exogenous ketones (beta hydroxybutyrate) may power even greater results. This is because those invested in team sports are often relying on split-second decision making even during their most strenuous workouts. Consequently, when there is no room for error, any extra boost to cognitive function may mean the difference between a last-minute win –– or loss –– so more and more athletes are turning to cognitive training to gear up for their next match. Fueling these efforts with exogenous ketones may make all the difference, so try tasting the benefits of exogenous ketones today.
Can Ketones Support Endurance Training?
Ketone bodies in the blood are particularly useful in endurance sports and training. Fat is energy-abundant compared to typical carbohydrate-based energy, providing twice the amount of calories per gram.
Ketones share this energy-abundant characteristic. This means ketones allow endurance athletes to refuel less often while enjoying longer-lasting energy during their endurance training and competitions. As a result, more and more people are turning to ketones to push their performance even further.
Of course, using ketones in conjunction with a carb diet will also allow users to take advantage of this potent, dual fuel and may help them push their efforts even further. This is because when ketones are combined with glucose-rich carbohydrates they can provide a powerful alternative fuel source that allows muscles to preserve glycogen stores for extended use. On top of that, ketones are already an extremely efficient energy source and provide more energy per actual unit of oxygen than carbohydrates.
Ultimately, this means your body can take advantage of the benefits of ketones for a more energy-rich fuel, for a longer period of time.
The Potential Benefits of Ketones For Weight Management
Ketones are also gaining popularity as a way to potentially manage weight. Even newcomers are often already familiar with the ketogenic diet, and while many see results following this restrictive lifestyle, others often have adverse side effects like keto flu making it hard to sustain.
Can You Lose Weight Drinking Ketones?
While more research is required, exogenous ketones (beta hydroxybutyrate) could potentially aid weight loss or weight management routines by helping support certain lifestyle habits. And with products like Kenetik, individuals can tap into another one of the major benefits of drinking ketones for weight loss: convenience.
Will Ketones Make Me Feel Full?
One of the most celebrated benefits of exogenous ketones is their ability to satiate appetite to promote weight loss. This is one of the primary reasons thousands of people turn to ketones to help with fasting routines and weight management.
A little-known fact is that a single hormone, called ghrelin, is responsible for most appetite-related sensations in the body. Ghrelin unofficially holds the "the hunger hormone" title for its multi-functional uses related to appetite stimulation and suppression, body weight loss and regulation, fat storage, and balancing glucose levels.
Studies show that ghrelin levels are significantly decreased after drinking exogenous ketones. This means that by drinking ketones, individuals can promote more easily satiated appetites, which is a serious advantage for those looking to lose weight or maintain healthy body composition.
How Can Ketones Support a Healthy Diet?
Another exciting benefit of exogenous ketones is their ability to aid and optimize a ketogenic diet. For those interested in intermittent fasting, ketones may help you power through your day without becoming distracted by vexing cravings. Additionally, nutritional ketosis also lends you an extra boost of energy in the morning and can make it all the easier to wake up and power your routine.
Drinking ketones benefits all of your ketosis goals by providing a rush of ketones on-demand, which will give the satiation and energy you need to power through your day without breaking your diet.
Another one of the most celebrated benefits of exogenous ketones is their ability to get keto dieters back on track after a momentary setback or slip-up.
Instead of enduring the slow process of ketosis from scratch, keto dieters can kickstart and supercharge the transition to nutritional ketosis by increasing ketone levels with a single dose of premium exogenous ketones.
Can Ketones Help My Body Burn Fat?
Ketones are created during the ketogenic fat-burning process meaning high levels of ketones in your blood will indicate optimal fat burning throughout your body. However, drinking ketones won't directly enhance rates of fat loss by increasing ketone count.
Instead, ketones provide benefits and support dieters by satiating appetite and providing a valuable source of energy. This helps weight loss by keeping individuals from turning to sugar-packed or carbohydrate-loaded snacks and drinks.
In a study examining the effects of drinking exogenous ketones before overnight fasting, researchers discovered that individuals who consumed a ketone drink before beginning their fast, experienced 50% less hunger than those given a sugary beverage.
The Potential Benefits of Ketones to Your Overall Health & Well-Being
Advocates of ketones report improved metabolic health and elevated moods during day-to-day activities. In addition, drinking ketones benefits other aspects of health beyond energy and brain clarity.
Ketones have also been discovered to stimulate mitochondrial production like another ultra-popular compound –– antioxidants!
Much like antioxidants, drinking ketones benefits and protects the nervous system by activating natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pathways and providing blood sugar control within the body. In fact, ketones have been found to be so powerful in combating free radical damage, and ketosis so integral to powering antioxidant pathways (specifically through their ability to spur relevant enzyme transcription) that researchers are now exploring the “life span extending properties” of ketones. In 2017, one study went so far as to “hypothesize that increasing the levels of ketone bodies will also extend the lifespan of humans and that calorie restriction extends life span at least in part through increasing the levels of ketone bodies.”
On a simpler note, Ketone bodies can also stimulate and support the body's natural immune response, which makes drinking ketones a perfect complement during cold and flu season.
The Potential Benefits of Exogenous Ketones
Exogenous ketones are ketones available in drinks, supplements, and concentrates. These beta hydroxybutyrate ketones, like Kenetik, are popular for their ability to grant near-immediate access to the benefits of ketones and ketosis.
Achieving ketosis through dietary measures is typically a lifestyle-altering process that can take weeks or even months to reach. Moreover, ketogenic diets often vary significantly from typical diets, and adjusting your eating, shopping, and cooking habits to support ketosis can be time-intensive and expensive.
Even once nutritional ketosis is achieved, it can be challenging for your body to produce the amount of ketone levels necessary to experience the full range of benefits they offer. One of the primary benefits of drinking ketones is the formerly unprecedented, near-instant access to the benefits of ketosis.
Conclusion
Exogenous ketones like our Kenetik drink are on the cusp of becoming a mainstream staple of choice for people looking for a boost.
Ketones provide long-lasting physical energy and improve overall mood and mental performance, a feat unmatched by the caffeine and sugar-packed energy supplements and drinks that have flooded the market over the last decade. Try Kenetik today to experience the full benefits of exogenous ketones, and discover a new type of fuel for your daily routine.
