Why Keto BHB Supplements Don’t Work

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While BHB is the primary ketone body produced during ketosis, supplementing it really is not as helpful as you might think.

Let’s look past all the hype around BHB for keto, and take a closer look at what BHB is, why it’s important for ketosis, and why supplementing it is pointless.

What is BHB?

BHB, short for beta-hydroxybutyrate or also known as 3HB, is a type of ketone body that your body produces during ketosis – the process of burning fat for energy.

Typically, your body relies on carbohydrates as its primary fuel source because they’re easy to break down. However, when carbs are scarce, your body turns to its fat stores for energy, leading to the production of ketone bodies.

Your body produces 3 different types of ketone bodies:

1. BHB
2. acetoacetic acid
3. acetone

Out of these, BHB is the most prominent ketone body used for fuel as it’s produced in greater quantities than the other two.

As these ketone bodies build up, they serve as an alternative source of fuel that your body can use for energy production. This state of relying on ketone bodies for energy is known as ketosis.

BHB and keto

So if you’re already producing enough in the body, what’s the deal with BHB keto supplements?

Well, some manufacturers seem to suggest that by supplementing with this ketone body, you can somehow improve your body’s ability to enter or maintain ketosis.

But here’s the thing: ketosis is triggered by purposefully limiting your carbohydrate intake and increasing your fat consumption, which forces your body to create ketone bodies to burn for energy.

Simply supplementing with a bunch of ketone bodies won’t do the trick – it’s the shift in diet that triggers ketosis.

So let’s clear up some confusion about ketosis and BHB keto supplements. Here’s the truth: it’s the reduction in carbs that forces your body to burn fat that creates ketone bodies, not the other way around.

Eating ketone bodies won’t magically make your body start burning fat or go into ketosis if you’re still consuming carbohydrates. Sorry, folks – it just doesn’t work like that.

Let me try to explain this concept in a different way with a simple analogy. Think of your body like a car that runs on gasoline.

When you step down on the accelerator, the car moves faster, and burns more gas in the process. In the same way, when you consume more dietary fat and less carbohydrate, your body burns more fat and produces more ketone bodies like BHB.

But here’s the kicker: adding more gas to a car doesn’t necessarily make it run faster, just like adding more BHB to your body won’t necessarily improve your ketosis.

The car increases its speed because you pushed down on the accelerator, not because you poured in more gas. Similarly, your body enters and increases ketosis because it’s being forced to burn more fat through a carb restricted diet, not because you took more BHB.

So no, BHB supplements won’t magically improve your body’s ability to enter or maintain ketosis without a proper diet and lifestyle changes.

Benefits of ketosis

Ketosis is a hot topic among those looking to lose weight or burn fat on a keto diet, and for good reason. There are three main advantages to being in a state of ketosis.

1. It indicates that your body is primed to burn fat – a crucial factor in weight loss.
2. Ketosis can lead to decreased feelings of hunger and increased feelings of fullness.
3. A shift in metabolism during ketosis can also be beneficial for blood sugar levels, as it improves insulin sensitivity.

However, there are some additional factors to consider.

1. Remember that the body enters ketosis due to a lack of carbohydrates on the keto diet, not because of the presence of BHB.
2. The feelings of fullness are mainly due to the high protein and fat content in the keto diet, not the presence of BHB.
3. The improved insulin sensitivity is a result of the reduced carbohydrate intake from the keto diet, rather than the BHB in the blood.

So it’s important to keep in mind that the benefits of ketosis are primarily due to the implementation of the keto diet itself, rather than the mere presence of ketone bodies.

The appearance of ketone bodies mainly indicates that you’re implementing the keto diet properly, but not much more beyond that. Therefore, supplementing with ketone bodies like BHB is not going to generate the same benefits as following the keto diet.

Can BHB help with keto?

If you’re wondering whether supplementing with BHB can enhance the benefits of a keto diet, the answer is probably no, based on the research.

In fact, a study compared two groups: one doing the keto diet alone and another doing the keto diet with additional BHB supplementation. The results showed that while the keto diet alone was effective for weight and fat loss, adding BHB supplements to the diet did not provide any additional improvements.

The allure of a quick fix for weight loss has led many to believe that supplementing with BHB can somehow accelerate the process of reaching ketosis and lead to faster results on a keto diet. After all, BHB is one of the ketone bodies produced by the liver during ketosis.

But is this belief grounded in reality? Unfortunately, it’s not. While BHB supplements can increase blood ketone levels, this does not necessarily translate to increased fat burning or faster weight loss.

Research has shown that supplementing with BHB does not provide any additional benefits for those already following a keto diet.

The liver already produces enough BHB during ketosis, and adding more through supplementation does not significantly impact the body’s metabolism or energy production.

Can BHB help with exercise?

With BHB being a possible source of fuel for the body, it’s no surprise that some supplement companies also tout its ability to enhance exercise performance.

However, the evidence suggests otherwise. Studies have shown that taking BHB salts prior to a cycling test did not lead to any improvements in athletic performance or perceived exertion for either trained athletes or healthy untrained adults.

Similarly, a small study on recreational endurance runners found that taking a specific ketogenic protein supplement containing BHB and medium chain triglycerides did not improve their 5-kilometer run time compared to a placebo.

These findings provide compelling evidence that BHB supplementation is not likely to improve athletic performance.

How to improve ketosis

At the end of the day, if you’re looking to lose weight by burning fat, inducing ketosis can be a powerful tool.

However, relying solely on BHB supplements is not the answer. Fortunately, there are other strategies to help you achieve ketosis.

Reduce carb, increase fat

One of the most important is to reduce your carbohydrate intake and increase your healthy fat intake. For some people, limiting carbs to 20-50 grams a day can be enough to induce dietary ketosis. That’s less than the amount of carbs found in just one or two apples or a single bagel.

While this may really limit your carb options, following a keto diet is one of the more effective ways to achieve ketosis.

Additionally, ensuring you consume enough dietary fat is essential for providing your body with energy, helping you feel full, and preventing the breakdown of too much protein or muscle, which could hinder ketosis.

Intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting has been gaining popularity in recent years, not only for its potential weight loss benefits, but also for its ability to help induce ketosis.

By restricting food intake to certain time windows, intermittent fasting reduces insulin levels and increases glucagon, which triggers the breakdown of stored glycogen in your body into glucose for energy.

Once glycogen stores are depleted, the body turns to ketone bodies as an alternative fuel source, leading to ketosis.

HIIT

Finally, if you’re looking for a way to jumpstart ketosis, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) might just be the ticket.

By pushing your body through short bursts of intense exercise followed by periods of rest, HIIT has been shown to quickly deplete glycogen stores.

This signals the body to switch to using fat as its primary fuel source, leading to an increase in ketone production and ultimately inducing ketosis.

Plus, the benefits of HIIT go beyond just ketosis – it’s also an efficient way to burn calories, improve cardiovascular health, and build muscle.

Supplements

If you’re searching for supplements to help with ketosis, coconut oil or MCT oils are a better choice. They contain fats that are easier to burn than other types of fats.

Taking caffeine or drinking coffee can also be helpful, as they’re useful in intensifying your workouts and making your exercise more effective at pushing you into ketosis.

However, it’s essential to keep in mind that supplements alone won’t get you into ketosis. Achieving a state of ketosis requires a shift in metabolism, and a supplement cannot provide the necessary changes to do so.

Therefore, it’s critical to focus on healthy dietary and lifestyle changes to achieve and maintain ketosis for optimal health benefits.

Top alternatives to BHB

• CLA (generic) – 2 to 7 caps / day
• CLA (Tonalin) – 2 to 7 caps / day
• Coconut oil – 1 to 4 tbsp / day
• MCT oil (C8) – 1 to 4 tbsp / day

Learn more about

• CLA for Weight Loss
• Coconut Oil and MCTs For Weight Loss
• Exercising for Weight Loss
• Best exercises to lose belly fat
• Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss
• Other weight loss supplements

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