With so many new “keto” products hitting the shelves, deciding which one to choose can be complicated and overwhelming.
Just as a refresher, exogenous ketones are ketones made outside of the body that are consumed as a supplement. They induce ketosis without any need to change your diet. This is in contrast to the ketosis you achieve by fasting or ketogenic diets, where your liver produces ketones endogenously.
We’ve personally experimented with countless commercially available exogenous ketone supplements, we conduct multiple scientific research projects with these compounds, and are ready to pass our knowledge on to you as the consumer!
The primary ketone body our liver makes is beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) which is also the ketone body found in most exogenous ketone supplements. Most exogenous ketone products use this ingredient BHB, some form of BHB, as there is a lot of data available out there about the beneficial effects of these compounds. The other most popular product category is medium chain triglycerides (MCTs): Although not technically exogenous ketones, MCTs are rapidly converted to ketones by the liver and raise blood ketone levels independent of diet.
There are a number of important things to consider when choosing an exogenous ketone supplement that we will cover in depth in an upcoming blog post, but briefly, the type, form, dose, taste, ingredients, and transparency with the company are all things you want to keep in mind.
Type - Exogenous ketones currently exist as ketone salts and ketone esters. Although ketone esters increase blood ketone levels to much greater concentrations than ketone salts, ketone salts are more widely available, cost effective, and definitely more palatable.
Dose - How much BHB is in a dose? Is it enough to be effective (i.e., increase ketones to any meaningful level)? Above all, you want to make sure the product you invest in is effective. You don’t want to spend money on something promising ketosis, only to find out that it has such little amount of the active ingredient that it is not promoting ketosis.
Taste - You could be purchasing the highest quality, most effective supplement on the market, but if you don’t enjoy the product, you’re probably not going to consume it regularly.
Company Transparency - You will find some brands of exogenous ketones that are not completely transparent with their ingredients, and may be using additional fillers or binders that dilute the product without you knowing the exact amount of the active ingredient (BHB). We prefer the companies that have nothing to hide!