Keto Bombs #6 — The Three Ketones

Let’s understand a bit more about the ketones that fuel us

Keto Bombs are a series of short, concise and informative pieces on various aspects of the Ketogenic diet.

We all know that when in a ketogenic state, we utilize fats rather than carbohydrates for energy. But what kind of fats are we burning exactly?

In this episode of Keto Bombs, we dive into our main fuel source — ketones!

Ketones

Ketones are the byproduct of the breakdown of fatty acids. In our body, fat gets mobilized and goes to the liver where it goes through ketogenesis. ketogenesis — the process of creating ketone bodies from fatty acids.

Ketogenesis is not exclusively for the keto dieters. Our body always has a certain amount of ketones in the blood and does increase ketogenesis during periods of prolonged fasting or exercise. On the ketogenic diet, we also make it utilize ketogenesis under normal day-to-day conditions.

Ketogenesis lets our liver create three kinds of ketone bodies — acetoacetate, acetone and beta-hydroxybutyrate. All of them have different roles once they leave the liver.

Acetoacetate

The first ketone that gets produced. It has a very low molecular weight, so its density and ability to do things inside the cells isn’t that big. Because it is not that efficient, it gets converted into a more useful ketone — beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). The more fat-adapted we become, the more of our acetoacetate goes through this useful conversion.

After some time, the leftover acetoacetate breaks down into acetone.

Acetone

Acetone is the byproduct, “waste” ketone. It does not have any significant role in the body and is quickly expelled, both from sweat and your breath. Popular ketone breath meters measure exactly this ketone, as it is a decent indicator of ketosis.

Fortunately, the more fat-adapted we become the more efficient our body becomes at producing the useful ketones. This means that we start producing less of the useless acetone and more BHB from the acetoacetate.

Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB)

The golden standard! This ketone has the biggest molecular weight and to no surprise — it is the most beneficial to us. BHB is more stable when traveling throughout the body and cells take up BHB more easily.

As we’ve mentioned before, this ketone body is a better fuel source than glucose itself because it has a higher combustion enthalpy. In other words, compared to glucose, it produces more energy when paired with the same unit of oxygen.

Interestingly, once BHB enters the cell it gets converted back into acetoacetate and then after some more conversions, ultimately turns into ATP — the energy currency of the cell.

Bonus — Exogenous Ketones

A lot of companies are riding the keto hype train nowadays and are selling products catered towards keto. One of them is exogenous ketones — these are ketone esters that come from the outside, i.e are not produced by your liver.

Even when not in a ketogenic state, taking in exogenous ketones will have your body utilize them, potentially giving you the same benefits in the short-term as if you were on keto. Because ketones are a more efficient fuel source, your body immediately starts burning them — ignoring the glucose in your blood. Your brain prefers ketones over glucose when present in the blood, so taking in exogenous ketones could be a good way to boost mental power when you need it.

Summary

In this somewhat dry but essential Keto Bomb, we went over the fundamentals of the ketogenic diet — the molecules that fuel is!

We saw what the interaction between the three ketone bodies is and picked our favorite, most efficient ketone — beta-hydroxybutyrate.

Knowing about these ketones is fundamental to anybody looking to further understand the complex aspects of the ketogenic diet. Since these ketones are the basis and the overall goal of the ketogenic diet, understanding them is essential in fully grasping all the benefits and side-effects of our beloved diet.