Ketones, Exogenous Ketones, Keto Supplements, and Coconuts [Rant]

Stephen Decker
Aug 9, 2017 · 2 min read

I just have to get something off of my chest and progress in my grief within the Ketosphere:

↑ Ketones ≠ fat loss

Not with ketone supplements, not with coconut oil, not ever (well, kind of)! Let me explain.

[End rant]

In short, ketone bodies are a byproduct of fatty acid metabolism and are produced mainly in the liver. When the body begins to break down fatty acids (most notably during low-carb diets and fasting, but this can also happen during normal weight loss and exercise, just not to the same degree).

https://www.diapedia.org/metabolism-insulin-and-other-hormones/51040851169/ketone-body-metabolism

Ketone bodies will pretty much be produced when there is an overabundance of Acetyl-CoA [due to the breakdown, known as oxidation, of fatty acids] in the body, creating long chains of the molecule. These long chains are then able to be converted into one of the three types of ketone bodies; acetate, acetoacetate, and beta-hydroxybutyrate, which are then able to be utilized by other tissues in the body (fatty acids cannot be oxidized in the brain, red blood cells, and various other anaerobic tissues).

This is the desired state of ketosis (for most people).

Your ketones rise as a result of fatty acid metabolism. Ketones are a physiological indication of and a measure of the degree to which your body is “burning” fat.

Ketones do not burn fat.

Ketones do not, in and of themselves, burn any fats. They are never the cause of fatty acid breakdown. Therefore, adding exogenous ketones, coconut oil, or any other ketone supplement to “boost” ketone levels and “burn fat” are essentially useless. Sure, coconut oil and MCT oils will induce ketosis, but only because you’re breaking down the fatty acids in those oils directly after consumption, not metabolizing body fat (which is the ultimate goal in weight loss). It would almost be the equivalent of adding CO2 to your car engine and expecting it to burn more gas.

Fat loss = ↑ Ketones; ↑ Ketones ≠ fat loss

So what are those supplements good for?

IMO, probably nothing. Maybe a cognitive boost or a slight improvement in performance (though I will believe it when I see it done in humans). Some people claim that the supplements will “kick start” ketosis. I guess they do, but what good is it if you’re not burning your own fat stores?

Stephen Decker

Written by

Ph.D. student at UMass Amherst. A lifelong student in health, fitness, philosophy, and all things under the sun. Love ideas, but love sharing ideas more.

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