So you’ve heard about the new trend in dieting, ketogenic diets.

You’ve heard about its fat shedding effects. You’ve heard about how great other people feel while on this diet. You’ve also, however, heard about how tricky starting a ketogenic diet can be. We’re here to simplify everything!

Keto diets are famous for letting people eat almost anything they want, especially stuff that’s frowned upon in a traditional dieting setting.

They’re also supposed to be tricky to start- so why should you put in so much meal planning and radical change for something which is so frustrating to start?

And who even has time for a complete turnaround in diet and shopping habits, even if they do want to lose weight?

Here’s where exogenous ketones come into play, but first let’s clarify exactly what a keto diet is.

Eating Healthy Fat For Fun?

A ketogenic diet may sound radical, but the concept is simple: change what you eat to get your primary caloric energy from fat.

Most humans derive their energy from a carbohydrate-heavy diet, hence the change.

A ketogenic, fat-fueled diet provides a more efficient, cleaner, and longer-lasting energy source for your body to run off of.

You literally stuff your face with fat, and in turn, your body sheds fat as its primary energy source as opposed to carbohydrates.

Now, a ketogenic diet is simple enough, but starting this diet and shifting dramatically from carbohydrates as your main energy source can produce some side effects.

Known as the “Keto Flu”, you might feel under the weather for several days upon starting a ketogenic diet, which can make the transition from a carb-heavy diet to a fat-heavy diet quite difficult.

When your body sheds fat as its primary energy source, it turns to ketone bodies for energy, hence the name “ketosis”.

Quick and Easy Ketosis

Exogenous ketones are a means of kickstarting ketosis within your body, without having to modify your diet to an extreme degree.

You take ketones from an outside source, as opposed to endogenous ketones (ketones produced within your body), and thus ease an energy conversion that’s normally very taxing on your body.

Generally speaking, there are two main types of exogenous ketones that can help kickstart your body’s ketogenic processes, and one way to speed up the onset of ketosis, once you switch your diet over.

Ketone salts are naturally derived ketones that are often bonded to a salt, such as calcium, magnesium, or sodium.

These are often available in many flavors, all of which help ensure that your exogenous ketones will taste great while you get them down.

Ketone esters, on the other hand, are synthetic exogenous ketones that are specifically built to be absorbed by your liver, where they’re converted into energy-carrying ketone bodies.

While both are equally effective, there’s no denying that ketone esters really don’t taste nice- something it might be hard to get past if you’re new to exogenous ketones.

Additionally, you can use MCT oil is also to jump your body into ketosis.

While it’s not exactly an exogenous ketone, MCT (Medium Chain Triglyceride) oil is ideal for anyone looking for a quick, fat-dense way to add quality lipids to their diet.

Now that you’ve gotten an idea of what exogenous ketones are and how they’re consumed, let’s take a look at some of the benefits of taking them, as well as some of the benefits of a ketogenic diet in general!

Five Wins From Exogenous Ketone Supplements

Benefit #1: Fat burning starts quicker

As we already talked about, your body burns fat when it’s in a state of ketosis, as opposed to its normal source of fuel, carbohydrates.

Considering fat burning is the usual goal of a keto diet, this is a biggie.

Taking exogenous ketones helps your body enter ketosis more quickly which, in turn, helps your body begin its fat burning at a much quicker rate than without exogenous ketones.

 

Benefit #2: You can ease up on carb restriction!

While we aren’t recommending stuffing your face with doughnuts every weekend, exogenous ketones certainly can help prevent your body from falling out of ketosis, just because you had a few extra slices of bread.

Or, they can work the other way around; if you slip up on your carbohydrate consumption exogenous ketones are a great way to quickly get your body back into a fat-burning, ketogenic state!

 

Benefit #3: No mental fog!

In a state of ketosis, you’re not relying on carbohydrates for energy; you won’t face the “carb crash” that often comes after a heavy carb-laden meal.

You’re supplementing your body with a different source of energy, so your brain won’t spend time shuttling glucose to various parts of your body, the main cause of a “carb crash.”

While a strict ketogenic diet only allows a person to consume a miniscule amount of carbohydrates, exogenous ketones allow for a larger carbohydrate consumption, without risking a sluggish “crash” or throwing your body out of ketosis.

 

Benefit #4: Brain protection

 

It’s known that ketogenic diets can be effective in treating children who are suffering from epilepsy, but not so effective when it comes to treating adults.

Outside of ketosis, however, exogenous ketones can also present consumers with substantial neuroprotective effects.

One study shows that those with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease experience improvements in recall and short-term memory upon consumption of MCT oil.

Additionally, exogenous ketones can help protect your brain’s hippocampus from oxidative damage.

Combined with a healthy diet, exogenous ketones certainly can give your brain a protective boost!

 

Benefit #5: Potential for improved athletic performance

Ingesting exogenous ketones plunges your body into an intense state of ketosis, one that lasts several hours.

Exercising while your body is in a state of enhanced ketosis can benefit your performance because ketosis forces your body into a starvation mode, increasing its dependence on fat rather than glycogen.

Additionally, as opposed to standard ketosis, where your muscle’s glycogen stores become depleted (which can hamper your performance during a workout), ingestion of exogenous ketones provides a way for your body to burn fat as energy without tearing through its glycogen stores.

Overall, ingesting exogenous ketones has potential to impact your exercise routine in a positive fashion!

Exogenous Ketone Ingestion Provides Excellent Benefits to The Body

From kick-starting ketosis to protecting certain aspects of neural health, exogenous ketones can do a lot for the body!

Those who are in ketosis and those who want to experience ketosis can both benefit from exogenous ketone supplementation.

Believe it or not, we’ve only covered a few of the potential benefits.

Exogenous ketones can provide a different dimension to a ketogenic diet, but for those who aren’t already in a state of ketosis, they can provide a faster path to it.

Whether you decide to use an ester or a salt, exogenous ketones are definitely worth checking out!