When it comes to fueling our bodies, we often rely on carbohydrates as our primary source of energy. However, carbs can be a volatile energy source, causing dips in energy and mood. That’s why it’s important to weigh ketones vs. glucose.
Ketones are an alternative to carbs. They are an important energy source the body naturally creates. Our liver produces ketones when we restrict our carbohydrate intake and switch to a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet or consume exogenous ketones.
This article reveals why ketones can be a great alternative to glucose — with recent evidence supporting the role of specific ketones as anti-aging metabolites.
How Does the Body Fuel Itself?
Like any machine, the human body requires a constant supply of fuel to function properly. This fuel comes in the form of various nutrients that are essential for energy production and overall health.
Metabolism is the process of obtaining and breaking down fuel for our bodies to use. Metabolism involves a series of chemical reactions that occur within our cells to convert the food we eat into energy. The primary sources of fuel we use for our bodies are macronutrients – carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Ketones are a forgotten fourth macronutrient that can provide our minds and bodies with clean fuel.
The Rise, The Fall, The Crash!-Sustaining Energy
Continuing with the idea of the body as a machine, different fuels behave differently, with varying levels of efficiency and consistency.
With the way the modern diet is structured, our fuel overwhelmingly comes from the glucose produced from carbs, such as bread, pasta, rice, fruits and vegetables.
If your goal is to feel great throughout the day, with sustained energy and mental clarity, you want to maintain your blood sugar and insulin at relatively stable levels. Unfortunately, glucose isn’t the most stable fuel.
When consuming high amounts of simple sugars (i.e., packaged foods and sugar-laden drinks), blood sugar can rise rapidly (within 15 minutes) leading to a surge of insulin production and release. This results in a rapid fall of blood sugar within the first hour or so — often generating a feeling of fatigue…the so-called crash.
Spikes and fluctuations in blood sugar can lead to brain fog, fatigue, and lethargy. In addition, changes in both glucose and insulin (the hormone that is elevated in response to a glucose spike) are associated with weight and body fat gain.
Ketones as Energy: An Alternative to Glucose
To avoid the issues associated with glucose, some people follow a low-carbohydrate diet. However, you can’t replace something with nothing, so if you cut out a large part of your diet, you need find alternative energy sources. Glucose is the main source of energy to produce ATP and the prime energy source used to fuel the brain; restricting these calories can lead to fatigue.
This is where ketones can help. They can provide the body with a rapid energy source without impacting blood sugar.
There are three types of ketones:
- Acetone
- Acetoacetate
- Beta-hydroxybutyric acid.
Beyond this, there are both endogenous ketones (produced by the body while adhering to a ketogenic diet) and exogenous ketones (created outside the body and available in select foods and beverages).
Over the past few years, there has been much scientific inquiry and discussion regarding ketones and their potential health benefits.
Ketones have been shown to help with:
- Hunger and appetite suppression
- Brain metabolism and neurodegenerative disease
- Management of endocrine disorders
- Control of inflammatory disease
- and Improved athletic performance
How To Incorporate Ketones into Your Life
One of the defining issues in the ketones vs. glucose debate is accessibility. Most people are familiar with the high-protein and low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet. This plan dramatically restricts carbohydrate intake (usually to less than 50 grams per day — the equivalent of approximately 2 slices of bread).
Although effective, there have been concerns raised pertaining to the difficulty in adhering to such a diet. While some contend that a ketogenic diet can be harmful due to the high intake of saturated fat, the evidence indicates that this plan can be safe for most individuals, but more controlled clinical trials are needed.
Following the keto diet is one of the most studied and effective ways to raise your blood ketone levels, but there are other ways! There are exogenous ketone bodies now available that are proving very effective at raising blood ketone levels. And this is without the restrictive dietary practices. You can either use ketone salts or ketone esters.
Ketones for Energy: Create Your New Normal
When choosing between ketones vs. glucose for your daily fuel, you’re really deciding how you want to fuel your life. Glucose is readily accessible and the default choice, but it’s an unfortunately unstable choice, often causing brain fog and dips in energy.
On the other hand, ketones can act as a more consistent and clean fuel source, so you can be your best throughout your day.
BE GREAT.
Optimize your Physical and Mental Potential with Ketone Hydration
