The History & Background of Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB Salts)
The ingredient beta-hydroxybutyrate, or simply BHB, is a type of molecule that is considered a ketone body. It is used when the body needs energy in the absence of glucose (carbohydrates). This molecule is essential when you use your fat as a fuel for the body or taking BHB as a supplement to increase energy production.
Technically speaking, beta-hydroxybutyrate is not a ketone body. Ketone bodies, or ketones for short, are carbonyl carbons that are bonded to two other carbons atoms. One carbon has four available bonds, double-bonded to oxygen and two single bonds to carbon, and we have a ketone if you have a carbon atom that is double-bonded to oxygen (carbonyl group), which is also bound to an -OH group instead of two different carbon atoms, that would result to a carboxylic acid.
So, where does the Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB Salts) come from? The beta-hydroxybutyrate can be made in the body. If your body is done using up a specific substrate called acetyl-CoA to create energy after eating carbohydrates, it will start to get its job done. If you didn’t do this, you’d be dead after fasting for a brief period. The liver will then begin making beta-hydroxybutyrate from the long-chain and medium-chain fatty acids that come from your fat tissue. This is where you are turning fat into fuel.
Use in Supplements
The exogenous ketone supplements are suitable for individuals who are looking to lose weight, improve their health, add years in their life, and enhance mental performance. The beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) is the predominant ketone found in exogenous ketone supplements. Thus, the “BHB” supplement (i.e., beta-hydroxybutyrate supplements) is just another name for exogenous ketone supplements.
The best thing about taking exogenous ketones is that you can experience the benefits of ketones without diet modification. Even those who don’t change an item will still experience the benefits while supplementing with BHB. However, for maximum use, it is encouraged that you eventually begin to follow a lower carbohydrate diet. The purpose of ketone supplements is to provide the body with extra ketones to quickly push you into ketosis when the body is not in a ketosis state. For athletes who need to up their carbohydrates, these will take you out of ketosis or even with ordinary individuals who have higher carbohydrate and protein intake. Everyone should remember that overeating protein is the biggest mistake in the ketogenic diet.
This is where ketone supplements come in handy. They’ll help you get back into ketosis in no time instead of having to wait for at least a couple of days. They can be taken in between meals to provide a quick punch of ketones or before a workout for additional energy.
Using fats for fuel can help the body better utilize oxygen for energy production. Taking on BHB supplement could provide you these benefits:
- Faster weight loss and reduced hunger
- Enhancing cognitive performance
- Better regulated blood glucose
- Increasing mental focus
- Reducing risk for disease
- Less chance of inflammation
Common Dosing
The standard dosage of beta-hydroxybutyrate is 10 – 12 grams per serving. This dosage is essential when using beta-hydroxybutyrate. Lots of the side effects are due to the overdosage so better to stay within the recommended range of beta-hydroxybutyrate. It may also be useful for people using nutritional ketosis to incorporate blood glucose and ketone testing into their regimen.
Products Containing Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB Salts)
Exogenous Ketones Powder, BHB Beta-Hydroxybutyrate Salts Supplement, Best Fuel for Energy Boost, Mental Performance, Mix in Shakes, Milk, Smoothie Drinks for Ketosis – New Chocolate, 9.0 oz (255 grs)Potential Side Effects of Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB Salts)
During the first week of a low carb or keto diet, you can expect to experience the following side-effects: headaches, lethargy, nausea, confusion, brain fog, and irritability. These side effects usually only last a few days while your body adapts and makes the change to utilizing fat & ketones instead of carbs. BHB Salts are primarily used for their ability to combat the adverse side effects that occur while on a low carbohydrate diet.
The benefits far outweigh any potential side-effects one could experience with BHB Salts. The possible side effects of supplementing with Beta-hydroxybutyrate are minimal and easily corrected if they arise.
Following a ketogenic diet or supplementing with Beta-hydroxybutyrate can cause a slightly diuretic effect and deplete magnesium, potassium, and sodium stores. This can be rectified by supplementing with a suitable
electrolyte or increasing the sodium in your diet. Some Beta-hydroxybutyrate supplements have included additional sodium in their formula to counter-act this sodium depletion.
Digestive distress or stomach discomfort can sometimes be experienced but isn’t necessarily directly related to supplementing with Beta-hydroxybutyrate itself. Many BHB Salt supplements include MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides) to optimize energy and weight management. The digestive distress is because your body has not yet adapted to the increased fats in your diet and is less efficient at utilizing ketones as its fuel source. Once the body has adapted to this increased fat in the diet, the digestive distress should resolve itself.
FAQs
Why should you supplement with Beta-hydroxybutyrate?
Supplementing with exogenous ketones allows you to experience ketosis – the benefits of elevated blood ketone levels, without having to follow such a restrictive ketogenic diet, or super low carb diet, which is often difficult for some people to adhere to.
What is a ”BHB Salt”?
BHB salt is a compound made of Potassium (K+), ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate and Sodium (Na+). Eggs and milk contain BHB salts which are joined by ionic bonds. For instance, if you took some tea with milk for breakfast, upon digestion, the salts will separate in blood, therefore, increasing the levels of ketones in your blood.
BHB salts raise the level of ketones in your blood, which means that you have an extra source of energy for any activity you may be involved in when you take them as supplements in your diet. It is an exogenous ketone. It is a very effective since it is efficiently used up by the body or oxidized to acetoacetate before being utilized.
How Do BHB Salts Help With Ketosis?
Taking supplemental BHB salts can induce nutritional ketosis. Nutritional ketosis comes as a result of being on a ketogenic diet.
This means that when you continually take in BHB salts ketone supplements in your diet, nutritional ketosis will result. This state turns you to a fat burner from a sugar burner. A decrease in the pH levels in the blood will trigger the brain’s respiratory center to get rid of excess acid through breathing to eradicate of ketones faster.
BHB salts cause a reduction of blood glucose levels to a stable amount and an increase in the concentration of ketone bodies in blood serum concentrations.
Studies
There are several studies on BHB salts. One review talked about the impaired physical performance, which is the standard but not obligates results from a low carbohydrate diet. This resulted from a traditional Inuit culture that indicates the time for adaptation, optimized sodium, and potassium nutriture, and constraint of protein to 15–25 % of daily energy expenditure allow unimpaired endurance performance despite nutritional ketosis.
Another study talks about the long-term effect of a Ketogenic diet in obese patients. The research shows the benefits of a long-term ketogenic diet, and it significantly reduced the body weight and body mass index of the patients. Also, it decreased the level of triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and blood glucose, and increased the level of HDL cholesterol. Using a ketogenic diet for a more extended period did not produce any significant side effects in the patients. Thus, the study confirms that it is safe to use a ketogenic diet for a more extended period.
In a related study where the BHB and MCT (Medium Chain Triglycerides) oils were combined, blood ketone levels increase and can stay in the body for a more extended period. The combination of ingredients showed promising effects like weight loss and lowered the chance of gastrointestinal distress that may sometimes occur when consuming MCT oil only. This is where BHB and MCT come into play. You may find that many companies are starting to add MCT oil in BHB supplements or seeing the two ingredients stacked together.
Final Review of Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB Salts)
For the final review on BHB Salts, these products are pretty new and a little more expensive than other supplements but are making an impact in the supplement industry. And anyone would rather pay for something that works than spend tons of money chasing products that pretend to work.
In summary, BHB salts are a real game-changer for dieters, performance athletes & everyone, especially that the low carb diets & ketogenic eating is getting famous. For trainers & athletes out there who would like to increase ketone levels and improve performance while optimizing body composition levels, the BHB salt is the answer. So better grab supplements with BHB salts introduced in this article.
References:
BHB: What It Is and Why It’s the Cleanest Fuel for Your Body
http://www.thesuppcritic.com/bhb-salts/