The Ketone Effect

I have been avoiding this topic for a long time, knowing that what I have to say about it is different from what the vast majority of the population believes. Many of you have probably heard of, and some of you have probably tried, the ketogenic diet as a mechanism for weight loss. And some of you were probably even successful. But this is the extent at which I will discuss the ketogenic diet in this post. Instead, I am going to discuss what a ketone is, what it does, where it comes from, etc. That way you can form your own opinion about the ketogenic fad and make your own decisions without feeling like I am swaying you one way or another. 

Most of us have probably heard about ketones and what you have to eat to make ketones, but what actually is a ketone? This was a question I've had for a few years, and I have finally reached the point in my chemistry education that I understand what they are. This is one of the reasons I haven't discussed ketones yet--I wanted to make sure I understood them before I told ya'll about them. So here is a basic explanation:

Ketone bodies (AKA ketones) are alternative fuel sources for when glucose is in short supply--these are made overnight when food isn't ingested, during periods of fasting, and often with low-carb dieting. The reason this happens involves a lot of biochemical processes which are complicated and hard to understand without a background in biochemistry. Therefore, I will do my best to try to explain them...

In our body's, the process of making energy requires glucose. The process of making energy also requires a little bit of energy. Glucose is the most efficient molecule in creating ATP (energy-carrying molecules), and it is the molecule that requires the least amount of energy to harvest energy out of. Hopefully that made sense. If not, here is an analogy:

Let's say you want to put a quarter in a candy machine to get 10 M&M's (the reason I chose this candy has no other significance other than I love M&M's). The quarter represents the energy needed to start the process of getting you the M&M's, and the M&M's represent the energy that you will have at the end of the process. Therefore, you start with one quarter, you end with 10 M&M's, and you have an excess of 9 units. But when you have a short supply of glucose, this process isn't as efficient at creating energy. When your body has to break down proteins and fats to use for energy, it takes 2 or 3 quarters to get 10 M&M's; it is not only more expensive, but you get less energy! Instead of 9 units of energy, you get 7 or 8. Now, keep in mind that these are not actual numbers, but is just a visual representation to help explain my poorly worded explanation above. 

But why is this important to discuss in a post about ketones? Once again, ketones occur when the body does not have enough glucose to make the energy it needs. And if you put two and two together, you can see that this creates a problem. When there is an absence of glucose, one of the important cycles in creating energy just shuts down. Most of you will remember something about this cycle, even if it's just the title; it is known as the Kreb's, Citric Acid, or Tricarboxylic Acid cycle. If they cycle is interrupted, energy production gets a lot harder and a lot less efficient. All of the molecules in the cycle require energy to make, but if there is no energy, then you can't make energy; in other words, it takes energy to make energy. Here is a simple diagram of the Kreb's cycle:

When a lack of glucose occurs, a build-up of the first molecule in the Kreb's cycle occurs (Acetyl-CoA). I like to equate it to a turnstile before entering a theme park. If there are too many people trying to enter the theme park, then the turnstiles are inefficient in getting people into the park in a timely manner. But when people are coming in in a steady stream, the turnstile method works much better and you get into the park faster. Therefore, a build-up of acetyl-CoA means that energy isn't being created efficiently.

This is when ketones enter the story. Ketones are made from the breakdown of triglycerides in the body. When the body doesn't have glucose, it's preferred source of fuel, it begins to think that there is no food available and begins to save energy (this is when Acetyl-CoA begins to build up). The extra acetyl-CoA is sent to the liver, where it processes it to ketone bodies, which are then sent to cells all around the body (especially the brain) to make energy. You can see how this would be less efficient based on the sheer amount of transport around all areas of the body this process takes.

But perhaps the most important thing to note is that ketones are the body's response to starvation. Though the body is pretty amazing, it cannot tell the difference between starvation and purposefully leaving out carbohydrates in your diet. Since glucose is the brain's preferred source of energy, and is required for full brain function, the body assumes that if you are not eating it, then something terribly wrong has happened. Therefore, the body begins to break down the stores that are saved for 'actual' starvation to try to get the brain and body through this traumatizing time. In the medical and nutrition world, we refer to this process as the "lesser of two evils," where the greatest evil is dying. If the body didn't have ketogenesis in place, the automatic response to a lack of glucose would be to die. Acetyl-CoA would build up, the body would get overwhelmed, and it would shut down.


Another consequence to ketone production is the lowering of blood pH. Ketones are more acidic than glucose, so if you have ketones circulating in the body to provide energy (going from the liver to body cells), the blood begins to suffer in consequence. Problems that can arise with chronic low blood pH are: kidney stones, kidney failure, bone disease, and delayed growth. Obviously, these occur in extreme cases, and most often happen when there is an underlying condition of some kind (i.e. diabetes). 

Now, I want to take a break to issue a disclaimer: there is some research coming out that shows that ketones may help show the progression of some chronic diseases like Alzheimer's.  This is simply a summary of what I have read in my textbooks and heard from my professors, who are dietitians and professionals in the field. But research is always changing! So if you are truly interested, please look into peer-reviewed journals and databases. 

I guess it all comes down to this: are ketones worth the risk? Unfortunately, that is a question that I cannot answer for you. Hopefully this post has helped ya'll understand what is happening the body when ketogenesis occurs, and the point of all this is to help you make an informed decision. One of the greatest lessons I have learned the past two years is that I truly don't care what decision people make about their food because it is their decision; what I do care about, however, is that people are informed before they make these important and potentially life changing decisions (in other words, if the ketogenic diet works for you, then I am the last person who is going to stop you).

I hope you all have a great week!


As requested, here is my coconut raspberry and pineapple oatmeal! I love using coconut milk as a creamy addition to my oatmeal. Super yummy!!!!

Ingredients:

-2 cups uncooked steel-cut oats
-2 cans coconut milk (I prefer using lite coconut milk since it has more liquid)
-1 can pineapple tidbits, drained (but save juice!!!!)
-raspberries
-craisins, pumpkin seeds, cashews, flaked coconut (optional)

1. Place oats in a slow cooker with the two cans of coconut milk. Fill each can with water and also pour that into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, or until desired thickness and consistency.

2. Mix-in pineapple tidbits to oats.

3. When serving, mix in some pineapple juice (for sweetness), raspberries, and other add-ins, if desired. This recipe stores well in the fridge for up to a week. I can typically bet 6-8 servings out of this recipe (AKA, a week's worth of breakfast).