When your body is low on glucose, it will use ketones to fuel its cells. Typically, this happens after very low-calorie or carbohydrate-restricted dieting (the keto diet) or after exercise. Ketones are a family of acids produced by the body as a substitute for blood sugar. They include beta-hydroxybutyrate (b-OHB) and acetoacetate.
Ketones Are a Natural Antioxidant
Ketones are water-soluble molecules your body produces when it can’t use blood glucose (sugar) for energy. They can build up in your blood and urine if you don’t get enough glucose from food or break down fat too fast for fuel. There are three main types of ketones: acetoacetate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and acetone. These ketone bodies are produced during ketogenesis in the liver cells. The most common ketone is beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), which makes up about 78% of the ketones in your blood. Another ketone is acetone, which makes up about 2% of the ketones in your blood. BHB is an excellent fuel source for your brain, and it helps preserve your skeletal muscle’s health. It also reduces the number of receptive oxygen species and free radicals created in your body when you eat carbohydrate-rich foods and drink ketones challenge pack. Ketones are also a natural anti-inflammatory agent in your body. They help reduce inflammation, including targeting NLRP3 inflammasome pathways and inhibiting proinflammatory cytokines. They also scavenge your body for excess free radicals and inhibit oxidative stress that can cause severe damage.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Ketones
Ketones are a critical component of the adaptive response to oxidative stress. They act as a cellular fuel substitute for glucose and provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These effects are due to a complex interaction of multiple hormetic pathways, including activation of master regulators of cell-protective mechanisms such as nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), sirtuins 1 and 3, and AMPK. During starvation, fasting, or eating a diet lacking carbohydrates, circulating insulin levels are decreased, resulting in the breakdown of fatty acids and the secretion of ketone bodies as ancillary fuel. These b-hydroxybutyrate (bOHB) compounds are also essential for glucose metabolism in the liver and the skeletal muscle. In the liver and skeletal muscle, b-OHB has been shown to reduce inflammation. These properties may be linked to their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and reach the central nervous system. This effect may be mediated by reduced NLRP3 activation. Exogenous ketone supplementation has been reported to lower blood pressure in experimental subjects. These findings are promising and deserve further investigation to understand their mechanism further.
Ketones Are a Natural Anti-Inflammatory
The body uses glucose (sugar) to provide energy for cells, but in times of calorie deficiency or prolonged fasting, the liver switches to ketones. Ketones are alternative sources of fuel for the brain and muscles. Ketones are water-soluble compounds made when your body breaks down fats for energy. A test kit or ketone meter can detect them in your blood and urine. A ketone meter is the most accurate way to measure ketones and is used by doctors for diagnosing conditions that involve high or low ketone levels. Ketones also act as natural anti-inflammatory agents, which can help treat chronic diseases that affect the inflammatory processes. They do so by reducing the production of the chemicals that contribute to inflammation, like proinflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species.