With such a ‘dual fuel’ situation, blood glucose levels drop, sometimes significantly and preserve energy. Without requiring insulin for cellular energy, and combined with a higher fat diet, scientists believe this could be very beneficial for people with insulin resist-ance conditions. WEIGHT CONTROL EK can be consumed without any dietary modifica-tions. However, as part of a healthy lifestyle using EK, it is recommended that people consume more fat, being a slow-burning fuel than sugar with more cal-ories. Once ketone levels go up, ghrelin, the hunger hormone, will recalibrate itself. As the ketone level rises, CCK, a satiety hormone, is also activated. It is the interplay between these two that has led to the idea of cyclical ketosis. It is believed one should cycle in and out of ketosis to mimic the ancestral pattern of feast and famine. CELLULAR COMMUNICATION BHB has been shown to function in cellular signaling and has demonstrated that it serves to link the outside environment to cellular function and gene expression. This is considered to have important implications for the pathogenesis and treatment of metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes. KETOGENIC DIET already using ketones and are looking to their doctors for an opinion, or doctors may recommend that their patients may benefit from ketones. With such a broad range of clinical applications and health implications, it is valuable to become educated on this topic. The strict nature of the ketogenic diet makes adher-ence and sustainability difficult considering factors like stress, hormones and protein intake can disrupt the state of ketosis. EK supports the endogenous production of ketones in the body and allow for bet-ter dietary adherence and sustained ketosis. This al-lows the general population to benefit from ketogenic diet with the enhancement of the ketone metabolite. ENERGY Ketones are regarded as a superior fuel source. They are faster and more efficient than the way our bodies use glucose, because ketones do not require insulin to provide energy to cells. A ketone molecule also provides more ATP energy than glucose molecule. As well, oxy-gen consumption is less through the energy pathway. Furthermore, with ketone bodies there is a decrease in free radical damage. ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE INFLAMMATION Researchers have demonstrated that the compound BHB directly inhibits NLRP3, part of a complex set of proteins called the inflammasome. The inflammasome drives the inflammatory response in many disorders such as: autoimmune diseases, type-2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and inflammatory disorders. This also gives implications for acute and chronic injury in the clinical setting. The benefits extend beyond the clinic to sports per-formance. Recently, there has been a re-emerging interest in the effect of ketone bodies with media speculation about these supplements being routinely used by professional cyclists. As something that is being used by professional body builders, endurance athletes, Olympians, UFC fighters and many other professional athletes, there have been lots of talk about exogenous ketones. One theory is that using exogenous ketones preserves muscle glycogen utili-zation in endurance sports. This is based on dietary approaches to increase fat oxidation during exercise and thought to help spare the body’s glycogen stores. However, this is controversial as there is no clear understanding on the mechanisms. More evidence is needed. SAFETY BLOOD SUGAR MODULATION www.canadianchiropractor.ca It is possible to use glucose and ketones simultaneously. Exogenous ketones are extremely safe. They are wa-ter-soluble and already exist in the body. They are also considered safe when pregnant and breast-feeding. June 2017 Canadian Chiropractor 23
Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor June 2017: Page 23
