What is The Best Ketone Level for Weight Loss?
All those who have successfully lost weight through the ketone diet are no strangers to ketosis. This extremely low-carb, high-fat diet causes your body to go into ketosis and start burning fat as the main source of energy instead of glucose (carbohydrates).
But to know if you’re in ketosis, it’s important to measure your actual ketone levels and determine if there are already enough ketone bodies in your body to maximize weight loss.
Today’s article addresses two main questions:
What exactly is the optimal ketone level? What is the best way to achieve the optimal standard?
What Are Ketones?
We know that ketogenic diets work so well because of ketones. But what exactly are ketones?
Scientifically speaking, ketone is a water-soluble organic molecule with a special chemical structure. However, when we talk about nutritional ketosis in the ketogenic diet, the ketones (also known as “ketone bodies”) are a byproduct of the body’s ability to break down fat for energy.
The ketones (also known as “ketone bodies”) are a byproduct of the body’s breakdown of fat for energy.
Ketones Are Produced And Work As Follows:
- When you eat very few carbohydrates, fast for long periods, or exercise vigorously, your body rapidly uses up glycogen (glucose stores).
- Once the glucose is used up, your body looks for an alternative fuel source. In the case of the ketogenic diet, this alternative is primarily fat.
- This is when your body begins to break down dietary and body fat for energy. This process is called beta-oxidation.
- Your body can use fatty acids, as well as compounds called ketones formed in the liver, as fuel.
After entering nutritional ketosis, you can begin to experience all the benefits it brings you. This includes less reliance on carbohydrates, more fat burning, weight loss, lower blood pressure, less food cravings, increased energy, and more.
What Is The Optimal Ketone Level For Weight Loss?
After starting a ketogenic diet, your body doesn’t go into ketosis right away, it takes a few days to burn off the carbohydrates you previously consumed. These carbohydrates are stored in your liver and muscles as glycogen.
When all of these glycogen reserves are depleted, your body will begin to convert dietary fat or body fat into ketone bodies and use them as a source of energy. At this point, ketones can be detected in your blood.
Typically, a blood ketone level of 0.5-3.0 mg/dL is the optimal range for nutritional ketosis. In this state, your body can most efficiently utilize stored fat for energy, resulting in lower body weight and fat loss. For most people, nutritional ketosis is safe. After eating a ketogenic diet, ketone levels in your blood or urine will be higher than usual, but not enough to cause acidosis.
How Do I Reach Optimal Ketone Levels?
To enter ketosis and reach optimal ketone levels as quickly as possible, carbohydrate intake must be severely restricted. This is because your body will only start producing ketones for energy from dietary fat or body fat if your glycogen reserves are depleted and you don’t have enough carbohydrates as an external source.
The ketones your body produces naturally are called “endogenous ketones”. However, you can also artificially increase your body’s ketone levels by taking ketone supplements, which are called “exogenous ketones”. (There is still controversy about the effects of these exogenous ketones on health and weight loss. Therefore, the optimal ketone levels mentioned in this article only apply to endogenous ketones, i.e., ketone bodies that your own body produces, rather than relying on supplements.)
Also, light fasting and proper exercise (especially strength training) can help you get into ketosis as quickly as possible. When the ketogenic diet and light fasting are done together, weight loss is doubled.
How Are Ketone Levels Measured?
Our bodies produce 3 different ketone bodies, which are
- Acetoacetate (AcAc) – found mainly in the urine
- beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) – found mainly in the bloodstream
- Acetone – found in the breath
You can determine if you’ve gotten into ketones by following these few common signs or symptoms:
- Bad breath: there is an acetone-like odor when you breathe.
- Loss of appetite: meals will be significantly smaller because you are eating more fat and protein.
- Insomnia: extra wakefulness at night when you should be sleeping, can’t sleep, or wake up easily in the middle of the night.
- Short-term brain fog and fatigue: This normal body reaction occurs because the body is experiencing a switch from glucose metabolism to fat metabolism.
- Digestive problems: commonly constipation or diarrhea.
- More energy and concentration:
- Continued weight loss: as the body begins to burn fat upon entering ketosis.
However, these signs are not a very accurate response to whether the body has entered ketosis, and the best way to test this is with an appliance. You can use different tools to measure ketone levels as needed, including:
- Urinary ketone test strips
- Breath ketone meter
- Blood ketone meter
What is Ketoacidosis All About?
Many people worry about ketoacidosis from eating a ketogenic diet. What’s true is that ketoacidosis (DKA) only occurs in diabetics and is characterized by extremely high blood ketone levels along with extremely high blood sugar levels.
DKA is primarily a complication of type 1 diabetes because the bodies of these patients do not produce any insulin. However, it may also occur in type 2 diabetics who produce very little insulin.
DKA can be life-threatening. Therefore, if you have diabetes, never make major dietary changes, including a ketogenic diet, without medical monitoring.
Summary:
Many people have successfully lost weight and improved their health with the ketogenic diet, and getting into a state of nutritional ketosis is key. Research shows that blood ketone levels of 0.5-3.0 mg/dL are the optimal range for weight loss. In order to achieve this level, you need to severely limit your carbohydrate intake, preferably supplemented with light fasting and proper exercise. Using a blood ketone meter is the best way to check ketone levels, which can also be measured by urine ketone test strips or breath ketone meters.