Study on BHB Salts and Its Effects on Ketonemia

drtbear1967

Musclechemistry Board Certified Member
theguerillachemist

Interesting study was just published using exogenous BHB salts in rats and testing its effects on ketonemia(increased blood ketone levels)concurrently with glucose(purposely done to see if you can elevate ketone levels while ingesting carbs). The study was done acutely and chronically(4 weeks) where rats were given 300mg/100g of bodyweight of BHB and 75mg/100g bodyweight of glucose solution(50%). The highlights of the study show significant increases in BHB levels(1.1mM vs 0.7mM) while ingesting glucose, which just proves that exogenous ketones elevate ketone levels. The more interesting part were the effect on HDL/LDL levels. Rats showed a 39% increase in HDL and a 35% decrease in LDL. The researchers suggest that BHB acts in the same manner as niacin does to reduce catabolism of HDL. The last highlight showed a 16% decrease in visceral fat mass and a 30% decrease in adipocyte(fat cells) size. Also noted, caloric intake did not decrease significantly compared to another study which used a higher dose of BHB per kg. More research is definitely needed in this field, but there seems to be health benefits and possible weight loss benefits from using exogenous ketones. Also: taking these BHB salts does not put you into ketosis. These are used as a supplement for energy and can, IMO, aid in the transition of going from a high carb to low carb/keto diet.
 
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