By Dr. Jeff Davis
There are few products I’m more excited about than the new exogenous ketone product, Phyzix MD Ketoned. If you’ve heard me talk before, you will know that I’m a big believer in low carb and ketogenic diets. I use them all the time in my practice to help patients with metabolic dysfunction like diabetes, obesity and insulin resistance. These diets are powerful at reversing chronic illness and reducing the dependence on medication. One great thing about the ketogenic diet that separates it from all the other diets, is the ability to measure a bio marker. That’s a really important distinction that will prove to be very helpful for those who are researching the ketogenic diet’s effects or those that are following it as a lifestyle to improve their health. This bio marker is a ketone body (more on that later). Ketones are non-carbohydrate energy sources that are converted from fatty acids in the body.
Let’s briefly review what a ketogenic diet is and what it isn’t.
Many people hear about this diet and think “that’s the diet where you only eat bacon!” or “it can’t be healthy to only eat fat!” The truth is that a ketogenic diet is about one thing: getting into ketosis. That is a state where, through carbohydrate restriction, your body utilizes fat for fuel. This results in the production of ketones (chemicals) that your body utilizes for energy. These can come from fat that’s stored (adipose tissue otherwise known as “love handles”) or fat that’s ingested. When your body becomes better and better at utilizing ketones for energy, you gain metabolic flexibility. Being in ketosis is not the same as ketoacidosis. We are all in mild ketosis in the middle of the night. Ketoacidosis is a life threatening condition that occurs when there is an absolute lack of insulin in the body such as in type 1 diabetes (the autoimmune form). The great thing about these ketones is that we can measure them easily!
The ways to measure ketones.
There are three ways to measure ketones: urine, breath, and blood. Urine ketone strips are inexpensive and can be found in many local pharmacies. They have one problem; they are only accurate for the first few weeks on a ketogenic diet because your body tends to spill those ketones into the urine and hasn’t quite made the shift to utilizing them for energy. Once your body becomes more adapted, the ketones in the urine go down drastically. There is a breath meter called the “Ketonix” that can measure for ketosis by blowing through a simple device. This tool has an advantage over urine in that it’s a measurement that reflects what is happening in the blood and once you purchase the device, there are no consumables to buy.
My favorite way to measure for ketones is with a blood meter. These meters have come down in price recently and their consumables (test strips) are getting cheaper as well. I personally use the KetoMojo device. It’s simple and uses a very small drop of blood for its calculation. If your reading is over 0.3 mmol, you are in nutritional ketosis!
What is nutritional ketosis?
Notice I used the word “nutritional” ketosis. That’s when you are producing endogenous (from inside the body) ketones. What about exogenous (outside the body) ketones? Do you have to be in ketosis to benefit from exogenous ketones like Phyzix MD Ketoned? I used to think so. In fact, there are many benefits of exogenous ketones even for those not on a ketogenic diet. Now, don’t get me wrong, they are even more powerful when used along with a ketogenic lifestyle. Exogenous ketones can be burned by your muscles, heart, and your brain for energy. They also help to produce a sense of fullness and in that way can help suppress your appetite. Here are some other benefits:
- May reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory processes
- Could help improve various cognitive and/or neurological disorders
- May promote effective use of fat
- Helps reduce cravings
- Supports weight management
- May enhance insulin sensitivity
- Helps to avoid the “keto flu” (the state of low energy after first restricting carbs)
My personal recommendations.
Here are a few ways that I would recommend using exogenous ketones like Phyzix MD Ketoned:
- Morning beverage to maintain your fast (can take with coffee)
- Support intermittent fasting regimen without cognitive “fog”
- Pre-workout in fasted state to accelerate use of fat stores
- Clean energy drink or energy shot
- Meal replacements for those maintaining a calorie deficit
Now, what separates this from all the other ketone products on the market?
For one, it’s backed by a certificate of analysis from a US small batch manufacturer. Two, and most importantly, it tastes great. No really, if you’ve tasted other ketones I can tell you they can be offensive to the palate and the nose. This has a clean refreshing taste that is unlike anything I’ve tasted. It was one of the only things I worried about before receiving my pre-production sample and I can tell you that I am more than pleasantly surprised.
I’m excited to hear more stories of amazing transformations from you and your family with Phyzix MD Ketoned! Ketoned will be launching in November 2018. Contact your Bonvera entrepreneur for more information, and contact support@bonvera.com to get connected to one in your area if you don’t yet have one.