Ketones for Legit Weight Loss?

I want to take a little of your time and break down the difference between ketones and raspberry ketones.

Ketones, in particular the ones derived from red raspberries (rubus idaeus), have been one of the most sought out terms in all of 2012 so far.

If you are like most people, your main questions are: “what are ketones?” Or “What is raspberry ketone?”

By now most of us have either saw, read, or watched the TV clip about Doctor Oz mentioning raspberry ketone on his health show. He boldly labeled raspberry ketones as being a miracle fat burning supplement in a bottle which helps slice up fat and regulate a weight loss hormone called adiponectin.

If not, you do now, and the only thing you will find on the internet doing a keyword search for raspberry ketones is which supplement to buy and the basic perceived health benefits they can have towards losing weight naturally.

The question quickly becomes is there merit or legitimacy behind raspberry ketones weight loss effects? In order to proceed, we must start by analyzing ketones role within the body and their importance on metabolism and energy.

What are Ketones?

In one sentence, ketones are metabolic end products of fatty acid metabolism.

But today, I, along with your permission, am here to break that mold and shed light on KETONES [pronounced (key tone)], not just the ketones (or ketone bodies which we will cover below) found in red raspberries.

In fact, here is where we can start the conversation about ketones.

Did you know ketones are NOT exclusive to red raspberry fruit?

You read that correctly, ketones can be found in many other areas outside of “raspberry ketones”. I certainly was not aware of this fact until doing some personal due diligence and research regarding the legitimacy of raspberry ketones and their apparent weight loss effects.

Where else can we find these ketones you might be wondering?

In addition to the minute amount of ketones in red raspberries, they are also found present in MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) of coconut oil and coconut milk.

Ketones are also present and found in your bloodstream and urine as they are naturally occurring substances found in the human body, even at birth.

After many hours, days, and weeks of ketones research online, there was one commonality which kept occurring. Many credible sources and research reports could not correctly mention or bring up ketones without mentioning glucose somewhere in the conversation.

Ketones and glucose have a strong correlation within the body regarding it’s energy and fuel supply. We will elaborate on that connection in the next section.

To date, no human clinical studies have ever been conducted using raspberry ketones for weight loss.

However, there is one raspberry ketone study worth mentioning which supports its ability to limit and prevent weight gain in mice fed a high-fat diet. Raspberry Ketones were shown to alter lipid metabolism and boost fatty acid oxidation which results in burning fat more effectively in a shorter period of time.

There is also a brief mention of Korean and Japanese researchers who have studied raspberry ketones ultimately showing their aid and support towards lipolysis (fat breakdown) as well as thermogenesis (fat converted into energy).

Before we jump right into the scientific research and literature on ketones, let’s paint a picture so you can begin understanding metabolism and where your body’s energy and fuel supply originates.

Brain vs Body’s Metabolism Break Down & KETONES

In order for our body to be in complete harmony at all times, both the body AND mind must thrive.

In times of plenty, receiving the basic sustenance required for our bodies to run and be sufficient is not hard to come by.

However, if we are deprived and lacking good nutrition, rest, and hydration; it is the mind which will begin perishing before the body does. This is due to the fact that our brain and brain tissues have a special biochemistry (because of its protective brain-blood-barrier) requirement to meet for its energy needs when blood sugar dips.

This is not a new-age concept or philosophy; it’s our basic make up and metabolic chemistry. By nature, our bodies are programmed to put on fat and store it for famine and food shortages. The body does this relativity easy, but the brain and its special tissues are vulnerable during scarcity.

Let’s continue painting the metabolic picture before we tie in ketones and raspberry ketones.

Understanding Your Body’s Fuel and Energy Source

Raspberry ketones are the primary reason you are here, but you can find all the basic and surface level information about them on any other site. My goal and hope is for you to take this knowledge and research and begin understanding that raspberry ketones are just one small facet of the natural weight loss concept.

Before we dive into ketones, let’s take a second to undoubtedly grasp the concept of your body’s primary energy and fuel sources. Then we can understand how it creates the necessary and proper vitality for you to function and live.

Most individuals know the body’s main and fundamental fuel source is glucose (sugar), which often comes from ingested carbohydrates from the foods we eat.

With each passing meal digested, your bloodstream gets supplied with more glucose, which in turn satisfies your hungry cells. These cells need to be continually replaced with the blood sugar they consume to take care of their metabolic needs.

The problem is your cells must be fed regularly and the body does not store glucose very efficiently.

This results in the body storing and building extra fat as a defense mechanism against a potential famine or starvation scenario in the future. The extra fat acts a backup energy supply and source from the stored fatty acids present in the body.

These energy supplying fatty acids are the reason why the body can sustain most of it cells regardless of whether or not people go days and weeks without eating and not fall ill immediately.

Now we can begin to understand our body’s metabolism and find out what our metabolic back-up system is capable of if a perceived famine or starvation actually becomes reality. This is where ketones, or ketone bodies, come into play.

Brain Vs Body

Just when you thought the picture was becoming a piece of art, you notice how these facts all dealt with the body, and not the mind/brain.  Momentarily, we have to separate the mind body connection and know that brain cells, tissues, and neurons can not tap into or utilize these emergency stores of energy because of the protective blood-brain barrier.

Simply put, your brain is very delicate and has special measures and physiological barriers which inhibit the entrance of toxic substances commonly found in the bloodstream. This barrier also prevents fat and fatty acids to enter the brain region which can cause trouble if glucose in the blood begins to run low.

A normal adult the brain only makes up about 2% of weight compared to commanding around 20% of the body’s resting metabolic budget.

In other words, your brain may be smaller than your body, but has vital significance and importance which can not be undermined or undervalued.

By now, you are probably asking what this has to do with raspberry ketones, but keep reading so we can tie in all of this information together.

Ketones, Ketone Bodies, Ketosis, and Ketogenic Diet

Just when you thought it was going to easier, I throw a mouth full of words surrounding ketones. But anyone who takes the time to study and learn about ketones (not just raspberry ketones), will certainly see these 4 terms more than any:

Ketones (Ketone Bodies): a by-product resulting in the breakdown of fat and fatty acids by the liver and kidneys for energy.
Ketosis: is a state of elevated levels of ketone bodies in the body and bloodstream
Ketogenic Diet: a special high fat diet that allows the body to better utilize fats as an alternative energy source. (the ketogenic diet is essentially the basis of the infamous Atkins Diet)

We covered where the body gets its most basic energy needs and requirements from glucose (sugars). But what happens when the blood-glucose levels are low? Cells constantly stay hungry for nutrients and energy so what does the body do for a back up plan or system to revive itself?

We have discussed the foundation and connection to glucose metabolism, but now ketones and their fatty acid metabolism ability can start to come into the picture.

From a scientific point of view, you will inevitably come across these terms when dealing with ketones or raspberry ketones. To begin analyzing the natural phenolic compound in red raspberries, raspberry ketones, we have to understand ketones biological role first.

Ketones, Ketosis, and Ketone Bodies are 3 different terms all with minor differences in what they are and how they work.

Two highly recommended ketone resources (not specific to red raspberry ketones) can be found here:

The Ketogenic Diet Book:  A Complete Guide -written by the ‘keto guy’, Lyle McDonald, this book covers extensively the right way to go about the ketogenic diet if your interested. Following this diet is to to increase the amount of ketones produced by the body by diet only.

The Story of Ketones Book: What If There Was a Cure? – written by Mary Newport, MD, this book covers the science behind ketones and their ability to supply energy to the brain and their role in health against diseases.

Raspberry Ketones = Ketosis?

The idea in supplementing with raspberry ketones is to increase the amount of bio-available ketones in the body and bloodstream which establishes a metabolic state of ketosis, which has a myriad of perceived health benefits directed towards weight loss and the breakdown of excess fatty acids.

The liver is responsible for converting a portion of fatty acids in the body into acids called ketones or ketone bodies. When blood-glucose concentrations are low, ketones can begin to act as an alternative energy fuel and supply.

The interesting correlation is ketones can act as a substitute for fatty acids and glucose at the cellular level for energy and fuel. Here is the catch, unlike fatty acids, ketones are able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and supply energy to the brain area. Our brains actually have a relatively easy time switching from using glucose to ketones.

These special ketones are believed to help protect the brain during times of starvation. Ketones, when elevated in the body and blood (ketosis), help increase the body’s natural ability to utilize fats for fuel.

That is why Doctor Oz said raspberry ketones can penetrate your cells and help slice up and break up fat for easier elimination because the body using it for energy instead of sugars. This is why Dr Oz recommended “raspberry ketone supplements” as his #1 miracle fat burning ingredient to help supply the body with more fat busting ketones.

Richard Veech, one of the leading researchers on ketones and the ketogenic diet, believes they are the key substance which can help the body during an energy deprivation. But most of us want to know about raspberry ketone weight loss effects first and foremost.

The late Dr Atkins and his “ketogenic diet” of high-fat, low-carb, low-protein regimen was based on the concept of shifting your body’s primary energy source from glucose to fatty acids and ketones which would melt off the excess fat.

However this diet is not ideal and often requires extreme amounts of fats and creams which can become unpleasant very fast. This is yet another reason why raspberry ketone supplements have experienced such a strong craze because of the simplicity and science behind the ketones ability to metabolize fat.

If you do not want to get Raspberry Ketone Pure, natural ketones found in coconuts are also beneficial as the liver breaks down the MCT’s to increase available ketones in the body.

GLUCOSE and KETONES Connection

Now are beginning to see why adding natural ketones from red raspberries into our body can increase our ability to break down and utilize extra fat for fuel.

This is what is meant by ketones boosting your metabolism and burning body fat easier.

In a previous raspberry ketone post, I talked about minimizing excess sugar intake through our daily diets. And an additional reason is once we use up all of our immediate glucose, your body will begin to tap into your fat, and once the liver begins to break down fat and fatty acids, these ketones (ketone bodies) by products will act as an alternative fuel for the body.

And because ketones are not limited or have the same restrictions as glucose does, it can reach all major organs and begin burning and melting your body fat away.

To wrap up the comparison and correlation between glucose and ketones, our cells use these ketone bodies when glucose is low or unavailable as alternative fuel. Brain cells and neurons are more exclusive and limited to specific kinds of fuel sources and raspberry ketones are a viable option. This is what makes the raspberry ketones and ketone bodies special as normally they require glucose (sugar) for energy. Usually our bodies do not have an abundance of ketones available unless you have been starved for a couple of days or are on the ketogenic diet (not recommended).

This is why ketones and raspberry ketone supplements have caused the stir and attention as of late.

Raspberry Ketones for Weight Loss

Because ketones are the end product of fatty acid metabolism, we can begin to sense why all of the raspberry ketone health benefits for weight loss come into play.

As we previously mentioned, fat is one of your body’s primary defense mechanisms. Just like the body utilizes fat to protect you from perceived threats such as cold weather or famines, it also binds and holds environmental and chemical toxins from getting into the bloodstream.

Your body’s primary cause of existence is to do everything it can to protect and keep you safe at all times.

Because of the heavy metals and toxins we encounter on a daily basis, our bodies quickly store these toxic substances into fat cells when you take in more than you can eliminate naturally. It binds and stores them into fat in order to quarantine and keep them out of circulation. The problem is most of us are never eliminating, yet accumlating more and more body weight which holds onto these toxins which cause severe damage if not dealt with.

Raspberry Ketones can help bust up stagnant body weight along with providing yourself with good water and hydration will allow for these toxins to be removed through the urine and sweating of the skin.

This is why we must make fundamental choices in our dietary habits and lifestyle choices knowing that a toxic internal environment can trigger chronic weight gain.

All of constant exposure to medications, pesticides, food additives, chemical pollutants, and dozens of other harmful compounds cause the body to become stressed and overweight. This is why we must take more health measures and actions other than just adding a raspberry ketone supplement to our regime.

Simply put: Release the Toxins, Release the Weight.

Raspberry Ketone Side Effects?

This wouldn’t be a complete and comprehensive review of raspberry ketones if we did not mention or take not of potential side effects. Can raspberry ketones have side effects? Yes.

As you know by now, ketones are produced when the body burns your fat for fuel or energy. Ketones are also made when there isn’t sufficient insulin present in the body to use sugar for energy. Without proper insulin supply, glucose can build up in the blood. And because the body is unable to use glucose, it begins to break down fat instead for energy. This can happen and when it does, ketones populate in the bloodstream and spill into the urine which can make you sick.

These are the only reported raspberry ketone side effects we could find. My suggestion is to make sure if you take raspberry ketones on a daily basis, to stay very hydrated and drink plenty of water to keep a continual flow and elimination of excess waste from the fatty acid metabolism ketones will cause.

Why Raspberry Ketone Pure Supplement?

In conclusion, adding a pure raspberry ketone supplement may be the best and most immediate choice and plan of action for you to take in order to lose your desired weight.

Do not be a cheapo when considering which raspberry ketone weight loss supplement to buy. I have researched the tens of hundreds available, and honestly think the Raspberry Ketone Pure supplement is your best bet if you decide to purchase.

More importantly, I hope this raspberry ketone research did more than just help you understand “what are ketones”, but gave you more to go on how the body uses them as well.

Understanding your body’s natural metabolism, the glucose/ketones connection, and why we put on weight in the first place is a great place to start. Hopefully this raspberry ketone research and information can help you better grasp how we can become healthier starting today.

Raspberry Ketones and Raspberry Ketone Pure supplement are just one element you need to work on and apply in your weight loss journey if you are looking to lose weight naturally and successfully.

I hope to hear some feedback, suggestions, and reviews of the information presented about ketones and raspberry ketones. Your comments are strongly encouraged and will help us all out!

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