Ketone Drink Can Help Control Sudden Spikes in Blood Sugar Levels

Highlights

Ketone drink can reduce the increase in blood sugar levels.
Ketone esters, when tested in healthy adults reduced blood sugar spike.
The drink can be suggested for diabetics to reduce a sudden increase in blood sugar levels after further research.

Ketone supplement, in the form of a drink, can prevent a sudden increase in blood sugar levels. The ketone drink can help diabetics keep their blood sugar levels in check.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with high blood sugar, which can damage the vessels that supply blood to vital organs and can also increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

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Diabetes is a metabolic disease caused by insulin deficiency that leads to high blood sugar levels and several associated complications if left untreated.

‘A single drink of ketone ester enables better control of blood sugar by reducing spikes in sugar levels.’

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Although previous studies have shown that infusing ketones into the bloodstream can reduce blood sugar levels, a new study, published in the Journal of Physiology, has shown that a ketone ester supplement can also lower blood sugar levels.

Ketone esters are the raw ketone (in this case, beta-hydroxybutyrate) that is not bound to any other compound. These exogenous ketones can be utilized a little quicker and potentially have a better effect at raising blood ketone levels.

Ketone Drink To Control High Blood Sugar Levels

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A research team at the University of British Columbia and the University of Oxford conducted an experiment on healthy adults to check the effect of the ketone supplement on blood sugar levels.

Twenty healthy individuals participated in the study and on two occasions consumed the ketone monoester supplement or a placebo after a 10-hour fast. Thirty minutes later they consumed a drink containing 75 grams of sugar (i.e., a standard oral glucose tolerance test).

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Blood samples were collected every 15-30 minutes throughout the entire 2.5 hours protocol for analyses of glucose, lipids, and hormones. Compared to the placebo, the blood sugar spike was reduced on the day that the individuals had consumed the ketone drink.

Study Limitations

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Glycemic control in type 2 diabetes is achieved with oral diabetic medications. Combination drugs and insulin therapy is sometimes required.

The study was conducted with healthy young individuals, to reduce the confounding influence of insulin resistance, beta-cell dysfunction, and medications, so more research is required to know whether it will apply to people with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. The physiological mechanisms that underpin the improved blood sugar control also need to be understood.

Professor Jonathan Little, from the University of British Columbia's Okanagan Campus, was part of the research team and said: "Our study was done in healthy young participants but if the same responses were seen in people with, or at risk for, type 2 diabetes then it is possible that a ketone monoester supplement could be used to lower glucose levels and improve metabolic health. We are working on these studies at the moment.”

What are Ketones?

There are three different types of ketones that the body can make from stored fat in the absence of carbohydrates. However, there are ways to get ketones easily from other sources.

The body runs on three different types of ketones: Acetoacetate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and acetone. Beta-hydroxybutyrate is the active form that can flow freely in the blood and be used by the tissues. Most exogenous ketone supplements are based on beta-hydroxybutyrate.

Four Types of Ketone Supplements: Ketone supplements are available as salts, esters, oils and non-real ketones.

Ketone Esters: Ketone esters are the raw ketone (in this case, beta-hydroxybutyrate) that is not bound to any other compound. Most users of traditional ketone esters claim that the taste is nearly unbearable. Also, gastric distress is a very common side effect.
Ketone Salts: Another form of exogenous ketone supplements come in the form of ketone “salts.” This is where the ketone body (again, typically beta-hydroxybutyrate) is bound to a salt — sodium, calcium, magnesium or potassium generally.

While ketone salts may not raise ketone levels to an absurd amount of true ketone esters, the taste is much more manageable and the potential diarrhea side effects are lessened to a great degree.
Oils: MCT (medium chain triglyceride) oil, and other medium to smaller chain fats can be used to help boost ketones as well, however, this is through an indirect pathway.

MCTs have to be shuttled to cells to be broken down, which then ketone bodies are made as a byproduct, only then can be used for energy. The downsides to MCT oil for ketones is that they do little in raising the actual blood levels of ketones.
Non-real ketones: Raspberry ketones are products that use keto but don’t promote ketone levels.

Reference

Jonathan P.Little et al.,'Ketone drink could help diabetics by lowering blood sugar.' Journal of Physiology (2017).

Source-Medindia