The ketogenic diet, or keto diet, is a popular approach to weight loss that involves consuming a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet to shift the body into a metabolic state called ketosis. This article explores the potential benefits and risks associated with keto gummies, supplements marketed to support a ketogenic diet.
What are Keto Gummies?
Keto gummies are supplements designed to help maintain ketosis. Ketosis occurs when the body uses ketones, a fatty acid, for energy instead of glucose. These gummies typically contain medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), a type of saturated fat that provides energy, and exogenous ketones, which are ketones from an outside source. Some keto gummies may also include gelatin or natural sweeteners like Stevia.
Beth Czerwony, a registered dietitian, explains that keto gummies add exogenous ketones into your body, potentially helping to continue ketosis. However, it's crucial to understand that keto gummies do not initiate ketosis but may help sustain the process once it has begun through dietary changes.
Ingredients Found in Keto Gummies
Most keto gummies contain MCTs and exogenous ketones. MCTs help provide energy, while exogenous ketones are meant to supplement the ketones your body produces. "Sometimes, keto gummies may contain gelatin or natural sweeteners like Stevia," notes Czerwony. The absence of additional sugars is vital to avoid disrupting ketosis.
When choosing a keto gummy, Czerwony suggests opting for a product that fits your budget and buying a small batch initially to ensure you like it.
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Potential Benefits of Keto Gummies
Research on the benefits of keto gummies is limited. Czerwony states that there aren’t any studies that have shown the long-term effects of keto gummies and if they’re beneficial. Potential benefits, according to Czerwony, include:
- Increase weight loss.
- Improve athletic performance.
- Decrease your appetite.
However, research is inconclusive on whether keto gummies or other keto supplements can actually keep you in ketosis. One study suggests that supplements may increase the amount of ketones too much, potentially hindering the liver's natural ketone production and making it harder to stay in ketosis.
Potential Risks of Keto Gummies
Before trying keto gummies, it's essential to understand the potential risks. Czerwony outlines several potential risks, including:
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Gastrointestinal issues, like diarrhea.
- Low blood sugar.
Czerwony warns that keto gummies using sorbitol can cause gastrointestinal issues due to its laxative properties. She advises introducing keto gummies slowly to assess tolerance and avoid adverse effects.
People with Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and kidney issues should exercise caution when considering keto gummies. Czerwony notes that the keto diet, combined with keto supplements, can potentially lower blood sugar, leading to hypoglycemic responses, and may also cause dehydration.
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Should You Try Keto Gummies?
Before using keto gummies, Czerwony advises evaluating your diet to identify any issues preventing you from staying in ketosis. Assess whether you're consuming too many carbohydrates, feeling bored with the diet, or experiencing hunger. Tweaking your keto diet to ensure adequate calories and fiber intake may be a healthier option than relying on keto gummies.
"But if you’re following the keto diet, everything seems to be running fine and you want to see a boost to your weight loss, then I think you could certainly try keto gummies," says Czerwony.
The Bottom Line
It’s important to do your research and understand the potential risks and potential benefits, while understanding that there’s no conclusive research that keto gummies do in fact work.
Before trying keto gummies, consult with a healthcare provider. Keto gummies are an addition to your keto diet plan and shouldn't replace it. Consistent use may be necessary to reap any potential benefits.
Types of Keto Diet Supplements
The three most common types of keto diet supplements are:
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- Keto pills: Many keto pills contain BHB salts or BHB esters and are promoted as a natural weight loss supplement.
- Keto powders: Similar to keto pills, keto powders contain some form of BHB. Many keto powder supplements may also include electrolytes to help people stay hydrated and remain in ketosis.
- Keto gummies: One of the newer keto supplements on the market, keto gummies are deceiving because many don’t actually contain any ketones. Instead, they are often made with apple cider vinegar, which companies say boosts metabolism and, therefore, promotes weight loss. However, there’s not enough scientific evidence to support this claim. Some keto gummies may also contain MCT oil and are often sweetened with non-nutritive sweetening agents like stevia.
Do Keto Pills Work?
There’s not enough research on the efficacy of keto supplements to support the claim that taking keto pills, powders, or gummies will help you achieve ketosis. Guevara emphasizes that "We just don’t know whether (these supplements) will work. They’re very expensive, and there’s a chance for them to be contaminated, so for me, it’s a lose-lose-lose all around.”
One small 2021 study found that people with obesity who followed a low-calorie ketogenic diet and took 24 grams of a BHB salt supplement per day for six weeks experienced enhanced ketosis. However, higher ketone levels didn’t seem to boost these participants' weight loss compared to those following only the keto diet without the supplement.
Other research, such as a 2020 study, suggests that taking exogenous ketones can help boost concentrations of ketones in the blood quickly. Whether they have an appreciable effect on weight loss, however, is still murky, and more robust studies with strong evidence are lacking.
Vaca-Flores confirms that "It’s still unclear as to whether exogenous ketones will produce the same type of ketosis effects as diet."
One reason why supplementation may not be all that effective is that the body seeks to maintain an even level of ketones to prevent a potentially toxic buildup of these chemicals in the bloodstream. When the body senses that ketone levels are high, the liver stops making its own and will try to flush out excess ketones in your urine, a process called ketonuria.
Guevara notes that “Supplements are often expensive (urine) because, at best, you’ll just pee it out. At worst, it could be harmful for your liver because it does have to process everything you’re taking.”
Ultimately, the jury is still out on whether or not these supplements work. Experts do not recommend keto pills - or any diet pill, for that matter. Holley emphasizes that while they're probably safe to use for most people, she certainly doesn’t recommend diet pills for anyone.
Beware of Scams and Overly Expensive Keto Pills
In addition to health concerns, there’s a risk of scams with some keto products, namely supplements being pushed heavily on social media. In July 2020, AARP reported that two women in their 80s had been scammed out of more than $200 each when they purchased keto diet pills. Also, keep an eye out for certain words and phrases in any marketing text, such as “quick fix,” “guaranteed results,” and “scientific breakthrough.” They’re usually a red flag of false advertising.
Because dietary supplement products are not regulated by the FDA, it can be difficult to know whether you’re getting what you pay for. If you're intent on purchasing a keto supplement, do your homework and ask the company to provide its research or evidence that the supplement does what the company is saying it does. A reputable manufacturer should be able to provide information about how its product has been tested and what it contains.
Is the Keto Diet Worth It?
If you’re considering the keto diet, Guevara encourages you to ask yourself why you’re doing it and if it’s really worth it.
“Very restrictive diets are hard to follow, and they’re not sustainable,” she says. “With the keto diet specifically, when we look at it for weight loss, most of that weight you’re losing quickly at the beginning is water weight. You’re not losing fat. It’s very exciting to see that number drop, but it’s not going to be metabolically better for you.”
Patel says he isn’t a fan of the keto diet, but he notes that instituting a water-only fast “for at least 24 hours and longer” would be one way to get into ketosis faster without spending money on supplements. “Obviously, you would want to consult with your doctor if you decide to do a prolonged fast based on your overall health and medications you take,” he adds.
Overall, there are few shortcuts to healthy and sustainable weight loss, and using a supplement to speed up the process could lead you to lose more money than weight.
Holley emphasizes that “Truly, these are a waste of your money. Do not fall for this gimmick."
Understanding Ketosis
In general, the body uses carbohydrates for fuel, but when there aren’t sufficient amounts of carbohydrates, the body enters what’s known as “nutritional ketosis” and starts to break down fat for energy instead. “It typically takes a few days of strict carbohydrate restriction to enter this state,” explains Katie Schwartz, a registered dietitian based in Asheville, North Carolina.
Once the body enters a state of ketosis, it begins producing ketones, which are then used for fuel. Keto gummies are marketed as a way to help boost ketone levels in the blood.
Types of Ketones
- Exogenous ketones: These are produced outside of the body and consumed orally (as opposed to endogenous ketones that are produced inside the body). Exogenous ketones include ketone salts and ketone esters, which have different chemical structures and potencies, with esters considered more potent.
- Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil: MCT oil may provide a quick source of energy, explains Rancourt.
Research and Evidence
Research is sparse when it comes to determining whether keto gummies and supplements support losing weight. “There’s no credible evidence that keto gummies can reliably initiate or maintain ketosis,” says Schwartz. She adds that “These products are not evidence-based and often rely on misleading marketing.”
Safety Considerations
It’s important to note that being in ketosis, however, is generally considered safe. People with underlying health conditions like kidney disease or diabetes, people who are pregnant or nursing, children, or anyone on medications affecting blood sugar shouldn’t use keto gummies, notes Rancourt.