The ketogenic diet, often called the keto diet, has gained immense popularity as a weight loss strategy. It's a high-fat, very low-carbohydrate diet designed to shift the body into a metabolic state known as ketosis. In ketosis, the body primarily uses fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. This process has led to the development of various keto supplements, including keto gummies, which claim to support the diet's effectiveness. This article explores the potential benefits and risks of Total Fit Keto ACV BHB Gummies, helping you make an informed decision about their use.
What are Keto Gummies?
Keto gummies are dietary supplements marketed to support a ketogenic diet and help with weight loss, energy, and metabolism, among other things. They resemble ordinary chewable vitamins but offer a different purported health benefit.
Ingredients Found in Keto Gummies
Most keto gummies typically contain medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), a type of saturated fat that helps give your body energy, in addition to exogenous ketones. Sometimes, keto gummies may contain gelatin or natural sweeteners like Stevia. It’s not like eating a traditional gummy. It’s not going to have any additional sugars because if it did, then it would throw you out of ketosis.
Exogenous Ketones: The Key Component
Keto gummies are made with exogenous ketones, which is a fancy term for ketones you get from an outside source. “Your body makes ketones on its own through the foods you eat,” explains registered dietitian Beth Czerwony, RD, LD. “Keto gummies are a supplement that adds exogenous ketones into your body, which may help continue ketosis.”
Exogenous ketones 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.
Read also: Total Knee Replacement and Massage Therapy
Potential Benefits of Keto Gummies
Do keto gummies work? There’s limited research on the benefits of keto gummies. “There aren’t any studies that have shown the long-term effects of keto gummies and if they’re beneficial,” states Czerwony.
Czerwony says potential benefits include:
- Increase weight loss.
- Improve athletic performance.
- Decrease your appetite.
But, again, whether keto gummies or other keto supplements can actually keep you in ketosis has been inconclusive, according to research.
The Reality of Ketosis and Keto Gummies
It’s important to note that keto gummies (or any keto supplement, for that matter) don’t put you in ketosis. “Keto gummies may help the process of ketosis continue, but you need to be in ketosis first,” clarifies Czerwony. 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. But once the body enters a state of ketosis, it begins producing ketones, which are then used for fuel.
Limited Scientific 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. “These products are not evidence-based and often rely on misleading marketing,” says Schwartz.
Read also: Is Total Fit Keto ACV right for you? Find out here.
Claims of Boosting Metabolism
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.
Potential Risks of Keto Gummies
Before you decide to try keto gummies, it’s also worth understanding the potential risks. Czerwony says those potential risks include:
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Gastrointestinal issues, like diarrhea.
- Low blood sugar.
Gastrointestinal Distress
“You run the risk of GI issues if your keto gummies use sorbitol, which is known as a laxative,” warns Czerwony. “You should be cautious if you’re going try it. Slowly introduce keto gummies to see how you do because you don’t want to all sudden just kind of overdo it and have those side effects and not be very happy.”
Impact on Blood Sugar
And while some people with Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney issues may opt to go on the keto diet, Czerwony cautions against adding keto gummies to the mix. “The keto diet - and the addition of a keto supplement like gummies - can potentially lower your blood sugar, leading to hypoglycemic responses,” she says. “And it can dehydrate you as well.”
The Body's Natural Balance
In fact, one study explains that supplements may increase the amount of ketones too much. Ideally, your body wants to maintain an even level of ketones. And when this happens, your liver may not produce as many ketones naturally, making it harder to stay in ketosis.
Read also: Fact vs. Fiction: Keto Ingredients
One of the reasons why supplementation may not be all that effective is because 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.
Regulatory Concerns
Dietary supplements are not approved for safety or efficacy by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and ingredients and their amounts may vary. Because dietary supplement products are not regulated by the FDA, it can be difficult to know whether you’re getting what you pay for.
Beware of Scams
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.
Third-Party Verification
Pharmacopeia. “These companies will test to make sure that what’s on the label is actually inside the bottle because a lot of times with supplements, it might not even contain what it claims to contain,” says Diana Guevara, a registered dietitian nutritionist with UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. Keep in mind, however, that while third-party tests can check for ingredients, they do not check for efficacy.
Potential Liver Damage
“Supplements are often expensive (urine) because, at best, you’ll just pee it out,” Guevara says. “At worst, it could be harmful for your liver because it does have to process everything you’re taking.”
Should You Try Keto Gummies?
Before you hop on the keto gummy bandwagon, Czerwony suggests looking at your diet first if you’re struggling to stay in ketosis. “What is the reason that your body isn’t staying in ketosis? Are you overdoing it on carbohydrates? Is it because you’re getting bored? Is it because you’re still hungry?”
Consider making the necessary tweaks to your keto diet so you’re getting enough calories or fiber. Doing so can be a healthier option instead of turning to 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.
Consulting a Healthcare Provider
But if you want to try keto gummies, make sure you talk to a healthcare provider first. And remember that keto gummies are an addition to your keto diet plan - they don’t replace it. You may only reap the potential benefits if you use them consistently.
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.
Evaluating the Keto Diet Itself
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.
Alternatives to Keto Gummies
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.