Keto gummies have become increasingly popular as a palatable and convenient way to support a ketogenic diet. Marketed with promises of boosted energy and fat-burning capabilities, they've gained traction through viral ads and celebrity endorsements. However, before incorporating them into your routine, it's important to understand what keto gummies are, how they function, and whether they're a worthwhile addition or just another fleeting trend.
What Are Keto Gummies?
Keto gummies are sugar-free gummy snacks or supplements designed to align with a ketogenic diet. They generally fall into two categories:
Low-Carb Sweet Treats: These gummies are typically made with gelatin or pectin for a chewy texture and are sweetened with keto-friendly options like stevia, erythritol, or monk fruit. These are designed to satisfy sweet cravings without disrupting ketosis.
Functional Supplements: These gummies aim to boost ketone levels. They often share the same base ingredients as the snack version but include MCT oil to support energy and enhance ketone production.
Ingredients Found in Keto Gummies
Most keto gummies commonly contain medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), a type of saturated fat that helps give your body energy, in addition to exogenous ketones. Some keto gummies may contain gelatin or natural sweeteners like Stevia. Keto gummies don’t have any additional sugars because if they did, then it would throw you out of ketosis.
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How Do Keto Gummies Work?
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet designed to induce a metabolic state called ketosis. In ketosis, the body primarily uses fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. Keto gummies are marketed to support this process by increasing ketone levels in the blood.
When following a keto diet, the body enters nutritional ketosis and starts to break down fat for energy. Once the body enters a state of ketosis, it begins producing ketones, which are then used for fuel. Keto gummies are supplements that resemble ordinary chewable vitamins but offer a different purported health benefit. They’re marketed as a way to help boost ketone levels in the blood.
Exogenous Ketones
Keto gummies are made with exogenous ketones, which are ketones you get from an outside source. 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.
Do Keto Gummies Work for Weight Loss?
While keto gummies may contribute to burning fat, they may not directly target stored body fat. When in ketosis, the body burns fat for fuel. However, it tends to burn the most readily available fat first. Therefore, if consuming keto gummies supplemented with MCT oil, the body will likely burn that fat before tapping into stored body fat.
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. These products are not evidence-based and often rely on misleading marketing.
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Calorie Content
Ketone gummies with added MCT oil aren’t calorie-free. Most contain between 50 to 150 calories per serving, and some brands recommend up to three servings a day. That can add up to an extra 150 to 450 calories daily, which may interfere with your weight loss goals.
Potential Benefits of Keto Gummies
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.
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. 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.
Potential Side Effects
While generally safe for most individuals, keto gummies can cause several side effects:
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- Bloating, Gas, and Diarrhea: Often caused by low-carb sweeteners and sugar alcohols like erythritol or xylitol.
- Upset Stomach: Common with higher doses, especially if you're new to MCT oil.
- Blood Sugar Fluctuations: Some gummies can temporarily lower blood sugar, which may be risky for those on insulin or sulfonylureas. On the flip side, certain people may actually see a rise in blood sugar from specific low-carb sweeteners.
- Weight Gain or Plateau: Gummies with added MCT oil can be calorie-dense. If taken in excess, the extra calories may stall weight loss or even lead to weight gain.
- Nausea and Vomiting.
- Gastrointestinal issues, like diarrhea.
- Low blood sugar.
One runs the risk of GI issues if your keto gummies use sorbitol, which is known as a laxative. 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.
If you experience side effects like an upset stomach or diarrhea, dehydration can become a concern. This may lead to symptoms like headaches, fatigue, and heart palpitations. In more serious cases, it could contribute to ketoacidosis or aggravate existing kidney conditions.
Are Keto Gummies Safe?
For most people, keto gummies are generally safe. However, they can cause blood sugar fluctuations, so if you're taking medications to lower your blood sugar, it's a good idea to check in with your healthcare provider before trying a new supplement.
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. The keto diet - and the addition of a keto supplement like gummies - can potentially lower your blood sugar, leading to hypoglycemic responses. And it can dehydrate you as well.
Should You Try Keto Gummies?
Before you hop on the keto gummy bandwagon, 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.
It depends. If you’ve tried keto gummies and they make you feel better without compromising your weight loss goals, go for it. But if you’re taking them hoping to burn more fat, keep in mind that they won’t magically melt away body fat-your body will always burn the most available fuel first, whether that’s dietary fat or ketones from a supplement. At the end of the day, the best way to lose fat is still by keeping carbs low and letting your body do its thing naturally. Ketone supplements can be a tool, but they’re not a shortcut.