Aldehydes and Ketones (1.5)

Ketogenesis, Ketones

Have you ever heard of the term, ketosis? A common method of burning body fat is consuming a low-carb diet. Our body utilizes carbohydrates stored in tissues as its primary source of energy production. As we deprive our bodies of carbohydrates (i.e. less than 50g per day), the secretion of insulin is reduced and the body enters a catabolic state. As glycogen stores deplete, the body is forced to undergo metabolic changes – it needs a new energy source! The two different metabolic processes are called gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis.

Gluconeogenesis is defined as the, "endogenous production of glucose in the body, especially in the liver, primarily from lactic acid, glycerol, and the amino acids, alanine and glutamine". Due to the increasingly unavailable glucose, our bodies cannot keep up with this endogenous production, and thus, ketogenesis kicks in!

Ketogenesis provides the body with this alternate source of energy – ketones! The body has the unique ability to use ketones as an energy source once all of the body's glucose stores have been depleted. Once in ketosis, the body reduces its need to store fat and glucose in our tissues because of "low glucose feedback," and "low stimulus for insulin secretion." Ketogenesis and other hormonal changes in the body metabolize fatty acids to acetoacetate, which is converted to beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetone. These are the ketones that accumulate in our body when sustaining a ketogenic diet. As long as our bodies are deprived of carbohydrates, it will remain in ketosis.