How important are keto supplements?
The keto diet boasts a ton of transformation stories—even celebs like Jenna Jameson, Al Roker, and Vanessa Hudgens have dabbled in it (and have the before-and-after photos to prove it).
But um, it’s still hard work—revamping your diet by almost totally cutting out carbs is a drastic change for your body (especially if you’re a pizza and pasta lover), so there’s got to be an easier way to get into ketosis (a.k.a., that state where your body burns fat for fuel instead of carbs), right? Maybe with special keto supplements?
Basically most “keto” supplements, which typically come in powder or capsule form, contain two specific ingredients:
Medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are predominantly saturated fats that break down in the liver
Exogenous ketones or ketone salts (a.k.a. beta-hydroxybutyrate, or “ketones” made outside of the body in a lab)
Together, these reportedly work to increase the amount of fat in your body and kick you into ketosis (a.k.a. your fat-burning zone) faster, says McWhorter. Ketone supplements also allegedly block carbohydrates from being absorbed or metabolized.
