With the widespread popularization of ketogenic diets, the word ‘ketones’ has entered the national consciousness. But, perhaps ironically, the function of ketones isn’t widely understood. Many fitfluencers refer to them as a downstream product of ‘getting healthy.’
This is quite an oversimplification. And to reclaim your metabolic health, you deserve a better working definition.
This article explains the unique interchange between ketones and your heart health. I also want to explain how you can maximize them in your body using a mix of lifestyle factors.
Article overview
- The body produces ketones when it operates in a low-carb environment, and these ketones come from using fat for energy. Ketones serve as part of the body’s ‘energy bank’ for times when environmental carbs are scarce.
- Ketones aren’t just an alternative form of energy for your body. A high volume of ketones can have several beneficial effects on your body, particularly the heart.
- You can influence ketone production in your body by controlling what and how much you eat, embarking on an intermittent fasting journey, and by exercising. Each of these possesses a host of physical benefits on its own.
What are ketones?
Ketones are an acid your body produces when relying on fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. It’s derived from the old German word aketon, meaning acetone. You’re likely very familiar with the connection if you’ve followed a low-carb diet before and experienced the ‘keto breath’ phenomenon.
You can think of ketones as an alternative form of glucose. The difference is that your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose to fuel your body. When your carbohydrate intake is low, you automatically switch to using fat as an energy source. Your liver makes this possible by converting fats into fatty acids and ketone bodies.
There’s a good chance you’ve heard carbohydrates referred to as your body’s ‘preferred’ energy source. To some degree, that’s true. It’s similar to gasoline, which you put into your car to provide outside energy. But once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.
Fat and the breakdown of fat into energy (aka, ketones) is more like a battery than gasoline. It can provide and store power even when you’re not using gasoline. This makes it easier on your body to operate smoothly throughout the day.
Most people have blood ketone levels somewhere between 0.1 and 0.3 mmol/L. For context, the threshold for reaching nutritional ketosis is currently 0.5 mmol/L. Your brain and heart constantly use small amounts of ketones to function, even on a high-carb diet.
And generating more could work wonders on your health, as you’ll see below.
How ketones affect the heart
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need carbs to ensure optimal heart health. In fact, a great deal of research seems to indicate the opposite: the fewer carbs you eat, the better your heart health will be.
Here are a few ways that ketones can benefit your heart:
- Improved cardiac efficiency. Ketones provide your heart with a highly effective energy source, which for most people is far more efficient than glucose. This is especially relevant for those who have already suffered from cardiac failure. You should also know that a high level of ketones in the blood can help improve stroke volume and cardiac output, which deliver more oxygen and nutrition around your body.
- Better endothelial function. Endothelium is a lining on the insides of your blood vessels. If you could stretch it out from end to end, there would be around 50,000 to 60,000 miles. Your endothelium is directly responsible for controlling inflammation in vessels, preventing clots, regulating blood pressure, and facilitating nutrient and hormone exchanges. Ketones not only inhibit the NLRP3 inflammasome (a driver of vascular inflammation), but they also can improve nitric oxide bioavailability. These two factors work together to ensure a more flexible, less inflamed vascular system.
- Regulating blood sugar and lipid profiles. Beta-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB) is the most abundant ketone circulating in the bloodstream, accounting for almost 80% of the total ketones. An increased amount is positively associated with lipid and blood sugar regulation, both of which ultimately lead to better heart health. Plus, other studies indicate they can assist with the treatment of depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment.
- Reduced cardiac fibrosis. Emerging research suggests that ketone production may reduce pathological cardiac fibrosis and remodeling after a heart attack. This can help prevent progression into even more serious heart failure. So, if you’ve already suffered a cardiac event once, you should be keen to increase ketone production in your body.
Generating more ketones for your heart
With the many potential benefits of ketones, you may be wondering: how do I produce even more?
There’s a good chance it’s easier than you think.
I highly recommend starting to:
Eat a low carbohydrate diet
Carbohydrates in the form of simple sugars and processed foods are the bane of our modern metabolisms. However, switching to a low-carbohydrate diet can provide two concurrent benefits: decreasing the effects of ultra-processed foods, and stimulating the production of greater amounts of ketones in the bloodstream.
Many studies suggest that eating 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates per day can help you reliably enter nutritional ketosis within a few days. That said, remember that you don’t need to reach ketosis to start generating ketones. You get many of the benefits of ketones, such as lower inflammation and less oxidative stress, without ever hitting the 0.5 mmol/L threshold for nutritional ketosis.
If you want my advice, I’d keep carbs as low as possible. Stick to eggs, beef, seafood, organ meats, and fats like butter and beef tallow, to help improve your metabolic health.
Learn more about low-carb diets that can help produce ketones, such as ketogenic and carnivore.
Set a fasting routine
Fasting not only factors heavily in the production of ketones, but it also triggers autophagy, a cellular recycling process. This cleanup process can help maintain cellular health throughout your body. So it’s not hard to imagine how creating a fasting routine can help create a one-two punch for better metabolic health.
Most people prefer to take an intermittent approach to fasting at first. Even 12 hours at a time can help increase ketone production. Coupled with a low-carb diet, you may very likely enter ketosis within one to five days. But if you exercise as well, your time-to-entry may speed up.
Learn more about setting a fasting routine here.
Exercise more frequently
Regular exercise is good for just about everything in your body, from your cardiovascular system to your muscles, joints, metabolism, and mental health. It’s also an easy way to generate more ketones for your body. Case in point: performing two or more hours of moderate-intensity endurance exercise (50–65% VO₂ max) in a fasted state can raise blood ketone levels to 0.5–1.5 mmol/L, compared to a resting baseline of 0.1–0.25 mmol/L.
Try to participate in walking, zone two training, and/or strength training for at least three hours a week, and up to five hours for best results. Just keep in mind exercise isn’t a reliable way to generate ketones. But it is an effective way to amplify what you already have.
Don’t have time for dedicated exercise? Walking at least 30 minutes a day is a great way to start. Just set some achievable goals and work on building the consistency to reach them. Even setting goals for continuous movement can have positive effects on your cardiac function, as well as increase ketone production.
Learn more about the connection between exercise and heart health here.