Taking a look at internet searches on Google Trends, the terms ‘ketogenic diet’ as well as ‘keto,’ a popular abbreviation, has spiked in popularity—reaching the most search numbers ever for both terms in January 2017 after a steady incline throughout 2016.
It’s stepping stone is the no-carb or grain-free diet. Ketone esters are produced by the liver as a back-up energy source when an individual is not eating enough carbohydrates or is fasting, known as a state of ketosis. Researchers at Oxford University have been experimenting with a beverage containing ketone esters on top athletes. The results suggest that being supplemented with ketone esters may boost endurance, and has piqued curiosity among sports professionals.
Riding on this momentum, Compound Solutions has undergone an independent assessment process to self-affirm the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status of its goBHB and go MCTC exogenous ketone body ingredients (different from the one used in the Oxford University study), marketed as a non-carbohydrate energy source. "Ketones are a less oxidative energy than carbohydrates. We see an incredibly wide array of applications from weight management and endurance to new meal replacement bars and long-lasting, clean energy and focus powders for our military personnel," Matt Titlow, CEO of Compound Solutions, told NutraInrgedients-USA.
Bringing keto beyond sports nutrition
Compound Solutions is betting on a mainstream acceptance and enthusiasm of the ketogenic diet. It is marketing the two as ingredients not just for athletes. So far, the ingredients have appeared in 15 sports nutrition start-up beverages, such as Limited Labs’ Ketone 1, and Titlow said the number is "growing exponentially."
“The ketogenic and low-carb categories are big now,” said Matt Titlow, CEO of Compound Solutions. “We are excited to bring goBHB into new markets such as weight management shakes, ketogenic-friendly foods, cognitive health and clean energy and performance,” he added.
Marketing material from the company says that goBHB can be used in beverages marketed for “busy professionals, on-the-go moms or dads, or college students looking for extra hours in the day.”
Titlow hopes that getting self-affirmed GRAS and patenting the ingredients can help elevate ketogenic products to a mass audience and become a solution to health problems. On the distribution deal with the original patent owners for the two ingredients, Titlow said: “Forming this joint venture will help kick-start the low-carb, higher-fat movement this country desperately needs to reverse the diabetes epidemic.”