The ketogenic diet, which most people call the keto diet, is a diet that is high in fat and very low in carbohydrates.

This type of diet encourages a metabolic state called ketosis, in which the body burns fat instead of carbohydrate as its primary source of energy.

The process of burning fat results in the production of fatty acid byproducts called ketones. These are the substances that the body uses for energy when carbohydrates are in short supply.

The keto diet is highly restrictive. Many people have difficulty sticking to the diet and, therefore, fail to achieve ketosis. Exogenous ketones are supplements that could help a person achieve ketosis while being slightly less strict regarding what they eat.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) do not regulate the exogenous ketone supplement market. Therefore, neither they nor other regulatory agencies test or evaluate ketone supplements for safety, purity, or effectiveness.

Also, researchers are unsure whether exogenous ketones have the same effect as ketones that the body produces naturally.

In this article, we outline the effectiveness and safety of exogenous ketones.