Quicksilver pitches new keto product to biohackers
The product, called Keto Before 6, is a blend of botanical ingredients meant to stimulate ketogenesis within the body, or the preferential burning of fat as fuel as opposed to glucose. The product was developed under the direction of Quicksilver CEO Chris Shade, PhD.
Combo approach to stimulate ketosis
“It’s a nanoparticle delivery system,” Shade told NutraIngredients-USA. “It’s a combination of berberine, quercitin, silymarin, resveratrol, cinnamon and dindolymethane. There are the triggers in the body that will shift you from burning carbs into fat burning.”
“There is a big trigger system called AMPK. Another blocks a pathway called mTOR. All these ingredients are known for being able to do this at some level with some slightly different pathways,” he added.
Shade said the nanoparticle formulation is critical to the success of the product. Some supplement ingredients have modes of action in which a slow build of blood levels over time and a maintenance of those levels is the key, such as omega-3s or vitamin D. This product is different, he said.
“This works if you get these ingredients into the blood stream rapidly at high levels which is only possible with nanoparticle delivery,” Shade said.
Simulating the effects of fasting
Shade said the ‘before 6’ idea fits into a newer mode of thinking about a ketogenic style of eating. Restricting carbohydrate intake during the day can simulate the benefits of intermittent fasting without having to actually refrain from eating, and then some carbohydrates can be consumed in the evening to smooth out some of the reported negative effects of the diet, such as mild confusion and irritability.
“People want to be able to get into ketosis quickly during the day so they can lose weight, and Keto Before 6 can help with that. It allows you to quickly toggle back and forth,” he said.
Shade said in the future the product could also have a place in sports nutrition. Training the body to be more efficient in ketosis could be helpful in endurance events, where muscle glycogen stores can become fully depleted.
“Traditionally it has been thought that you have dry up glycogen before you shift into ketosis. This shifts you over into burning fats while you still have some glycogen stores left. You become good at burning both sources,” he said.
New promotional venues
Quicksilver promoted the product launch at an event called Bulletproof Upgrade Labs Biohacking Conference, held in Beverly Hills, CA. The two-day conference featured sessions on ketogenic diets, cryotherapy, low frequency radiation for better sleep and something called ‘cellular exercise.’
This continues a trend of supplement companies and ingredient suppliers promoting their products in new and different venues. For example, ingredient supplier Kyowa Hakko promoted its Cognizin nootropic ingredient to video gamers at the recent South by Southwest trade show in Austin, TX.
