The ketone supplement market has exploded with various compounds claiming to boost your body’s ketone levels. Two prominent players in this space are beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) ketone salts and acids like goBHB and 1,3-butanediol. While both can ultimately increase blood ketones, the science reveals significant differences in their delivery mechanisms, effectiveness, and safety profiles. 1,3 butanediol—while sold as a ketone—technically is not.
Understanding the Chemical Difference
The fundamental distinction between these compounds lies in their chemical structure. BHB is an actual ketone body – one of three naturally produced by your liver during ketosis. When you take goBHB, you’re consuming the same molecule your body produces during fasting or following a ketogenic diet, just bound to a mineral salt for stability or in an all BHB acid form.
In contrast, 1,3-butanediol is not a ketone at all. It’s a diol alcohol with two hydroxyl groups, structurally more similar to compounds like antifreeze than natural ketones. 1,3-butanediol is a diol alcohol that is “structurally more similar to antifreeze than actual ketones”. Your liver must first convert this alcohol into BHB through alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases – an extra metabolic step that creates potential complications.
Superior Ketone Delivery: The Research Speaks
When it comes to raising blood ketone levels efficiently, BHB demonstrates clear superiority. The conversion process required for 1,3-butanediol creates inefficiencies. Studies show that “1,3-butanediol is converted to BHB, primarily in the liver, by alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases”, requiring your liver to work harder to produce the same ketone levels you could achieve directly with BHB.
Furthermore, a comprehensive meta-analysis of 30 studies involving 408 participants found that “exogenous ketones led to a significant increase in blood BHB” with measurable reductions in glucose levels, demonstrating the metabolic benefits of direct ketone supplementation.
Safety Profile: Why goBHB Takes the Lead As 1,3 Is Toxic
The safety advantages of BHB become apparent when examining the side effect profiles. BHB ketone salts have been extensively studied and generally show good tolerability. Research on BHB salt supplementation found that “systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation were unaffected in the resting state”, indicating cardiovascular safety.
However, 1,3-butanediol presents concerning issues. A 2023 study reported that “people taking it reported nausea and dizziness, especially when the dose wasn’t split into smaller portions”. These side effects stem from its alcohol nature – your body processes it similarly to ethanol, potentially causing intoxication-like symptoms.
More troubling is the liver burden. Research indicates that high concentrations of 1,3-butanediol can produce “severe impacts on liver ATP”, suggesting potential metabolic stress on this vital organ. The liver must work overtime to convert the alcohol into usable ketones, creating oxidative stress and depleting energy stores.
Taste & Flavor Profile
Because of the composition of 1,3 butanediol, it’s incredibly hard to mask and thus—flavor. Flavor can be considered subjective, however all one has to do is look at review summaries on Amazon for the leading 1,3 butanediol product and it’s clear—taste is almost unanimously horribly rated. On the other hand, BHB is easy to flavor and its tasty flavor consistently gets better reviews across the board.
Cost-Effectiveness
BHB is highly cost-effective to regularly implement into your routine. 1,3 butanediol is unnecessarily expensive while delivering far inferior results.
Energy Production vs. Energy Stealing
BHB helps your body produce more energy (ATP) at the cellular level. 1,3 butanediol actually robs your body of energy to fund the work it takes for it to be converted. One has a net positive, the other? A net negative. This is key as energy funds every single process our body has to carry out—immune function, metabolic function, thinking, muscle firing, etc. etc.—it all gets bankrolled by ATP. Anything we choose to include in our diet, supplement regimen, and lifestyle—should generally always be promoting energy production. 1,3 does the exact opposite. In terms of exact numbers, research has shown BHB to produce as much as 755% more ATP than 1,3 butanediol!
The Bottom Line
While both compounds can technically raise ketone levels, BHB emerges as the clear winner for ketone supplementation. Its direct delivery mechanism provides immediate ketone availability without burdening your liver with conversion processes. The extensive research base supports both its effectiveness and safety profile, making it the logical choice for those seeking the benefits of exogenous ketones.
When choosing between goBHB and 1,3-butanediol, remember that you’re not just buying a supplement – you’re investing in your metabolic health. Why force your liver to work harder converting an alcohol when you can provide it with the exact ketone body it would naturally produce? The science strongly favors the direct approach that BHB provides, delivering superior results with a well-established safety profile that 1,3-butanediol simply cannot match.
References
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Hashim, S. A., & VanItallie, T. B. (2014). Ketone body therapy: from the ketogenic diet to the oral administration of ketone ester. Journal of Lipid Research, 55(9), 1818-1826. https://doi.org/10.1194/jlr.R046599
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Cox, P. J., Kirk, T., Ashmore, T., Willerton, K., Evans, R., Smith, A., … & Clarke, K. (2016). Nutritional ketosis alters fuel preference and thereby endurance performance in athletes. Cell Metabolism, 24(2), 256-268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2016.07.010
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Puchalska, P., & Crawford, P. A. (2017). Multi‐dimensional roles of ketone bodies in fuel metabolism, signaling, and therapeutics. Cell Metabolism, 25(2), 262-284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2016.12.022
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Kesl, S. L., Poff, A. M., Ward, N. P., Fiorelli, T. N., Ari, C., Van Putten, A. J., … & D’Agostino, D. P. (2016). Effects of exogenous ketone supplementation on blood ketone, glucose, triglyceride, and lipoprotein levels in Sprague–Dawley rats. Nutrition & Metabolism, 13(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12986-016-0069-y
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Fischer, T., Och, U., Klawon, I., Och, T., Grüneberg, M., Fobker, M., … & Marquardt, T. (2021). Effect of a sodium and calcium DL-β-hydroxybutyrate salt in healthy adults. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2021, 9992818. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/9992818