The Great Ketone Marketing Quiz: What's Real vs. What's Spin?

*A Note to Readers:* Look, I get it—this might seem petty, calling out a competitor's marketing tactics. But I believe you deserve to know what you're actually buying when you spend your hard-earned money on "ketones". So I thought I would make it fun, and play a little game. I'll present claims you might see in ketone product marketing, you decide if they're true, then I'll reveal what their own fine print actually says. You can judge for yourself whether these are outright lies or just... creative VC backed marketing. This post is LONG, but I think consumers are smart and willing to take a deep dive past the splashy headlines before shelling out $100.

Let's Play "Fact or Marketing Fiction?"

Round 1:
The $6M Military Contract Misdirection

EXACT MARKETING CLAIM: "Through a $6MM R&D contract with the US Department of Defense, we developed a new generation of ketones. The product we developed is Ketone-IQ."

Government backing for their current product—that's credible validation, right? 

☐ FACT    ☐ FICTION

❌ FICTION & MISDIRECTION

As Bill Clinton would say ”It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is."

What does “Through” mean? “Through” usually would imply in cooperation with, or that the new generation Ketone IQ product was tested by the military in this contract. Not here. “Through” means “During” as in “During” the timeline the military was testing Ketone Monoester, the company, not the military, pivoted to Ketone Diol because they lost their license to sell Ketone Monoester in 2019.

The Contract Reality: That $6 million military contract (impressive I will concede) was awarded for research specifically and only for Ketone Monoester (D-bhb bound to R 1,3 bdo), not their current ketone diol only product. The CEO frequently says stuff like "We do research with DOD on exogenous ketones" but conveniently doesn't mention it's for a completely different molecule they no longer sell! 

There are no public plans for the military to use the alcohol-based ketone diol version for military personnel, as it is obvious that inebriated soldiers could be a hazard.

How did you do? Don’t feel bad, even an author on an upcoming book on ketones thought he cut “through” all their B.S. and was like “Damn, they got me on that one!”.

 Round 2:
The Science Switcheroo

MARKETING CLAIM:  Our ketone product is science-backed with dozens of clinical studies showing benefits like increased EPO production, hunger suppression, and enhanced recovery. 

Sounds impressive with all that research, right? What's your guess?

☐ FACT    ☐ FICTION

❌ FICTION

Their Own Fine Print Reality: Those studies used ketone ester, not the ketone diol in Ketone-IQ. Formerly known as HVMN, they used to sell the actual Ketone Ester (they called it "HVMN Ketone") until they lost their license in 2019. Now they use a completely different molecule—R 1,3 butanediol or "Ketone Diol"—but still cite the original Ketone Ester research.

Even HVMN admits this in a buried blog disclaimer: "However, it's important to note [albeit buried in fine print] that this study was based on ketone esters, which Ketone-IQ is not... inferences can be made from studies on ketone esters."

The Actual 3rd Party Studies on Their Product:  Only 3 published 3rd party sport studies have tested Ketone Diol. All found no performance benefits, one reporting "dizziness, nausea, and euphoria," aka buzzed, or inebriated. 

One used Ketone IQ itself. No benefit. Guess which studies IQ does NOT mention? 

Note they did fund a study that claimed sprinters ran faster. We will cover that in another blog, but sneak peak,

1. It was rejected from reputable journals and thus blocked out of pubmed
2. Likely not blinded.
3. Sprinters were given a meal pre-sprint workout (which is silly) and puked less using IQ

Maybe the "paper" should be titled "Drink IQ, puke less to sprint faster". Wait and see more details in an upcoming blog post.

Round 3:
The "Goldilocks BHB Zone" Graph Game

MARKETING CLAIM: Our internal study shows KetoneIQ provides optimal ketone levels that stay in the 'Goldilocks Zone' longer than ketone esters.

Internal research showing superiority—that's solid science, right? 

☐ FACT    ☐ FICTION

✔️❌ You Decide!

First, and comedically (is that a word?) "Goldilocks Zone" or 1-2.5 mM was a phrase they came up with in a paper they wrote when boasting how great their ketone version 1, ie ketone monoester was. It was a silly range of not too high (as if that is bad) and not too low, ie useless.

Punchline: A third party clinical trial showed 1 bottle of 10g of Ketone Diol in Ketone IQ averaged a peak of 0.8mM, which is under their self proclaimed effectiveness zone. Again… THEIR DRINK DOESN’T MATCH THEIR arbitrary ideal range! It is so bad, it actually starts getting funny.

The Independent Study They Ignore: When a third-party clinical trial directly compared equal doses (10g each):

- Ketone ester produced *66% higher peak* ketone levels.

- Ketone ester was *36% stronger* overall area under the curve.

Below is the overlap from the actual paper. Does their product somehow look “Goldi” or slow release? Mind you, ketones do nothing in the blood. It is when they LEAVE the blood that they start to work. So you want it to go high and then get to work. Other third-party studies have demonstrated that ketone ester delivers ketones to the brain, maintaining high BHB levels in the brain for several hours. (see supplement at bottom of blog). Any biochemist will say the yellow peak is much better, yet somehow IQ try and spin the ester as too strong or spiky.

Recreated below by our marketing team. Their 1 bottle doesn’t even start to enter IQ's self proclaimed Optimal Goldilocks zone.

Note the Ketone Salt was pulled from another 3rd party trial. They barely beat that.

Round 3, Part 2: Again, The "Goldilocks Zone" Slow Release Graph Game

MARKETING CLAIM: Our internal study shows Ketone-IQ provides optimal ketone levels that stay in the 'Goldilocks Zone' longer than ketone esters.

Question: When looking at this chart did you assume it was 1 bottle of Ketone IQ?

☐ FACT    ☐ FICTION

❌ No, it is 3.5-7 bottles of Ketone IQ!

This chart is from their website. It looks impressive and it claims Ketone Diol is better than Ketone Ester. Do you see a pattern? Always trying to compare to the🥇gold standard, yet failing when you look closer.

Issue #1 "Internal Study" Trick: Check the fine print on their graph: "0.5g/kg body weight dose of Ketone IQ". This was NOT a 3rd party test, but a test on 1 person (also known as an “N of 1”) . Not clear if they had a subway before (which would also "slow release" ketones). For a 70kg person, that's **35 grams**—or 3.5 bottles of their 10g version or 7 bottles ($35) of their 5g idiotic version. At that dose, most people would feel inebriated. "Diol" literally means two alcohols. They had to use a massive multi-dose to make their graph look competitive. And hope you don’t realize it isn’t 1 bottle.

Issue #2. The fine print says "to match similar doses for the other studies on exogenous ketones”

But they didn’t. They used a 12g of Ketone Salt study and a 25g of ketone monoester study vs their 35g.

Here is the corrected chart using an actual study that used the same 0.5g/kg of Ketone Monoester. It shows IQ cherry-picked a 25g study and not the study that used 35g of ketone ester. Adding in the green area looks like a Tsunami 🌊 eating them for breakfast. Or maybe lunch because we intermittent fasting people don’t eat breakfast!

They claim their drink is “slow release” and somehow that is a benefit. But when you look at the 3rd party 10g testing or the gram matched above, it is just LOW release. 

So why does it appear that their self reported chart is slower release?

• Theory #1: Even the smallest amount of food will slow down most exogenous ketones. With an N of 1 with an intention to show slow release this can be done with a subway sandwich. Think Jared (a BS artist). They did do this, i.e. eat, before their self-funded sprint paper (which doesn't even show a BHB curve! Wonder why?).

• Theory #2: The liver has to convert the Ketone Diol into BHB in the same manner as alcohol metabolism. If you exceed the capacity of the liver to buffer an ingredient, it may max out the liver and appear to slow down conversion and delivery of BHB. That isn’t a good thing, especially not in sport when you need the liver for other things like converting fructose to glucose. This would explain why the peak and drop is nearly identical in the 10g study, but looks slower in the 35g N of 1.

Note that in their recent self funded clinical trial  they did a fasted test at 0.5g per kilo (ie 35g), but they did not disclose the results in any chart form. ChatGPT pulled this out of their paper:

The paper states that on the Dose Exposure Day (the fasted non-sport test), a significant elevation in blood ketones was observed after 20 minutes, and this elevation remained significantly different even after 40 minutes. This implies the peak was reached within this 20- to 40-minute window.

This is much to the contrast of their N of 1 chart implying a peak at hour 3. Is that a lie? You decide.

Round 4:
The Celebrity Paid Endorsement Shuffle

MARKETING CLAIM: Lance Armstrong says "60% of the peloton you're watching day in and day out are using HVMN Ketone IQ." (not actual quote, but you get the gist)

Celebrity endorsement from a cycling legend—must be legit, right?

☐ FACT    ☐ FICTION

✔️ FACT kinda, but not the way you may think.

The Video Evidence: The original footage shows Lance referencing the former HVMN ketone ester in their company timeline, ie the old HVMN Ketone product. Lance was asking a question to the CEO. However, the promotional clips cleverly edit together his question to look like a statement (which they didn't answer Lance because they knew he was talking about the wrong formula).

So it could be said to be FACT, but regarding the HVMN Ketone Ester, but edited to make you think it was about the new Ketone IQ. 

 Round 5:
The Pro Team Paradox

MARKETING CLAIM: "Team Visma-Lease a Bike uses our product in the Tour de France."

Pro cycling team partnership—case closed on effectiveness, right?

☐ FACT    ☐ FICTION     ☐ MAYBE

❌ MAYBE

The Million-Dollar Question: Ketone IQ reportedly paid upward of $750,000 for this sponsorship. But here's the curious part: riders were *never observed* actually consuming Ketone-IQ during Tour de France coverage in 2024 and 2025.

When reporters asked the team sport directors about using Ketone-IQ, they would not confirm responded diplomatically: "Ketones are part of our private nutrition plan." 

How hard is it to admit to using the drink? There are 2 teams that KetoneAid sponsors and the riders have the choice whether to take it and there are hundreds of images of them taking it after a race. My favorite is Mark Cavendish after a hard ride and he freaks out when he can’t find his ketones, until he gets them and chugs it. Reminds me of the commercials when a QB wins the Superbowl he says he is going to Disneyworld. I’m no Donald Duck, but the video gives me goosebumps.  

Update 9-5-2025: Now new ads have Visma directly stating they put IQ into the post race water bottles.

 Round 6:
The Innovation Illusion

MARKETING CLAIM: CEO repeatedly discusses in ads, podcasts and on stage at KetoCon "inventing ketones".

Sounds like cutting-edge innovation, right? 

☐ FACT    ☐ FICTION

❌ FICTION

Timeline: HVMN claimed to be the first to launch Ketone Ester. Actually KetoneAid both announced via Kickstarter and delivered ketone ester months before they did.

Timeline launch #2: (HVMN) Ketone IQ claims to be the first to launch a “pure diol”. Also false. KetoneAid sister company Hard Ketones launched a Ketone Diol (also pure diol) a few months before IQ.

The Patent Reality: Nothing was invented at Ketone-IQ (or the former name HVMN or the former former name Nootrobox, as seen on Sharktank). The ketone ester technology was created by Dr. Richard Veech and Todd King at the NIH, and ironically, KetoneAid holds the patent for Ketone Diol in water—the exact formulation Ketone-IQ uses, and the exact ingredients used in Hard Ketones for the purpose of getting a buzz instead of alcohol.

 Round 7: Press Credibility

MARKETING CLAIM: Look at all these impressive quotes from the press.

IQ must be real right?

☐ FACT    ☐ FICTION

❌ FICTION

Men's Health  "a long burning energy source" link. Not IQ, but for the Ketone Ester

Women's Health "the world of sports nutrition on its head" (link). Not IQ but for the Ketone Ester

The Atlantic "the most incredible surge of positive energy" (link) Not IQ, but Ketone Ester

Runner's World "my energy level was extremely consistent" (link) Not IQ but Ketone Ester

The Telegraph "The next big thing in sports nutrition" (link) Not IQ, but Ketone Ester

The Times "the drink of dreams" (link) Not IQ, but Ketone Ester

It goes on and on Business Insider, Inc, and Gear Patrol.

 

What's the Real Difference Between KetoneAid and Ketone IQ, or more specifically Ketone Ester vs Ketone Diol,  in Bullets (again I hate bullets)?

The real and deeper answer will be saved for another post or even a scientific paper because it is very confusing and goes well beyond simply comparing blood BHB levels.

Ketone Ester (in KetoneAid):

• 90% of exogenous ketone research uses this molecule, for a reason

• Created by Dr. Richard Veech, the Godfather of wife of Frank LLosa, the CEO of KetoneAid. (watch them both on Dave Asprey’s podcast #299)

• Dozens of human studies showing benefits (some don’t)

• 66% higher peak ketone levels than diol (which isn’t actually the best way to compare efficacy)

• No inebriating effects

Ketone Diol (in Ketone-IQ): Not a Ketone Ester

• Not a Ketone Ester (watch the podcast with Ben Greenfield, I had to correct him 4 times because this is confusing!)

• Three 3rd party published sport studies— one used IQ, none showed any benefits

• Participants in one study reported side effects that mirror inebriation, i.e. buzz

• Diol literally means an alcohol ("diol" = two alcohol groups). Just not an ethanol alcohol.

• Much weaker ketone production per gram (which isn't the end all comparison, because they claim you can just take more)

• 3-4x more processing through the liver vs ketone monoester per 1mM released (because the ketone ester is 2x strong and slower release of R 1,3 into the system)
  

 The Marketing Transformation Timeline of IQ

2017: HVMN launches with real Ketone Ester

2019: HVMN Lands $6M DOD contract for Ketone Ester

Late 2019: Loses Ketone Ester license—panic mode, turns to selling bars and MCT oil.

2021: Scrambles to find replacement ingredient

2022: Launches ketone diol as "Ketone 2.0", changes from HVMN to Ketone IQ, 

2023-2025: Uses all the established ketone ester science and endorsements to promote a new inferior product they claim is better with fake evidence.

Your Final Verdict

I've laid out the facts, the fine print, and the timeline. Now you decide:

Is this:

A) Aggressive but legitimate marketing of an inferior product?

B) Misleading consumers by using science from a different molecule? Science Highjacking (Brendan Egan author of many Ketone papers, discusses that here) 

C) Outright deceptive bait-and-switch tactics?

D) Completely fine!

E) Petty competitor?

The Bottom Line: When someone spends their money on "science-backed ketones," shouldn't they get the actual molecule that the science studied? Or at least be clearly told they're getting something completely different?

You be the judge.

Thanks for reading, hope you learned something. The next blog we will cover more in depth the differences in the molecules and KetoneAid calling out it's own not ideal bullet point marketing,.

Frank LLosa JD

CEO KetoneAid

 

HouseKeeping: Terms "Ketone Ester” or “Ketone Monoester” or "Veech Ester"

Some may be confused by the use of “Ketone Ester” and “Ketone Monoester” interchangeably or even the "Veech Ester". This paper explains the naming problem well.  It used to be that the real original, and now recently called Veech Ketone Mono-ester (paper) could just be called “Ketone Ester”. But that was when the only alternatives were ketone salts and MCT oil. The word “Ester” means a chemical bond of multiple ingredients (one silly company just pours the 2 ingredients into a bucket and skips the ester formation and calls it "backed by science"). But recently there are 3 or 4 other exogenous ketones that are also technically “ketone esters”, but those have 2 or 3 bonds, also known as a Ketone Di-Ester of MCT oil bound to R 1,3 butanediol (looks cheap at 25g of ester for $5 but only 18% bioavailable and must be taken with food or you crap yourself, not great for racing {cough cough thefeed-should-know-better cough cough]).

So the more accurate “Ketone Monoester” has been used to identify the original ketone ester. And because other “monoesters” may come out that are also very different, the papers are starting to call this ester the Veech Ketone Monoester, or shortcut Veech Ester..

Supplemental info: Below is ketone timeline in the brain after consuming ketone monoester. Much longer than blood peak BHB levels. Newer unpublished papers went out 3 hours with high brain BHB. (cite)