Sodium BHB in Retride: Studied Doses, the Sodium It Carries, and Side Effects
Quick answer
Sodium BHB is the ketone beta-hydroxybutyrate bound to sodium, and the most studied BHB salt. Retride lists it in a 60 mg blend with magnesium and calcium BHB, with no amount of its own. Trials used about 10 to 24 grams a day and did not show added weight loss. One 11.8 g serving carried 1,874 mg of sodium.
What is sodium BHB?
Sodium BHB is beta-hydroxybutyrate, the body's main ketone, bound to sodium. It is the most studied BHB salt and the base of many ketone powders and drinks.
Retride lists it third in its 60 mg proprietary blend, after magnesium BHB and calcium BHB. The panel does not say how much of the 60 mg is sodium BHB.
- Label name
- Sodium Beta Hydroxybutyrate
- Type
- Ketone salt (an exogenous ketone)
- Amount in Retride
- Not published. Part of the 60 mg blend per 2 capsules
- Sodium amount
- Not published; the panel has no sodium line
- Studied at
- About 10 to 24 g of BHB salts a day, for 6 to 8 weeks
How is sodium BHB thought to work?
The BHB in the salt is absorbed into the blood, where it can be used as fuel like the ketones your liver makes. The sodium is the carrier, and at gram doses it is a lot of sodium.
Drinks with 12 g or 24 g of BHB as sodium and potassium salts lifted D-BHB, the form the body makes, to about 1.0 mM, and it was back to baseline within 3 to 4 hours (Frontiers in Physiology, Stubbs 2017, Metabolism of exogenous ketones). Many salts also hold a mirror-image form, L-BHB, which stayed raised for more than 8 hours in that study.
That short lift is not the same as ketosis from a diet. Taking BHB does not make your liver produce ketones, and the label's 70/25/5 diet is what drives ketosis on that plan.
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What did studies of sodium BHB find?
Sodium BHB raised blood ketones, but it did not add weight loss. The two longest trials, of 6 and 8 weeks, both came up short against placebo.
| Study | Dose and length | Weight result | Read with care |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keto diet, with or without salts (Frontiers in Nutrition, Buga 2021, Ketone salts and body composition) | 11.8 g of BHB twice a day (about 24 g) for 6 weeks; 1,874 mg of sodium per serving | 7.3 kg lost with salts, 8.0 kg with placebo: no added loss | Fasting ketones stayed above 1.0 mmol/L in both groups from week 2, from the diet |
| Low-calorie diet, with or without salts (Nutrients, Roeth 2025, BHB salts with a low-calorie diet) | 5 g of mineral salts twice a day for 8 weeks; 51 adults | 3.05 kg vs 1.51 kg, not a significant difference (p = 0.09) | Funded by Ketone Labs; the senior author has ties. Ketones were not measured |
| Food intake in women (Int J Exercise Science, Nepocatych 2022, Ketone salt and energy intake in women) | 0.25 g per kg a day for 10 days; 14 women | Not a weight study: 1,263 vs 1,335 kcal a day eaten, not different (p = 0.4) | No change in appetite either |
The appetite studies that did show lower hunger used ketone esters at large doses, not salts. They do not apply to a sodium BHB capsule.
How does 60 mg compare with the grams of sodium BHB studied?
Each bar is a studied dose of BHB salts; the sliver is the whole Retride blend drawn to the same scale. Sodium BHB is only part of that sliver.
Label: 60 mg. Studied: 3,750 mg per serving, twice a day, in a 3-salt blend. (Nutrients, Stefan 2021, Sodium/calcium/magnesium BHB salt in adolescents)
Label: 60 mg. Studied: 5,000 mg per serving, twice a day, for 8 weeks. (Nutrients, Roeth 2025, BHB salts with a low-calorie diet)
Label: 60 mg. Studied: about 12,000 mg in one serving. (Frontiers in Physiology, Stubbs 2017, Metabolism of exogenous ketones) (Frontiers in Nutrition, Cuenoud 2020, D-BHB salts pharmacokinetics)
Label: 60 mg. Studied: 11.8 g twice a day for 6 weeks. (Frontiers in Nutrition, Buga 2021, Ketone salts and body composition)
The smallest serving is about 62 times the blend and the largest daily dose about 400 times. That shows how far apart they are. It does not tell us what 60 mg does, because nobody has tested it.
How much sodium is in sodium BHB?
At study doses, a lot. One 11.8 g serving in the 6-week trial carried 1,874 mg of sodium, so two servings gave 3,748 mg in a day. That is more than the 2,300 mg daily limit adults are advised to stay under.
The FDA cites the advice to keep sodium under 2,300 mg a day, about one teaspoon of salt, because diets high in sodium are linked to high blood pressure (FDA, Sodium in Your Diet). In another study, salt drinks gave 1.6 to 3.2 g each of sodium and potassium per drink.
A 60 mg blend shared by three salts holds less than 60 mg of sodium, under 3% of 2,300 mg. The capsules are not a sodium load; the numbers explain why gram-dose powders are a different matter.
What are sodium BHB side effects?
Stomach and gut symptoms are the most reported, and they rise with dose. A high dose of ketone salt drink scored 13.8 on a symptom scale against 2.0 for a low dose (Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, Stubbs 2019, GI effects of ketone drinks).
- Most symptoms were mild and gone by the end of each study.
- In the 8-week trial, the BHB group had one case of constipation and two of frequent bowel movements.
- A large single dose of a sodium and calcium salt made one of six adults drop out with gut symptoms.
- At gram doses, the sodium itself adds to the day's salt intake.
None of these were tested at 60 mg. Every side effect we found, including those of the label's keto diet, is on the Retride side effects page.
Who should ask a doctor before taking sodium BHB?
People watching their salt, and anyone the label's keto diet could harm. Bring the bottle to a doctor or pharmacist if any of these fit you.
| Who | Why | Source |
|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure, or told to limit salt | Gram-dose sodium BHB products carry a lot of sodium | (FDA, Sodium in Your Diet) |
| Type 1 diabetes, or an SGLT2 inhibitor medicine | Ketoacidosis risk; a low carbohydrate diet is a possible risk factor with SGLT2 inhibitors | (FDA Drug Safety Communication, SGLT2 inhibitors and ketoacidosis) |
| Kidney disease | Keto diets need medical care with kidney disease | (Mayo Clinic, Low-carb diet: Can it help you lose weight?) |
| Pregnant, nursing or under 18 | The label says to consult a physician; not for anyone under 18 | Label |
See how the other two salts compare on the magnesium BHB page, or read every label line in the Retride ingredients guide.
Sodium BHB: questions people search
What is sodium BHB?
Sodium BHB is beta-hydroxybutyrate, the main ketone body, bound to sodium. It is the most studied ketone salt.
Is sodium BHB safe?
Trials of up to 24 g a day for 6 weeks reported mostly mild gut symptoms. The main concern at those doses is the sodium, about 1,874 mg per 11.8 g serving.
What are sodium BHB side effects?
Upset stomach, loose stools or constipation, more often at higher doses. Gram doses also add a lot of sodium.
How much sodium is in sodium BHB?
It depends on the dose. In one trial an 11.8 g BHB serving carried 1,874 mg of sodium; Retride's whole 60 mg blend holds less than 60 mg.
Does sodium BHB raise blood pressure?
No study we read measured blood pressure. Diets high in sodium are linked to high blood pressure, so gram-dose powders matter more than a 60 mg blend.
Sodium BHB benefits: what do studies show?
It raises blood ketones for a few hours at gram doses. It did not add weight loss to a keto diet in a 6-week trial.
Does sodium BHB put you in ketosis?
Gram doses lift blood ketones briefly, which is not the same as ketosis from a diet. No study measured 60 mg.
Are sodium BHB pills the same as the powder?
The salt is the same; the amount is not. Powders in studies gave grams per serving, while capsules like Retride hold milligrams.
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Medically reviewed by
Dr. Richard Kowalsky, MD, Physician
Medical reviewer. Review date: October 12, 2026.
- Last checked October 11, 2026
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