Ketones are a completely different set of chemicals than amino acids.
“ Ketones are a completely different set of chemicals than amino acids”
No, not at all.
Ketones are a component of several aminos, notably leucine, lysine, and others like phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, and isoleucine, all of which are classified as ketogenic because their carbon skeletons can be converted into ketone bodies.
And to further discuss this, the reason bodybuilders take these aminos while in a calorie deficit is to provide fuel for the liver to keep the body going and to cause the body to avoid eating muscle, instead selecting fat to consume (as the ketones are not needed).
End product Ketones may be a more direct route but I don’t know if they can pass through the GI or cause stomach aches. Aminos do not.