Everything You Need To Know About Ketone Supplements

Let's talk about the ketogenic diet and exogenous, or supplemental ketones. I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about what the ketogenic diet is, how it works, the pros and cons of following one, how exogenous ketones work, and if athletes should be using them. 

Quite honestly I thought the whole keto thing was dead but I guess I’ve been living under a rock and it has come to my understanding that it’s alive and well. This video is going to be a little more lengthy but just stick with me and you’ll learn everything you need to know about keto. 

Let’s jump in!

In the simplest sense a ketogenic diet is a high fat, low carbohydrate diet. Because you are restricting carbs your body doesn’t have high availability of glucose or muscle glycogen to produce energy during exercise or activities of daily living. So here’s what happens ... .your body breaks down free fatty acids or fat stored as triglycerides into beta hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate…also known as ketone bodies.

These ketone bodies are then turned into something called acetyl-CoA where it can then enter the Krebs cycles to produce ATP, or energy! Now the whole theory goes that the fat being broken down to produce ketone bodies offers an endless supply of energy, especially if you're an athlete……sounds pretty awesome so far right? 

Unfortunately there is one problem. Ketone bodies cannot be used for anaerobic glycolysis…aka the exercise intensity where you feel like you are about ready to puke or in more scientific terms when your body starts to exceed 90% of maximum heart rate. That’s a problem for any sport or activity that involves intense efforts; which is pretty much all sports. 

Now there might be some unique applications where being on a ketogenic diet is advantageous for certain types of athletes or certain situations, and we’ll talk about these in a second, but let’s cover exogenous, or supplemental ketones next.

Supplemental ketones are usually a powdered supplement or liquid shot that for the most part contain the ketone body beta hydroxybutyrate and taste like battery acid. When you take these the beta hydroxybutyrate can be used for immediate energy production, EXCEPT during anaerobic glycolysis. There is also a study that has demonstrated that exogenous ketones can have a muscle glycogen sparing effect when exercising at lower intensities.

So why would a person take exogenous ketones…..a lot of people say it’s like a quick shot of energy, it can improve athletic performance, helps them think better, or it can help them be less strict if they are following a ketogenic diet. However, a lot of these claims have not been substantiated by the available research.

So what are the pros and cons of the ketogenic diet and exogenous ketones. Let’s start with the possible pros…..one, if you’re an ultra type athlete or involved in a sport where the intensity stays low during training and racing the majority of the time, the ketogenic diet really does offer an endless supply of energy. But remember once you start to redline, think running up a steep mountain, you’re going to fall flat on your face unless you’re ingesting some kind of carb source……because, as I said before, ketone bodies cannot be used as an energy source during anaerobic glycolysis…..only glucose and glycogen can.

Two, the ketogenic diet can help with weight loss and certain diseases like metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and epilepsy.

Lastly, there have been claims that ketone supplements can improve mental clarity and focus.

Now for the cons…..as I stated a few times already a ketogenic diet and exogenous ketones cannot be used as an energy source when the intensity gets high. If you’re on a keto diet tell me how you feel running a mile all out and I’m certain you’ll tell me you felt like crap. Since most sports involve intense efforts there are few of them I would recommend where athletes follow a ketogenic diet.

Con number 2 is the ketogenic diet is extremely hard to follow because carbs are delicious ... ……..unless you have an iron will, in the long run it’s going to be hard to give up things like bread, pasta, and sweet treats like donuts, cookies, and cake.

Con number 3 is it is possible to have nutrient deficiencies while on the ketogenic diet….common ones include magnesium, calcium, folate, sodium, and the b-vitamins

Con number 4 is supplemental ketones are bloody expensive!

So what’s my take on the ketogenic diet and exogenous ketones, especially if you’re an athlete? For the majority of athletes you are much better off sticking to a high carbohydrate diet for optimal performance and recovery.

While more research on ketogenic diets and supplemental ketones is certainly needed, especially regarding performance and health, the current evidence strongly suggests that carbohydrates still reign supreme for optimal performance.

I’ll also say this…..any diet that restricts any macronutrient or food is usually not a good one. When you eat everything in moderation it ensures, for the most part, your body is getting all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients it needs to stay healthy and strong.

Whew…that was a mouthful and I’ll leave you with this one final thought. When it comes to a special diet or supplement, don’t jump on the bandwagon without doing a little research first . 9 out of 10 times anything that promises a quick fix or miraculous benefit is a scam created by crafty marketing people who are only interested in lining their pockets at your expense. Remember, if something sounds too good to be true….it probably is.