What science says about ketogenic diets and they probably won't help you "dry up".
There are many different eating patterns, many of which also have beautiful names, such as South Beach Diet, Weight Watchers Diet, Atkins Diet, HCG Diet, Volumetric Diet, Paleo Diet, IIFYM(Literally "if it fits your macros" - "if it fits in your KBJU"), reverse carbohydrate loading (carbs-backloading), ketogenic diet, which will be discussed today.
One of the most widely used diets is ketogenic. Despite the fact that many people use it to burn fat, this diet is surrounded by too much misinformation.
Perhaps the most inaccurate aspect of a ketogenic diet is how it affects athletic performance and your ability to strengthen muscles and increase strength.
Kitogenic diet - from the word "ketosis"
Ketosis is a metabolic condition that occurs when the amount of carbohydrates in your diet is so low that the body has to use the body's metabolism of fatty acids and ketones for energy. It seems that everything is simple. , But let's understand this process to understand why our body goes into a state of ketosis.
Our body requires enough energy in the form of ATP to function.
ATP is a universal source of energy for all biochemical processes in living systems.
A person needs an average of 1, 800 calories a day (one can calculate your individual rate on a fitness calculator) to produce enough ATP and remain viable. At the same time, the midbrain needs to be consumed per day. Approximately 400 kcal is required and uses only glucose as energy. This means that a personwould need to consume 100 grams of glucose per day to maintain normal brain function. is.
What does this have to do with ketosis? With the ketogenic diet, we remove almost all carbohydrates from our diet, which means that we are depriving our brain of glucose. But we need our brains to function somehow. Luckily, liver glucoseIs stored as glycogen and can donate small amounts of it to our brain to work. Our liver can store an average of 100–120 grams of glucose. With significant depletion of carbohydrates for brain function. , The liver enables us to function normally throughout the day. Finally, however, the glucose reserves of the liver cannot be replenished quickly, and carbohydrates do not just need the brain, so we have problems.
Our muscles are also a huge storehouse of glucose - they contain 400–500 grams of glucose as glycogen stores.
However, glycogen stores are not primarily designed to feed the brain. Unfortunately, our muscles cannot break down glycogen and feed it to our brain by putting it into the blood, an enzyme in the muscle. Due to deficiency that breaks down glycogen (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase).
In the absence of carbohydrates, liver ketones begin to produce bodies that are transported through the blood to our brain and other tissues that do not use fat for energy.
Let's go quickly to the biochemistry of these processes. When you "burn fat", the molecules of fatty acids in your body are converted into acetyl-COA, which in turn to start the Krebs cycle. Combines with oxaloacetate.
During ketosis, our liver uses so much fat as energy that excess acetyl-COA begins to produce ketone bodies (beta-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetic acid, and acetone).
Gradually,with regular depletion of carbohydrates, the body reaches such a state that this process starts happening continuously and the ketone body level in the blood increases, then we can say that we are officialAre in a state of ketosis.
what is a ketogenic diet and how does it differ from a "low carb" diet
A low carb diet and a ketogenic diet are not the same thing.
A low carb diet uses fat and carbohydrates for our daily energy needs. Our body does not store ketone bodies in the blood and our tissues do not use ketones for energy.
With a ketogenic diet, our body reaches a point where the ketone body is produced in large quantities and used as fuel. During such diet-induced ketosis, beta-hydroxybutyrateLevels can range between 0. 5 and 3. 0 mmol / l. You can also buy blood ketone test strips and take your own measures.
A low-carb diet limits the amount of carbohydrates in the diet (often only less than 100 grams per day), but beta-hydroxybutyrate levels do not reach 0. 5 and 3. 0 mmol / L.
how to eat a ketogenic diet
As we discussed above, ketogenic diets should be high in fat and low in carbohydrates.
On a traditional and strict ketogenic diet, 70-75% of daily calories should be from fat and only 5% from carbohydrates. The amount of carbs you consume while living in kittosis varies from person to person. Is, but you can usually consume up to 12% of your calories from carb and persist in ketosis.
Protein intake is also very important. Most exercisers have figured in their heads that they should consume large amounts of protein, perhaps one of the factors of a failed ketogenic diet.
As we discussed earlier,glucose (during gluconeogenesis) can be broken down when high amounts of protein are consumed and thus you cannot enter ketosis.Basically, if you consume more than 1. 8 grams of protein per 1 kg of body weight, this amount will be enough to rule out ketosis.
Ideally, to improve ketogenic status and maintain lean muscle, your diet should contain approximately 75% fat, 5% carbohydrates and 20% protein.
"Adaptation" step on ketogenic diet
If you read the ketosis literature, you will see a general trend. The most typical is the "adaptation" phase in which people experience a clouded mind, feel lethargic, and lose energy. Basically, ketogenic. People feel really bad in the first weeks of the diet. This is probably due to a lack of essential enzymes in our body, which need to oxidize certain elements efficiently.
In order to survive, our body tries to reestablish itself to use other energy resources and learns to rely only on fat and ketone bodies. Usually, adopting a ketogenic diet 4-After 6 weeks, all these symptoms disappear.
Ketosis and athletic performance: a review of scientific research
Let's take a look at some studies that can answer this question.
Study # 1The first study included 12 people (7 males and 5 females, aged 24–60), who self-reported for an average of 38 days. - were on a prescribed ketogenic diet. The subjects performed moderate to intensive training, measured their blood count, body composition, and maximum oxygen consumption.
The authors of the study themselves conclude: "Radical carbohydrate depletion did not statistically affect running performance, unless looking at subjects' fatigue and maximum oxygen consumption levels, but body weight. The structure was improved, with participants losing 3. 4 kg of fat. And gaining 1. 3 kg of lean muscle. "
Thus, study participants lost their weight, but did not show any noticeable change in athletic performance. Also, subjects reduced the body's ability to recover.
Study # 2Another study included 8 men aged about 30 years with at least 5 years of training experience. Topic 4-Week Mixed+ Sitting on a ketogenic cross-style diet and increasing static bike workouts with varying intensity.
Ketogenic diet also had a positive effect on body mass composition, as in earlier studies.
Interestingly, the relative values of maximum oxygen consumption and oxygen consumption at the anaerobic threshold are significantly increased on ketogenic diets. The increase in maximum oxygen consumption can be explained by a decrease in body weight. The ketogenic dietfollowed by theanaerobic threshold had lower maximum workload and workload.
This means thatketogenic diet results in weight loss, but also a significant reduction in explosive power and ability to train at high intensity. Do you want to be strong and train hard? Then do not assume that ketogenic diet is a good option for this.
Study # 3A third study examined how a 30-day ketogenic diet (4. 5% calories from carbohydrates) affects performance in the following exercisesIs: elevating legs, push-ups on the floor, parallel bar push-ups, pull-ups, squat jumping, and 30-second jumps. Scientists also measured the participants' physical structure.
Here are the findings:
- Ketogenic diet caused a "spontaneous reduction in calorie intake" compared to a regular diet.
- No performance impairment was found with the ketogenic dietary exercise test, however, no performance improvement was found.
According to other studies, there was a noticeable difference in body weight composition following the ketogenic diet: participants were able to lose weight. However, it should be kept in mind that the participants selected for this study were alreadyWere fairly "dry" (about 7% body fat).
It is also important to mention that none of these tests looked at the glycolysis process as an energy source, they were more tests that tested explosive power, phosphenic systems, and muscle fatigue tests.
Study # 4In this study, 5 experienced cyclists tested maximum oxygen consumption for exhaustion (TEE) testing before and after a 4-week ketogenic diet andTime demonstrated.
Since this study is quite lengthy, I want to focus only on the performance aspect and muscle glycogen levels. A huge difference was seen between the participants in the TEE exam. A subject has scored up to 84 minutes in TEE scores over 4 weeksCorrected, the other saw a 30-minute increase, while two subjects declined by 50 minutes, and one subject remained unchanged:
Regarding muscle glycogen stores, a muscle biopsy showed that the glycogen stores following theketogenic diet were nearly half their normal values . This fact is already sufficient to emphasize that highThe performance can be called goodbye.
Results of research on ketogenic diet
Let's take a look at what these 4 studies have:
Better body structure.Each study resulted in a qualitative improvement in body composition. However, it is a controversial fact that it is a miraculous effect of ketogenic diet rather than spontaneous calorie control. Because if you do any research on any diet and body compositionIf done, any diet that restricts calories will improve body composition.
In the third study, subjects consumed an average of 10, 000 kcal (minus 333 kcal per day) over 30 days compared to a regular diet, and they certainly lost weight.
It is likely that the ketogenic diet may still provide additional benefits in terms of anatomy changes, but there has not yet been research to show this.
It should also be said that there is no literature to support the idea that ketogenic diet can help in building muscle. It only helps in losing weight.
- decreased performance at high intensity weights. The first two studies showed a decline in subjects' ability to exercise at high intensity. This is possible for two reasons: first, a decrease in intramuscular glycogen andSecond, a decrease in liver glycogen stores during high intensity training.
- lack of intramuscular glycogen stores.. A decrease in athletic performance during high intensity training is a sign of a decrease in intramuscular glycogen levels, studies have shown. It helps athletes recover from exercise and muscle recovery. Can also negatively affect the ability to grow in size.
mistakes people make on ketogenic diet
AreWhile there is no obvious benefit over traditional calorie restriction, the ketogenic diet can be a good weight loss tool. If you want to lose weight (maybe even through muscle), then maybe you should try itNow let's look at the mistakes that people on ketogenic diets often make so you don't do them.
lack of sufficient optimization phase
Switching to a ketogenic diet can be very difficult for some people. Many times, people skip the diet during the adaptation phase without completing it. The adaptation phase can last for several weeks, during which weakness is felt. , Cloudy in consciousness, but after 2-3 weeks the energy level returns to normal.
If you want to try a kitogenic diet, allow plenty of time for adaptation.
eating too much protein
As we have already learned, too much protein can prevent ketosis. People on ketogenic diets often replace low carbohydrates with high carbohydrates - this is a mistake.
use of ketogenic diet on high intensity exertion
For high-intensity anaerobic exercise, our body relies primarily on blood sugar stores, liver and muscle glycogen, and gluconeogenesis.
Since ketogenic diets reduce muscle glycogen levels, it is very difficult to train with high loads.
If you want to train at high intensity, try a carbohydrate alternative diet instead of a ketogenic diet.
Ketogenic diets prevent muscle gains
Ketogenic diets can help you lose weight, but do not benefit muscles.
CD will prevent you from training at high intensity and gaining lean muscle, so if these are the goals you are pursuing in your training, it is better to give up the idea of practicing CD.
Consuming both protein and carbohydrates together produces more anabolic effects than consuming these nutrients alone. On a ketogenic diet, you cut back on carbohydrates. And since you need carbohydrates and calories for optimal muscle growthProtein requires both, so you are missing one or both of these important nutrients.
Bottom Line: Ketogenic diets are neither optimal nor effective for building muscle and improving athletic performance. However, they can help you lose weight - just your personal daily value. Like any other calorie restriction below.