Ketone supplements, are they a sham, or can they improve cycling performance? With Dr. Brianna Stubbs- Episode 20

Imperfect Progress with Anne Guzman

"As ketone levels go up, ketones themselves inhibit their own production. When you drink an exogenous ketone and you elevate the ketones in the blood, you're going to be in the short term, blunting that fat release, that lipolysis component." Dr. Brianna Stubbs

If you're an endurance athlete on the internet, there's little doubt you've stumbled across a conversation about ketogenic diets and ketone supplements, and you may have left more confused then when you arrived. That's because there are a lot of myths floating around and recommendations not based on sound evidence. I wanted to bring clarity about the differences between supplements, the data behind supplements for both performance and brain health, the required dosing to see any effect, if there is one to be found, and whether or not this is a sound investment for someone whose curiosity is peaked. To bring you reliable information, I reached out to Dr. Brianna Stubbs.

Dr. Stubbs is a world expert in exogenous ketone metabolism and its implications for performance, resilience and health-span. She completed her PhD in Metabolic Physiology at the University of Oxford, and while completing her studies, she competed on the British International Rowing Team, and was a two-time World Champion lightweight athlete. Dr. Stubbs is currently Lead Translational Scientist at The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, where she's part of a team focused on developing our understanding of ketone biology, the metabolic effects of novel supplemental ketones, and their role in healthy aging.

Today we dive into a lot of topics related to ketones and ketogenic diets included but not limited to:

• What's the difference between nutritional ketosis from a ketogenic diet and ketosis from consuming supplements.
• How does the body make ketones and how do ketone supplements impact that process?
• What dose of supplements is required to see an effect, if there is one?
• Why ketone supplements don't lead to increased fat burning in the way that a ketogenic diet does.
• The different types of ketones ($25 vs $2500!), how they differ and what the data say about each.
• Ketone supplements and performance in endurance sports.
• Ketone supplements and cognitive aspects of performance.
• Do ketones spare glycogen (stored carbohydrate in the muscle/liver)?
• Ketones, the brain, Alzheimer's and healthy aging. What are we learning?
• Can ketone supplements help with hypoxic exposure (altitude)?
• Can you consume too many ketone supplements?
• Imperfect Progress: How Dr. Stubbs navigates through adversity and keeps her eye on the ball when things get difficult.

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To learn more from Dr. Stubbs, follow her here on twitter: https://twitter.com/BriannaStubbs.