{"id":4086,"date":"2020-10-27T06:42:58","date_gmt":"2020-10-27T10:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/?p=4086"},"modified":"2020-09-24T11:49:32","modified_gmt":"2020-09-24T15:49:32","slug":"is-the-keto-diet-best-for-endurance-exercise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/is-the-keto-diet-best-for-endurance-exercise\/","title":{"rendered":"Is The Keto Diet Best For Endurance Exercise?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Where Do Food Myths Come From?<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"ketogenic<\/a>I don\u2019t need to tell you that the keto diet is popular right now. It is touted for weight loss, mental sharpness, and improved health. I discuss the accuracy of those claims in my book, \u201cSlaying the Food Myths<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Perhaps more surprising has been the adoption of the keto diet by so many endurance athletes. As I point out in my book, there is a kernel of truth for that idea. Fats and ketone bodies are a very efficient energy source for low to moderate intensity exercise, and we have a virtually unlimited source of stored fat that can be converted to ketone bodies.<\/p>\n

However, I always add this caveat, \u201cThe keto diet is perfect for endurance exercise \u2013 as long as you don\u2019t care how fast you get there\u201d. That is because high intensity exercise requires muscle glycogen stores, which come from the carbohydrates we eat. When you cut carbs from the diet, you deplete your glycogen stores.<\/p>\n

And, if you are running a marathon and you want to sprint to the finish line, you will need those muscle glycogen stores. Or, if you are in a cycling event and you want to power up a mountain, you will need those glycogen stores.<\/p>\n

Of course, you are probably asking, \u201cWhy do so many endurance athletes swear by the keto diet?\u201d There is a dirty little secret behind athlete endorsements. I\u2019m not talking about the money that top athletes get paid for endorsements, although that is also a problem.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m talking about the testimonials you hear from your friend who runs marathons or your personal trainer. Unfortunately, testimonials from athletes are notoriously unreliable. The problem is that the placebo effect approaches 70% for athletes.<\/p>\n

Competitive athletes are strong willed. If they think a diet or sports nutrition product will help them, they will themselves to a higher level of performance. And this happens subconsciously. They aren\u2019t even aware that their mind is influencing their performance.<\/p>\n

So, just because your favorite athlete endorses the keto diet doesn\u2019t mean it is the perfect diet for you. Testimonials can be very misleading.<\/p>\n

The important question to ask is, \u201cDo clinical studies support the keto diet as the best diet for endurance exercise?\u201d But, before I answer that question, let me frame the question by asking. \u201cWhere do food myths come from?\u201d because the belief that keto diets are best for endurance exercise is a classic food myth.<\/p>\n

Where Do Food Myths Come From?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

I discussed this question at length in my book, \u201cSlaying The Food Myths<\/a>\u201d. Let me summarize it briefly here.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Secrets Only Scientists Know<\/strong><\/span>: First you need to know the secrets only scientists know. Here are the top 2:<\/p>\n

#1: Scientists design their studies to disprove previous studies. There is no glory for being the 10th<\/sup> person to confirm the existing paradigm. The glory comes from being the first to show the existing paradigm might be wrong. While this may seem to be a contrary approach, it is actually the strength of the scientific method.<\/p>\n

However, it means that there will be published clinical studies on both sides of every issue.<\/p>\n

#2: Every study has its flaws. There is no perfect study.<\/p>\n

This is why the scientific community doesn\u2019t base their recommendations on 2 or 3 published studies. We wait until there are 10 to 20 good quality studies and base our recommendations on what 90% of them show.<\/p>\n

Now, let me contrast the scientific approach with how food myths are born.<\/p>\n

Where Do Food Myths Come From<\/strong>?<\/span> Food myths usually originate on blogs or websites. Often the articles are written by people with no scientific credentials. But some of them are written by doctors (I will call them Dr. Strangelove to \u201cprotect the guilty\u201d). The articles they write have these things in common:<\/p>\n

\"cherry<\/a><\/p>\n