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Published on: January 7, 2019
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Exogenous Ketone Supplements in Athletic Contexts: Past, Present, and Future
Mark Evans1, Tyler S McClure2, Andrew P Koutnik2
1School of Health and Human Performance, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland.
Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)
|October 10, 2022
Summary
Exogenous ketone supplements (EKS) offer an alternative energy source, impacting metabolism and potentially athletic performance. However, research shows mixed results on their benefits for endurance, recovery, and overreaching.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Nutritional Biochemistry
- Metabolic Physiology
Background:
- Ketone bodies, acetoacetate (AcAc) and β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB), serve as alternative energy substrates with broad physiological effects.
- Ketone bodies influence inflammation, oxidative stress, and gene expression, with specific relevance to athletes by altering substrate utilization, lipolysis, and proteolysis.
- The development of exogenous ketone supplements (EKS) has led to commercially available products like ketone salts and esters, designed to induce acute nutritional ketosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the rationale and historical development of exogenous ketone supplements (EKS).
- To explore the mechanistic basis for proposed positive and negative effects of EKS.
- To evaluate the current evidence regarding EKS's impact on exercise performance and recovery.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on exogenous ketone supplements (EKS).
- Analysis of proposed mechanisms of action for EKS, including effects on substrate utilization and proteolysis.
- Synthesis of evidence from studies investigating EKS effects on endurance performance, recovery, and overreaching.
Main Results:
- EKS can acutely increase circulating acetoacetate (AcAc) and β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB) levels, inducing a state of 'acute nutritional ketosis'.
- Some studies suggest potential benefits of EKS for endurance performance, recovery, and overreaching.
- A significant number of studies have not observed benefits of acute nutritional ketosis on performance or recovery.
Conclusions:
- The efficacy of EKS for enhancing athletic performance and recovery remains debated, with inconsistent findings across studies.
- Further research is needed to clarify the role of EKS, considering methodological variations and individual responses.
- Understanding the complex metabolic effects of EKS is crucial for future research and practical applications in sports nutrition.
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