Ketone Aid:  Ketone Esters

Have you tried taking ketone esters as a sports supplement? 

Before an intense work meeting? 

How about before you sleep?

In this episode, Debbie chats with Frank LLosa, the founder of Ketone Aid.

Learn more here https://ketoneaid.com/protocol/ and find out about how to start your N = 1 experiment with ketone esters!   We don’t want to chase ketones- start with becoming fat adapted first and work on stress management skills as chronic stress increase glucose so you can “run from the lion” and prioritize your safety. 

 

Do you need to supplement with Ketone Esters on a demanding day for more cognitive effect? 

Are you shifting into low carb food plan?  Ketone Esters may help you out in the transition into a Nutritional Ketosis.

What about if you are doing a longer water fast and need a little brain boost? 

Ketone Esters may help you prolong the fast.

Let's dive into the "Sports Protocol":  SUGGESTED SERVING SIZE

Each "serving" is technically 60ml of KE4 (30g of the Ketone Ester), but do not start with a full bottle.

More is NOT always better. More may lower blood glucose too much, lower top speed, and reduce performance substantially. It is based on weight, so if you weight 2x the average person, you may need more. And if you are lightweight, you will need much less. Numbers below are based on 70 kilos.

Start in practice, NOT in a race. (Updated March 2021)
Micro dosing KE4:  (Micro dosing is a fancy word for taking smaller amounts of KE4)

If using KE1 (compare) and adjust. 1 bottle of KE1 is = to about 2 capfuls of KE4)

Pre-Workout:  Start here. (All Athletes, regardless of diet)

Regardless of your diet.
A) Full Keto & fat adapted
B) New to keto or intermittent fasting, or
C) Full carb/western diet.

Step 1: Empty stomach (at least 2-3 hours, if not overnight). This really is key. Without this, you may have to take more or do the dual fuel protocol with carbs and it still not be better. Why? (see this video) and more details on Fasted Workouts here

Step 2:
MOST COMMON: 1 to 3 capfuls of KE4 (same as 1/2 to 1.5 bottles of KE1) about 15 min before warmup or workout.
* 1-2 capful for females or much lighter males,
* 2-3 capfuls for NON keto males.
* 1-4 capfuls for keto males, (Keto athletes find benefit at lower amounts, BUT some are able to take more without the blood sugar dropping effect that non keto people get.)

Warning, if you take it too early like 30-60 min and don't use the fuel, you may get tired (i.e. blood sugar crash).

Some sprinters have taken it 45 min before without issue.

Just test in practice the EXACT protocols you plan to use.

• Note that glucose is not necessary (and could be worse) with this small amount since blood glucose does not drop too much with micro dosing. Glucose also causes inflammation, it is a dirty fuel with lactic acid as a byproduct (ketones create zero lactic acid).
• The theory here is micro dosing may trigger endogenous ketone production (where your body makes ketones), whereas more may hault that production or it can also drop blood sugar too much. Some may stick with this protocol and not move up in quantity. Play around with different amounts
• Then try 15ml up to 25ml of KE4 (again, until you reach 30ml, you may not need carbs.) If you do notice a difference with 10-15ml, some may drop to 5ml to see how that works. I wouldn't start with 5ml because it may be too subtle, but you can if you feel the energy is still available.
• Tips: Don't go out faster expecting a better final result. Go out as normal as possible and then later in the practice you can increase your speed if you want.

Learn more about KetoneAid here: https://shop.ketoneaid.com/

Additional Resources:

1. https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/supplements-articles/exogenous-ketones/
2. 1. “The current data suggest that only a single dose of ketone ester taken after exercise and before bed is enough to exert the ergogenic effects in recovery and all the studies achieved >4 mM blood beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB)—one of the three “physiological” ketones that are produced by the body—following ketone ester ingestion.”
3. https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/podcast/supplements-podcasts/ketone-esters/