2019-05-01_Runners_World_UK

MAY 2019 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 059

this store and, if you don’t replenish

with more fuel, you hit the wall. This

is where exogenous (ex ter na l ) ketones

such as DeltaG come in. ‘The ketones

temporarily inhibit the breakdown of

glucose, so that, as long as you have

access to oxygen, which the body

needs to burn ketones, you can

perform exercise but preserve the

body’s glycogen stores and produce no

lactic acid – something that hasn’t

been seen before,’ explains Professor

Clarke. ‘Run an aerobic endurance

event, like a marathon, and not only

will you not hit a wall so quickly, but

you shouldn’t have postrun aches,

facilitating a speedier recovery.’

For serious distance runners, it’s a

tantalising promise, but research on

the ability of consumed ketones –

rather than those that are produced

in the body – to enhance athletic

performance is still emerging. A study

using DeltaG led by Professor Clarke’s

team at Oxford, and published in the

academic journal Cell Metabolism,

produced promising results. They

found that a group of elite cyclists

who took DeltaG before a 30-minute

workout rode two per cent further

(equating to 400m) within the given

time than a group given a carb-rich

drink and another group given a

fat-rich drink. For Olympians, that

could mean the difference between

gold or a non-podium finish. For a

four-hour marathoner, it’s almost five

precious minutes.

However, when researchers from

the Australian Institute of Sport

conducted a similar study using a

differently formulated ketone ester,

they found no such success. Before

a time trial, cyclists were given either

a drink that contained the ketone

compound AcAc diester, or a placebo.

Not only did every rider who drank

the supplement perform worse than

they did having consumed a placebo,

but they also reported unpleasant

symptoms, from dry retching to mild

nausea and, in one case, prolonged

vomiting. Brianna Stubbs, lead

researcher at HVMN, takes issue with

the Australian study. In a commentary

published in the journal Frontiers

in Physiolog y, she pointed to the fact

that the AcAc diester, unlike DeltaG,

had not been formulated with

digestibility in mind and that the

drink was carbonated, whereas

HVMN Ketone is f lat: ‘The AcAc

diester remains unpalatable, with

limited GI tolerability,’ she wrote.

‘However, formulation and dosing can

be refined to increase palatability.’

So, presuming they don’t cause you

tummy trouble, could ketones be a win

for the average runner? It seems the

answer is yes, depending on your goal.

‘Ketones may well enhance your

endurance performance if your goal is

only distance without concern for

pace or time,’ says Chelsea Burkart,

sports dietitian at Texas State

University and president of the

American Collegiate and Professional

Sports Dietitians Association. It

means a ketone boost could be a good

fit if you want to take on a marathon,

or an ultra event. But if you’re looking

to excel in anaerobic exercises such as

HIIT or sprints, it won’t work.

TEST RESULTS

While the debate rages on, I’ve got the

chance to make up my own mind. In

San Francisco, I meet with Woo and

Stubbs for a crash course in ketone

biochemistry. At the end of an intense

two-hour tutorial, Woo hands me

six vials of ketone. A week later, I’m

prepping for a run. When I prick

my finger to measure my ketones,

as directed by Stubbs, my levels are

low, hovering near zero. Unsurprising,

given I live on a diet that consists

largely of crusts from my child’s plate,

rather than a ketogenic one. I take

the drink. The vial is clear, the liquid

is viscous, the taste is noxious.

Fruit-f lavoured nail varnish remover

springs to mind. So does acid rain.

Some 45 minutes later, my ketone

levels have shot up. I share the number

with Stubbs, who confirms the level

is similar to what I might observe

after two days of fasting or four to six

weeks on the keto diet. I set out with

a steady pace, with the intention of

running for as long as I can. I wish

I could say I was f lying, that I was

less out of breath than usual or that

my stride had more spring. Alas, the

overwhelming sensation is a burning

in my oesophagus. I turn around early

and head for home. The ketone is

repeating on me.

Did HVMN Ketone turn me into

Paula Radcliffe? No. Until the day

I take on an ultramarathon, I don’t

think spending $24 (£18) on a vial of

the stuff makes sense, but with ketone

research continuing in several areas,

including the potential of exogenous

ketones to improve recovery and

enhance cognitive function, it still

feels exciting. If I were a professional

athlete, I’d be watching this space.

As for those Siberian farmers and

other mums for whom sleep is a

distant memory, I can recommend

another kind of superfuel that’s far

tastier – it’s called coffee.

KETONES

PRODUCE

MORE

ENERGY PER

UNIT THAN

GLUCOSE

SPORTS NUTRITION GAME CHANGERS

Could HVMN Ketone be the next entry on this timeline?

BCAAS
Research on
and use of
branched-
chain amino
acids took off
in the 1980s,
with an Arnold
Swarzenegger-
inspired
strength-
training
culture
driving its
popularity.

WHEY

PROTEIN

Building on

the BCAA

research, the

focus shifted

to whey, a

complete

protein found

in milk. The

global whey

protein market

is now worth

an estimated

£7.7 billion.

CREATINE

The 1990s saw

a boom in the

supplement

being used

by the public,

driven by its

widespread

use by athletes

in the 1996

Olympics.

Some creatine

is found

naturally in

muscle cells.

ENERGY GELS

The marathon

runners’ staples

have been

around since

the 1980s but

the market

exploded in the

2000s, driven

by growing

marathon

participation

and more-

palatable

flavours.

ULTRA-CARB

DRINKS

The super-high-

carb drink

Maurten has

become the

in-race fuel

choice for

many of the

world’s top

marathon

runners,

including a

certain Mr

Kipchoge.

KETONES

1980s 1990s 2010s