Successful Keto Study with Military Personnel

#1

This was a small study with self-selecting participants, but the acknowledgment from the military that keto can be successful and not negatively impact physical conditioning is huge.

Extended Ketogenic Diet and Physical Training Intervention in Military Personnel

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Ketogenic diets (KDs) that elevate ketones into a range referred to as nutritional ketosis represent a possible nutrition approach to address the emerging physical readiness and obesity challenge in the military. An emerging body of evidence demonstrates broad-spectrum health benefits attributed to being in nutritional ketosis, but no studies have specifically explored the use of a KD in a military population using daily ketone monitoring to personalize the diet prescription.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: To evaluate the feasibility, metabolic, and performance responses of an extended duration KD, healthy adults (n = 29) from various military branches participated in a supervised 12-wk exercise training program. Fifteen participants self-selected to an ad libitum KD guided by daily measures of capillary blood ketones and 14 continued their normal mixed diet (MD). A battery of tests were performed before and after the intervention to assess changes in body mass, body composition, visceral fat, liver fat, insulin sensitivity, resting energy metabolism, and physical performance.

RESULTS: All KD subjects were in nutritional ketosis during the intervention as assessed by daily capillary beta-hydroxybutyrate (βHB) (mean βHB 1.2 mM reported 97% of all days) and showed higher rates of fat oxidation indicative of keto-adaptation. Despite no instruction regarding caloric intake, the KD group lost 7.7 kg body mass (range -3.5 to -13.6 kg), 5.1% whole-body percent fat (range -0.5 to -9.6%), 43.7% visceral fat (range 3.0 to -66.3%) (all p < 0.001), and had a 48% improvement in insulin sensitivity; there were no changes in the MD group. Adaptations in aerobic capacity, maximal strength, power, and military-specific obstacle course were similar between groups (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: US military personnel demonstrated high adherence to a KD and showed remarkable weight loss and improvements in body composition, including loss of visceral fat, without compromising physical performance adaptations to exercise training. Implementation of a KD represents a credible strategy to enhance overall health and readiness of military service members who could benefit from weight loss and improved body composition.

(Consensus is Politics) #2

[You beat me to this. I’ve been trying to find the complete article, to see sources, et. al. But my ‘source’ doesnt have it yet.]

This could be a very big deal. But without more than just the Abstract, you cant really tell if its done right. The abstract only speaks of about a two dozen test subjects split into two groups. One group on a Ketogenic diet, and the other one on a ??? diet?

Would like to see exactly what each group ate, how often, etc… etc… “ETCETTERA!”

Last time I remember having any real “wow diet” other than the official SAD, was back in the early 1980’s. I was at my first duty station in the USAF, George AFB, California. It was a diet called the “Navy Hot Dog Diet”. Where they wanted some of us to volunteer to try it for two weeks. Those of us that tried, lost a few pounds, and couldn’t eat another hot dog for a few more months. I think I must have ate close to a dozen or more every day :nauseated_face:.

#3

Just getting that basic conclusion published in a journal regarding the military is huge. Jeff Volek is one of the authors, so I have confidence in it within the bounds of it’s significant limitations (sample size, self-selecting, etc.). I feel like this was almost a demonstration study: Hey, this wasn’t a huge disaster and didn’t compromise readiness, so now we can do a proper study on a larger population with minimal risk to readiness.

(Consensus is Politics) #4

I have heard simething similar with NASA studying the ketogenic diet to assist with extended space flight. Seeing as fats have a much longer shelf life than carbs do. Not to mention health benefits short term and long term. And once fat adapted, fasting can be effortless. I could see, in the future, part of preparing for space flight might include putting on a few extra pounds, just in case supplies get low :roll_eyes: