Exogenous ketones are lauded by many for their endurance performance-enhancing properties, but their impact on blood acidity is detrimental to performance and can even counteract their otherwise positive effects. Dr. Chiel Poffé and his partners conducted a study to learn if bicarbonate unlocks the ergogenic action of ketone monoester intake in endurance exercise, and what they learned was surprising. Tune into this episode to learn the science behind ketones and bicarbonate, and how to introduce them into your training regimen to get faster.
Link to Dr. Poffé's study: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343366432_Bicarbonate_Unlocks_the_Ergogenic_Action_of_Ketone_Monoester_Intake_in_Endurance_Exercise
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TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 Intro
01:17 Podcast Begins
01:58 - Dr. Poffe’s background and the story of his research on Ketones
02:52 - His research with Dr. Peter Hespel of Deceuninck Quick Step
03:11 - What are ketones and ketone esters?
04:44 - Why would someone want ketones in their blood while exercising?
05:43 - The difference between ketone salts and ketone esters
06:52 - Dr. Poffe’s study and why he decided to combine ketone and bicarbonate
08:55 - Performance of Ketone vs. placebo in the studies
09:55 - What does he think happened in the first study?
10:38 - The new study: introducing bicarbonate and what the purpose is.
11:12 - Why Chad finds the study methodology to be valuable
11:36 - Why his research always seeks to mimic real-world conditions
12:32 - What is Bicarbonate?
13:17 - Buffering systems in skeletal muscle
13:56 - How do you get/ ingest bicarbonate?
14:39 - The study method: How big was it?
15:27 - The study methodology and controls
17:24 - Nate summarizes the study’s efforts, cost of dosage, and amount of dose
19:29 - Timeframe of the test: dinner, morning, and timing of exercise
19:53 - Why was it important to control the amount of carbs ingested?
21:32- What was the dinner given to the subjects?
22:15 - What were the study’s results?
23:19 - Conclusions about how this might apply to a race (and timing limitations)
24:52 - Avoiding gastrointestinal issues with sodium bicarbonate
25:56 - Perception of hunger and appetite in the study groups
28:07 - Asking the subjects to identify what they’d taken (placebo vs. esters, etc)
29:11 - The purpose of blinding power and HR data
30:35 - What the study does and doesn’t suggest about ingesting ketones
31:36 - Blood ketone levels and perception of fatigue
32:04 - Should you always supplement ketones with bicarbonate?
33:11 - Outro
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