Macro partitioning
A ketogenic diet (defined as <50g carbohydrate/day or blood ketones ≥0.5 mM) has largely neutral or detrimental effects on athletic performance compared to a higher-carbohydrate diet, despite significantly increasing fat oxidation rates.
If your goal is to improve athletic performance (endurance, strength, or power), a ketogenic diet is not recommended. While it increases fat burning, it does not translate to better performance and may actually hinder it, especially in elite athletes or high-intensity efforts. Stick to a higher-carbohydrate diet for optimal results.
A ketogenic diet has largely neutral or detrimental effects on athletic performance compared to a diet higher in carbohydrates and lower in fat, despite achieving significantly elevated levels of fat oxidation during exercise (~1.5 g/min).
Why this rating
Based on a comprehensive review of 16 controlled trials, though most showed no benefit or detriment.
Source
International society of sports nutrition position stand: ketogenic diets
Alex Leaf et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2024
DOI 10.1080/15502783.2024.2368167
More from this paper
- A ketogenic diet tends to cause greater losses in body weight, fat mass, and fat-free mass compared to higher-carbohydrate diets, likely due to differences in calorie and protein intake and fluid shifts rather than the diet itself being inherently superior for fat loss.Good
- A ketogenic diet has similar effects on maximal strength or strength gains from resistance training compared to a higher-carbohydrate diet, although a minority of studies show superior effects for non-ketogenic diets.Good
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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