A new publication from Cambridge University researchers shows that adding ketone ester (the fuel your body produces when on a ketogenic diet) improved athletic endurance, cognitive ability and increased energy levels in the heart at high workloads in rats.
Some examples of exogenous ketones on sale on Amazon today
By skipping the step of going on a high fat, low carb diet in order to prompt the body into generating ketones from fat, ketone esters have the potential to open up the benefits of a ketogenic diet to people, without the (sometimes difficult) transition to a fat-fuelled diet. Because research into the use of exogenous (meaning produced outside the body) ketone esters is at an early stage it remains to be seen how effective they can be, especially if a person was to remain on a SAD diet (Standard American Diet = high white carb, high fat) while taking them.
Nevertheless, supplementing with ketone esters is a fast emerging area of interest for nutritional researchers. This is because of their potential to deliver the far-reaching health benefits of following a ketogenic diet but also because it could prove to be a lucrative new segment for the food supplements industry. Indeed, you can already find ketone ester supplements online, although from a quick review of people who have tried them it appears that these early versions need some refinement to become more palatable.
Here at HEFT we are looking forward to trying some of these emerging ketone ester products, especially for times when we don’t have enough time to put together a decent keto meal. For now, we’ll keep an eye on exogenous ketone ester supplements as they emerge and an ear to the ground about how they impact performance.
HEFT