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Ketosis muscle loss: Very-low-carbohydrate diets and preservation of muscle mass

Содержание

Very-low-carbohydrate diets and preservation of muscle mass

Nutr Metab (Lond). 2006; 3: 9.

1

Anssi H Manninen

1Advanced Research Press, Inc., Setauket, NY, USA

1Advanced Research Press, Inc., Setauket, NY, USA

Corresponding author.

Received 2006 Jan 11; Accepted 2006 Jan 31.

Copyright © 2006 Manninen; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

Background

I would like to compliment Noakes et al. on their well-controlled study comparing effects of different diets on body composition and cardiovascular risk [1]. The authors suggested that a very-low-carbohydrate diet (VLCARB) may not be associated with protein-sparing, because their dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) data indicated that both VLCARB and very-low-fat diet resulted in significantly more loss of lean mass than the high-unsaturated fat diet. It should be noted, however, that DEXA provides a measure of lean soft tissue (LST), and the original notion that LST hydration is constant is not correct. Rather, LST hydration varies as a function of extra- and intracellular water distribution [16]. I feel it is very unlikely that the VLCARB group catabolized more muscle protein than the high-unsatured fat diet group. This commentary provides some basic information on metabolic adaptations that lead to sparing of muscle protein during a VLCARB, and reviews studies examining the effects of VLCARB interventions on body composition.

Metabolic adaptations in VLCARB

It is frequently claimed that a VLCARB sets the stage for a significant loss of muscle mass as the body recruits amino acids from muscle protein to maintain blood glucose via gluconeogenesis. It is true that animals share the metabolic deficiency of the total (or almost total) inability to convert fatty acids to glucose [18]. Thus, the primary source for a substrate for gluconeogenesis is amino acid, with some help from glycerol from fat tissue triglycerides. However, when the rate of mobilization of fatty acids from fat tissue is accelerated, as, for example, during a VLCARB, the liver produces ketone bodies. The liver cannot utilize ketone bodies and thus, they flow from the liver to extra-hepatic tissues (e.g., brain, muscle) for use as a fuel. Simply stated, ketone body metabolism by the brain displaces glucose utilization and thus spares muscle mass. In other words, the brain derives energy from storage fat during a VLCARB.

Glycolytic cells and tissues (e.g., erythrocytes, renal medulla) will still need some glucose, because they do not have aerobic oxidative capacity and thus cannot use ketone bodies. However, glycolysis in these tissues leads to the release of lactate that is returned to the liver and then reconverted into glucose (the Cori cycle). Energy for this process comes from the increased oxidation of fatty acids in the liver. Thus, glycolytic tissues indirectly also run on energy derived from the fat stores.

The hormonal changes associated with a VLCARB include a reduction in the circulating levels of insulin along with increased levels of glucagon. Insulin has many actions, the most well-known of which is stimulation of glucose and amino acid uptake from the blood to various tissues. This is coupled with stimulation of anabolic processes such as protein, glycogen and fat synthesis. Glucagon has opposing effects, causing the release of glucose from glycogen and stimulation of gluconeogenesis and fat mobilization. Thus, the net stimulus would seem to be for increasing muscle protein breakdown. However, a number of studies indicate that a VLCARB results in body composition changes that favour loss of fat mass and preservation in muscle mass.

A review of studies

To my knowledge, Benoit et al. published the first systematic study of the effect of a VLCARB on composition of weight loss [2]. They reported that when a 1,000-kcal VLCARB (10 g of carbohydrates/day) was fed for 10 days, seven male subjects lost an average of 600 g/day, of which 97% was fat. As pointed out by Grande [11], however, the energy value of tissue loss reported by Benoit et al. calculates out to be about 7,000 kcal/day, a highly improbable level of energy expenditure. In a study by Yang and Van Itallie [20], effects of starvation, an 800-kcal mixed diet and an 800-kcal VLCARB on the composition of weight lost were determined in each of six obese subjects during three 10-day periods. The results indicated that composition of weight lost during the VLCARB and the mixed diet was water 61.2, fat 35.0, protein 3.8, and water 37.1, fat 59.5, protein 3.4 percent, respectively. Thus, the authors concluded that, over a 10-day period, the energy value of body constituents lost during adherence to an 800-kcal is minimally affected by diet composition. Because of metabolic adaptations to prolonged changes in diet composition, the results of such short-term studies cannot be applied to longer-term situations. Young et al. compared three diets containing the same amounts of calories (1,800 kcal/day) and protein (115 g/day) but differing in carbohydrate content [3]. After nine weeks on the 30-g, 60-g and 104-g carbohydrate diets, weight loss was 16.2, 12.8 and 11.9 kg and fat accounted for 95, 84, and 75% of the weight loss, respectively. Importantly, underwater weighing was used to determine body composition. Although these results should be interpreted cautiously given the low number of subjects, this study strongly suggests that a VLCARB promotes fat loss while preserving muscle mass, supporting the notion that “a calorie is not a calorie” [23-25]. Phinney et al. reported that subjects lost 0.7 kg in the first week of the eucaloric VLCARB, after which their weight remained stable [15]. Thus, they observed a reduction in glycogen stores, but excellent preservation of muscle protein.

More recently, Willi et al. examined the efficacy and metabolic impact of a VLCARB in the treatment of morbidly obese adolescents [4]. Six adolescents weighing an average of 147.8 kg consumed the VLCARB (25 g of carbohydrate/day) for 8 weeks. The results indicated that the weight loss with VLCARB is rapid, consistent, and almost exclusively from body fat stores. Changes in lean body mass, as estimated from DEXA and urinary creatinine, were not significant over the term of treatment. Bioelectrical impedance measurements reflected a greater loss of lean body mass, but changes in total body fluid and electrolyte content, as a result of dietary ketosis, may complicate these measurements.

Volek et al. investigated the effects of a six-week VLCARB on body composition in healthy normal-weight men [5]. Twelve subjects switched from their habitual diet (48% carbohydrates) to a VLCARB (8% percent carbohydrates) for six weeks and eight men served as controls, consuming their normal diet. Although subjects were encouraged to consume adequate dietary energy to maintain body mass during the intervention, the results revealed that fat mass was significantly decreased (-3.4 kg) and lean body mass significantly increased (+1.1 kg) at week six (as measured by DEXA). There were no significant changes in composition in the control group. The authors concluded that a VLCARB resulted in a significant reduction in fat mass and an accompanying increase in lean body mass in normal-weight men. In other words, the entire loss in bodyweight was from body fat. A subsequent study by Volek et al. using a VLCARB during energy-restriction noted a greater decrease in lean body mass in men who consumed a VLCARB than in men won consumed a high-carbohydrate/low-fat diet. However, resting energy expenditure was maintained in men consuming the VLCARB but decreased on the high-carbohydrate/low-fat diet, strongly suggesting that the VLCARB group did not lose muscle mass.

Vazquez and Adibi reported that proteolysis, as measured by leucine turnover rate and urinary excretion of 3-methylhistidine, was not significantly different between isocaloric VLCARB and non-ketogenic diet [17]. However, this study is not relevant to “normal” weight loss diets, because their subjects consumed only 600 kcal and 8 g of nitrogen per day. Such a semi-starvation diet will lead to increased muscle protein catabolism no matter what the subjects eat.

The perception that the VLCARB leads to progressive loss of muscle protein apparently comes from the poorly controlled “Turkey Study” published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1980 [12]. The authors of this study reported that the protein-only diet subjects were losing nitrogen yet gaining potassium. As pointed out by Phinney [13,14], however, potassium and nitrogen losses are closely related, as they are both contained in lean tissue. This anomaly occurred because the authors assumed the potassium intake of their subjects was based upon handbook values for raw turkey, but half of this potassium was being discarded in the unconsumed broth. Deprived of potassium, these subjects were unable to benefit from dietary protein and thus lost muscle mass [14].

How is the preservation of muscle mass brought about during a VLCARB?

There are at least four possible mechanisms:

Adrenergic stimulation

The increase in adrenaline may be involved. Low blood sugar is a potent stimulus to adrenaline secretion and it is now clear that skeletal muscle protein mass is also regulated by adrenergic influences. For example, Kadowaki et al. demonstrated that adrenaline directly inhibits proteolysis of skeletal muscle [6].

Ketone bodies

As noted above, the liver produces ketone bodies during a VLCARB and they flow from the liver to extra-hepatic tissues (e.g., brain, muscle) for use as a fuel. In addition, ketone bodies exert a restraining influence on muscle protein breakdown. If the muscle is plentifully supplied with other substrates for oxidation (such as fatty acids and ketone bodies, in this case), then the oxidation of muscle protein-derived amino acids is suppressed. Nair et al. reported that beta-hydroxybutyrate (beta-OHB, a major ketone body) decreases leucine oxidation and promotes protein synthesis in humans [7]. Although blood concentrations of beta-OHB in their subjects during the infusion of beta-OHB were much lower than concentrations observed in humans during fasting, leucine incorporation into skeletal muscle showed a significant increase (5 to 17%).

Growth hormone (GH)

GH has a major role in regulating growth and development. GH is a protein anabolic hormone and it stimulates muscle protein synthesis. As low blood sugar increases GH secretions, one could speculate that a VLCARB increases GH levels. However, Harber et al. reported that GH secretion was unchanged with 7-day VLCARB/high-protein diet [8]. Interestingly, they also observed that skeletal muscle expression of IGF-I mRNA increased about 2-fold. A plausible explanation for the increased expression of IGF-I in muscle is the increased availability of dietary protein.

Dietary protein

A VLCARB is almost always relatively high in protein. There is evidence that high protein intake increases protein synthesis by increasing systemic amino acid availability [21], which is a potent stimulus of muscle protein synthesis [22]. During weight loss, higher protein intake reduces loss of muscle mass and increases loss of body fat [9]. It has been proposed that the branched-chain amino acid leucine interacts with the insulin signaling pathway to stimulate downstream control of protein synthesis, resulting in maintenance of muscle mass during periods of restricted energy intake [10]. A recent study by Harber et al. reported that a VLCARB/high-protein diet increases skeletal muscle protein synthesis despite a dramatic reduction in insulin levels [8].

Conclusion

Although more long-term studies are needed before a firm conclusion can be drawn, it appears, from most literature studied, that a VLCARB is, if anything, protective against muscle protein catabolism during energy restriction, provided that it contains adequate amounts of protein.

Competing interests

The author(s) declare that they have no competing interests.

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  • Here’s How the Ketogenic Diet Affects Your Body’s Ability to Build Muscle

    Many people like to argue that the ketogenic diet is an efficient way to build muscle. Your strength will skyrocket, they posit, and you’ll feel less sore and recover faster. Critics of the diet, however, often say the exact opposite: Ketogenic diets limit your ability to train hard, the theory goes. Trying to build muscle without carbs is like Batman patrolling the streets of Gotham without his utility belt. There’s no way, they say, to add muscle while you’re in ketosis.

    So who’s right? First, let’s take a look at the science: Back in 2002, researchers from the University of Connecticut looked at how six weeks of low-carb dieting affected body composition in two groups of healthy, normal-weight men. One group switched to a ketogenic diet for six weeks, while the rest continued with their regular diets. The men who went keto gained just over two pounds of muscle. The control group, on the other hand, gained just under one pound. On the face of it, that sounds like a win for the low-carbers; they gained twice as much muscle in the same amount of time.

    When you look under the hood at how the study was done, however, there were more than a few problems that limit the conclusions we can draw. For one, there was a big difference in protein intake between the two groups. Subjects on the ketogenic diet ate twice as much protein as those in the control group, which by itself could account for the extra muscle growth.

    In an ideal world, both groups would have followed the same training program. But they didn’t. Basically, everyone just carried on doing their own thing, so any differences in muscle growth between the two groups could have come down to a better training program rather than diet alone. More recently, a team of Florida researchers ran a similar study. This time, protein intake was matched between the two groups, and everyone in the study followed the same training program. What happened?

    From weeks 1 to 11, the keto group gained roughly twice as much lean mass as subjects on the regular higher-carb diet. Gains in muscle thickness, measured using ultrasound, were also significantly greater in the keto group. On the surface, this research appears to provide strong evidence that keto diets are the way to go if you want to build muscle. But only until you take a closer look at the way the study was done.

    The keto group “carbed up” in the final week of the study, which led to a seven-pound gain in lean body mass. In other words, much of the increase in lean tissue came from glycogen (the name given to carbohydrate stored in the body) and water. If you look at the results in the first ten weeks, before the keto group bumped up their carb intake, there was no significant difference in the rate of muscle growth between the two groups.

    Even the researchers write that it’s “likely that both groups gained similar amounts of muscle mass throughout the entire study.” When it comes to building muscle, most research shows that ketogenic diets offer no advantage over their higher carb counterparts.

    For example, a team of Brazilian researchers took a group of overweight men and women, and got them to train with weights three times a week for eight weeks. Half the subjects were told to restrict their carb intake, while the other half followed a diet that was higher in carbs and lower in fat. Both groups ate a similar amount of protein—roughly 0.7 grams per pound of bodyweight.

    There was very little difference in results between the low carb and conventional diet groups. They both got stronger, lost fat, and reduced their waist size. There was also no significant difference in muscle growth—measured with ultrasound at the biceps, triceps and quadriceps— between the two groups.

    Similar results were found in a three-month study of men with metabolic syndrome, and a ten-week study of overweight women. Combining resistance training with a ketogenic diet had no beneficial or adverse effects on the preservation of muscle mass during weight loss compared to the same training program paired with a conventional diet.

    Ketogenic diets can be useful under certain circumstances for people who know what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. After a period of intelligent experimentation, they seem to do better with fewer carbs in their diet. You may be one of those people. If the diet is working and you’re feeling good, then stick with it.

    Most low-carb diets get a lot of things right—the focus is usually on eating simple, wholesome, nutrient-dense foods that tend to fill you up on fewer calories. By almost completely cutting out a major macronutrient from your diet, you’re going a long way towards simplifying your dietary choices.

    And your muscles don’t actually need carbs to grow. Lifting weights triggers an increase in muscle protein synthesis, which is the key driving force behind muscle growth. But you don’t need carbs for it to happen. Carbohydrate comes in handy because it helps you put in the work that stimulates muscle growth, not because it makes a direct contribution to growth per se.

    Ketogenic diets, however, do have a number of potential downsides: They’re very restrictive, and you have to monitor your carb intake very carefully. When you know you can’t have something, it’s human nature to want it all the more. So if you’re “not allowed” to eat carbs, carbs are exactly what you’re going to want.

    What’s more, the low carb approach does tend to leave some people struggling in the gym with low energy levels. They feel tired and mentally fuzzy. If you do a lot of intense exercise, the quality of your workouts may decline.

    You don’t have to go full keto to get the benefits of restricting your carb intake. Many people do just fine with a moderate intake of carbs, cutting out the sugary snacks and replacing some of the starchy carbs with fruit and vegetables. But cutting carbs even further leaves them feeling worse rather than better, and they don’t stick with it for very long.

    To sum it all up, it’s possible to gain muscle on a ketogenic diet. What’s more, there are several studies out there to show that ketogenic diets do just as well as their higher carb counterparts when it comes to preserving muscle while you lose fat. There’s no compelling evidence, however, to show that ketogenic diets offer any muscle-building benefits that you don’t get with a higher-carb diet that provides adequate amounts of protein.

    If you want to get rid of your gut while building some muscle at the same time, a ketogenic diet is a viable option. But if you’re relatively lean, training hard 3 or 4 times a week, and your main goal is to add mass to your frame, there’s little point in being so restrictive. Indeed, a 2018 study shows that a group of resistance-trained men failed to gain any muscle at all after two months of lifting weights on a ketogenic diet.

    Christian Finn is a UK-based personal trainer with a masters in exercise science.

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    How to Burn Fat Without Losing Muscle, According to Keto Bodybuilder

    • Losing weight can be challenging, and trying to cut calories too quickly can have side effects for your health, including loss of hard-earned muscle mass.
    • The key to burning fat, not muscle, is gradually decreasing calories and periodically “refeeding” to keep your metabolism healthy, according to keto body builder Robert Sikes.
    • For healthy fat loss, be patient, take your time, and don’t rely on a quick fix or yo-yo dieting.
    • Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

    A common misconception about

    weight loss
    is that there’s a “quick fix,” but burning body fat and building muscle sustainably takes time, patience, and dedication, according to Robert Sikes, a bodybuilder who has six years of experience on the

    keto diet

    Common mistakes people make when trying to lose weight are not creating a personalized plan, cutting calories too quickly, and staying on a diet for too long, Sikes said in a recent presentation for KetoCon Online.

    To avoid these, Sikes offers simple steps — be strategic, don’t overdo it, and give your body a chance to recover — to help people burn fat without losing muscle, whether or not you’re on a keto diet. 

    Know how many calories and grams of protein you need 

    The first step to burning fat while maintaining muscle is to understand your metabolic baseline, according to Sikes. That includes how many calories you need per day to maintain your current weight, as well as how many calories you typically eat in a day, and what percentage of that is carbs, fat, and protein. 

    “If you don’t know where you’re starting from, you can’t optimize for where you’re going,” Sikes said. 

    From there, you can figure out what balance of macronutrients works best for your body by experimenting with different ratios of carbs, fat, and protein.

    Sikes recommends getting around 0.8 – 1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight a day to start, and increasing as needed until you find what works for your body. Too much protein, especially on a keto diet, can cause bloating, digestive issues, and higher blood sugar, as well as other long-term health issues. 

    If you’re cutting calories, do it slowly and don’t sacrifice nutrients

    Once you’ve establish a balance, you can figure out how many calories you need to cut to be in a deficit — eating fewer calories than you burn is what prompts the body to burn fat. 

    Sikes recommends doing this gradually, tapering off proportional amounts of fat and protein (and carbs if you aren’t keto) each week so you’re slowly getting fewer calories. This can help prevent your body from starting to burn muscle or slow your metabolism, both of which are survival mechanisms used in response to an abrupt or severe calorie deficit. 

    “This is the hardest phase and the most boring phase,” Sikes said. “So many people come to me and they’re wanting to have this short-term fix. By doing it consistently with discipline and concerted effort, you’re going to get so much better a return on that investment than if you just jump from one crash diet to the next.”  

    For Sikes, this can mean up to six months total of slow, consistent cutting for a bodybuilding competition. 

    At the same time, focus on high-quality, nutrient dense food, so you’re still getting the building blocks (like protein and amino acids) you need to maintain muscle, he said.  

    Include a higher calorie ‘cheat day’ once a week

    During the cutting phase, Sikes said it’s crucial to maintain your muscle and metabolism by having at least one higher-calorie day a week so your body can refuel. 

    You should still focus on balanced, nutritious food, but eating more calories provides a break that keeps weight loss sustainable both mentally and physically. 

    Sikes recommends eating about 30 to 40% more calories on refeeding days, and experimenting with having one or two of them each week. You can also be strategic and plan these days for when you have more intensive workouts. 

    Don’t stay on a diet forever 

    Finally, Sikes said that once you’ve reached a target body fat percentage, or spent a certain amount of type in a deficit, it’s time for the “reverse dieting” phase. These means increasing your calories back to maintenance or even a slight surplus to let your body recover and go back to building and maintaining lean muscle. Sikes, for instance, said he takes up to two years of calorie maintenance or surplus to recover from a six-month stint of competition cutting. 

    Doing so not only prevents the health risks of chronic dieting (like losing muscle and disrupting hormones or metabolism) but it also allow you to build more lean muscle and increase your calorie-and-fat-burning potential overall. 

    “It’s hard to build muscle when you’re in a chronic deficit. You need to have a surplus of energy, building blocks, amino acids acids to build lean muscle tissue,” Sikes said. ” The more lean muscle tissue you have, the better your metabolic rate is going to be in the first place.”  

    Read more:

    Exercising before breakfast could double your ability to burn fat

    The founder of Adele’s rumored sirtfood diet wants people to stop obsessing over calories

    A woman successfully used the keto diet and intermittent fasting to control her diabetes without medication

    5 Keto Diet Myths That You Need To Stop Believing

    The keto diet has been making its rounds through the diet-sphere, gaining traction and a lot of attention. As the dos and don’ts of the diet get tossed around, like a game of telephone, the message seems to get a little jumbled along the way.

    By the time it makes its way to you, it’s hard to decipher what’s worth noting and what’s better left alone.

    .

    100+ Amazing Keto Recipes That Will Change Your Life

    Keto, short for the ketogenic diet, is really any diet that is high enough in fat and low enough in carbohydrates to trigger ketosis. Ketosis is the process by which the body it forced to break down fat for fuel, per one review in the Journal of European Nutrition. The process results in compounds called ketones that circulate in your blood and act as a stand-in for carbs (which are your body’s preferred form of energy).

    The idea is that achieving ketosis will help you reach your weight-loss goals. And it’s not completely off base. After all, achieving ketosis means that your body has become “fat adapted” and is burning fat at a higher rate than it would otherwise, explains Toronto-based registered dietitian Andy De Santis, R.D. Plus, since a lot of people gain weight due to overeating carbs, especially processed ones, ditching carbs can be an easier way to automatically cut calories. And research shows that a keto diet can actually increase satiety and curb cravings, thanks to its high fat content. (Speed up your progress towards your weight-loss goals with Women’s Health’s Look Better Naked DVD.)

    Still, it’s important to realize that the diet wasn’t originally designed for weight loss, De Santis says. So when it comes to how to best use the diet for weight loss, well, there’s a lot of confusion.

    Find out what happened when one woman tried the keto diet:

    Here, we uncover five popular keto diet myths, and set the record straight to help you decide if the diet’s right for you—and how to get the most out of it.

    Myth: Ketosis and Ketoacidosis Are The Same Thing

    Ketosis, as mentioned earlier, is when your body is in optimal “fat burning” mode, and that can only happen once your body is using fat stores for energy and producing ketones. But this is not to be confused with ketoacidosis, says Jim White, R.D.N., owner of Jim White Fitness and Nutrition Studios in Virginia Beach. Ketoacidosis is a potentially life-threatening state in which the body’s blood is highly acidic, and is most often seen in people with diabetes.

    However, ketoacidosis can occur in people following a ketogenic diet, as extremely high levels of ketones cause the condition, according to a 2017 review published in the Strength and Conditioning Journal. Symptoms of ketoacidosis include abdominal pain, weakness, thirst, shortness of breath, confusion, and blurred vision. That brings us to the next myth…

    Myth: The Keto Diet Is High In Protein

    In order to stay in ketosis and out of dangerous ketoacidosis, those on a keto diet must reduce rather than increase their protein intake, explains Kelly Roehl, R.D.N., a researcher and dietitian at Rush University who counsels patients on the ketogenic diet. As far as she is concerned, the misconception that the keto diet is a high-protein diet is the biggest and most dangerous myth around.

    That’s because when protein levels get high, the breakdown of the amino acids in protein can also lead to an increase in ketones. While that’s all well and good in the average dieter, in a keto dieter who already has elevated levels of ketones in their bloodstream, that can plunge the body into ketoacidosis, Roehl explains. Plus, when protein intake gets too high, it is converted to glucose, causing a blood-sugar spike and an anti-ketogenic effect,” Roehl explains. Lose-lose.

    So, when you’re on a keto diet, what’s the right amount of protein? About 6 to 8 percent of your daily calories should come from protein in order to remain in ketosis and eliminate the risk of ketoacidosis, White says. (Meanwhile, carbs should contribute about 2 to 4 percent of your daily calories.) For the average woman (following a 2,000-calorie diet) that would mean eating approximately 30 to 40 grams of protein per day. That equals about two eggs and a 3-ounce chicken breast per day.

    Hence why a keto diet may not be the best choice for people who are interested in building muscle, according to the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

    Related: ‘I Tried The Ketogenic Diet For Weight Loss—Here’s What Happened’

    Myth: You Can Eat Any Type Of Fat

    The keto diet may seem like a dietary fat free-for-all (how else are you supposed to get 90 percent of your total daily calories from fat without bacon?), but experts emphasize that a keto diet doesn’t give you the green light to fill up on saturated sources.

    According to the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, replacing saturated fat (bacon, sausages, ham, etc.) with unsaturated fat (walnuts, flax seed, fish, etc.) is more effective in lowering risk of cardiovascular disease than simply reducing total fat consumption. Meanwhile, research links eating processed meats (like bacon) to an increased risk of cancer.

    “Optimize your ketogenic lifestyle by putting a Mediterranean flair on it,” says Roehl. “Focus on getting the bulk of your fat from high-quality extra virgin olive oil, nuts and seeds, and fatty fish.”

    Myth: The Brain Can Function Optimally Without Carbs

    You know that time right before lunch when you’re woozy and your head feels a little (or way) cloudy? If you’ve ever been “hangry,” you know exactly how it feels when your blood-sugar levels bottom out. And when that happens, the brain is literally screaming for glucose, its preferred source of energy.

    Especially in the beginning of a keto diet, you can expect for your brain to do a lot of screaming, White says. That’s because, while research shows that the brain needs more than 100 grams of glucose (carbs) per day for optimal functioning, keto diets usually take intake as low as 50 grams.

    So, in the process of becoming fat adapted, people may experience the same symptoms they do when they are “hangry” or passing the time before their lunch break. Once the body becomes fat adapted the brain can convert ketones as fuel, but White says that this can take weeks to months to finally happen.

    Related: The Ketogenic Diet Might Burn 10 Times More Fat Than The Standard American Diet

    Myth: The Diet Is a Long-Term Solution

    For people who love fatty foods, aren’t big on counting calories, and can give up carbs with ease, the keto diet can be relatively easy to maintain over the long-haul. But the diet really shouldn’t be followed over the long term, per 2017 research.

    The main reason is that, the longer you follow a keto diet, the greater the risk of muscle loss, according to researchers. Apart from contributing to losses in strength and muscle tone, decreases in lean muscle mass also result in declines in metabolic rate—meaning that you would burn fewer overall calories than when you started to keep the weight off.

    Researchers note that, while the diet can be beneficial for quickly dropping weight, it’s best used for no more than a few weeks at a time. For instance, when you’re not going hard in the gym. And, before you do increase your workout intensity, you need to increase your carb and protein intake as well, they say. They do note, however, that doing this can help increase “metabolic flexibility,” or your body’s ability to get energy from multiple sources, which is linked to better health and weight loss.

    Related: ​6 Signs Your Metabolism Is Out Of Whack

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    Building Muscle on Keto: An Evidence-Based Guide

    Keto is a weight loss diet…but it doesn’t have to be.

    Even though thousands of user testimonials and dozens of research studies have solidified the effectiveness of the ketogenic diet to promote and sustain weight and fat loss, this diet has many more applications than slimming down.

    One of those applications is for athletes and individuals who want to get leaner, stronger, and even pack on muscle. However, there is a common myth floating around that the ketogenic diet—which isn’t necessarily a “high protein diet”—makes it hard, if not impossible, to gain muscle.

    What’s the source of this belief, and does the criticism hold water? Should bodybuilders be adopting keto?

    This article will help to clear the air on the keto diet as it relates to muscle building and dispel some common misheld beliefs along the way. We want to make the case (backed by evidence) that you can maintain and even build muscle mass while adhering to a strict ketogenic diet.

    But first, let’s cover some of the basics on how to muscle is built.

    Muscle Protein Synthesis 101

    Muscle protein synthesis (MPS) is the process that our body uses to build new proteins; it’s essential if we want to gain muscle mass or make our muscles larger—a process known as muscle hypertrophy.

    There are a few biochemical pathways that govern protein synthesis. These anabolic (growth-promoting) pathways are activated by things like nutrients from food and, perhaps most importantly, exercise. The exercise has to be specific though.

    Overloading the muscle using resistance exercise is essential to increase muscle protein synthesis and ultimately, size and strength.

    So, to “get big” you have to “lift big” through weight training. But how exactly does weightlifting increase the size of muscles?

    mTOR and Muscle Building

    Interest in the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is growing in the area of longevity. However, this cellular sensor is also involved in the process of muscle hypertrophy and protein synthesis.

    mTOR is a nutrient sensor—meaning that it can sense whether the body is in a “fed” or “fasted” state.

    mTOR can also sense mechanical forces. This is where its involvement in hypertrophy comes from. When we overload a muscle by lifting heavy weights, mTOR is activated.Yoon2017,Sandri2013 Activation of mTOR has two functions—stimulating muscle protein synthesis and preventing protein breakdown. This has a dual effect on helping to increase muscle mass.

    Interestingly, the more you activate mTOR, the more you are able to increase muscle growth and strength.Schoenfeld2010,Terzis2008 It’s a dose-response effect.

    mTOR can also be activated by hormones in the body known as growth factors. These include insulin and insulin-like growth factor—both of which activate mTOR and lead to an increase in muscle protein synthesis.Yoon2017

    Amino Acids are Essential

    All proteins (in the body and in food) are made up of amino acids. That’s why they’re often referred to as the “building blocks” of proteins. Without amino acids, we couldn’t build muscle.

    Especially important to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass are the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs).

    These amino acids are also known as Essential amino acids, meaning that we must consume them in our diet because they’re not produced in the body.

    Ingestion of BCAAs, especially the BCAA leucine, stimulates muscle protein synthesis through mTOR and other processes.Fujita2006,Atherton2012,Fujita2007 Studies have shown that the BCAAs in particular are the most effective at causing muscle hypertrophy and preventing muscle breakdown, even more effective than the growth-factor insulin.Shimomura2010,Duan2015

    Amino acids are the reason for the recommendation to consume protein after a hard workout; since this will maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis and help you recover from your effort. While overall protein balance may be more important for muscle protein synthesis, some data show that consuming 20 – 30 grams of high-quality protein after exercise will maximally stimulate protein synthesis. Make sure to include at least 2 grams of leucine—the most potent driver of protein synthesis.

    Do You Need Carbs to Build Muscle?

    Given it’s advocacy of extremely low carblow intake, the keto diet has been advised against by many in the bodybuilding and sports performance world. The idea that carbohydrates are necessary to induce muscle growth probably came from the fact that insulin and IGF-1, which both rise in response to carbohydrate intake, also stimulate muscle protein synthesis.

    Furthermore, many recommendations exist that tell athletes to consume protein plus carbohydrates in the post-workout window to really maximize gains and promote recovery. Again, the thought is that the carbohydrates will stimulate insulin, promoting a greater amount of muscle protein synthesis than protein alone.

    However, when studies compare protein ingestion alone to a combination of protein and carbs after resistance exercise, there is no difference in muscle protein synthesis.Staples2011,Koopman2007,Miller2003,Glynn2013 Long story short: the carbs don’t seem to be adding anything extra.This is probably due to the fact that the amount of protein ingested is enough to raise insulin levels and activate mTOR. More insulin doesn’t necessarily mean more protein synthesis, in this case.Staples2011,Koopman2007

    This might silence any argument against using the keto diet to build muscle. But another argument against keto for athletes has to do with glycogen (stored glucose) in muscle.

    If glycogen stores are low during exercise, this could compromise energy availability and limit performance. Not something that any athlete wants. However, this may be more of a concern for athletes involved in endurance activities where glycogen depletion becomes an issue. Athletes in sports involving heavy lifts or bodybuilding might not experience negative effects from low glycogen.

    However, the data don’t support that glycogen levels are reduced on a ketogenic diet—at least after a sufficient period of adaptation occurs.

    In fact, keto-adapted athletes who were compared to athletes consuming around 600 grams of carbohydrates per day actually had similar levels of stored muscle glycogen. After exercise, the keto-adapted athletes were also able to replenish their levels of stored glycogen just as well as the carbohydrate-consuming athletes—despite consuming about 75% less carbohydrates during that period.Volek2016 Something happens to keto-adapted athletes that allow them to maintain glycogen levels at a high level. But what?

    Maintenance of glucose and glycogen levels in the body in the absence of carbohydrate consumption can occur through a process known as gluconeogenesis, or GNG for short. GNG is a process that our body uses to create glucose out of non-carbohydrate sources—mainly amino acids and glycerol from fatty acids.

    By “manufacturing” glucose from these other substrates, low-carb athletes are able to replenish and maintain muscle glycogen at similar levels to carb-consuming athletes.

    So, the fact that carbs aren’t needed to build muscle or to keep up a sufficient amount of glucose and glycogen to fuel athletic activity is a nail in the coffin against the keto diet for athletes looking to get bigger, stronger, or perform longer.

    But we are primarily interested in muscle growth for this article. While the foundation is sound, what does the evidence actually say about building muscle on a ketogenic diet?

    How Keto Helps You Build Muscle

    Where did the idea that you can’t build muscle on keto come from?

    For one, there is the idea that low-carbohydrate diets will fail to sufficiently stimulate insulin/IGF-1 in response to training and therefore, impair your ability to grow muscle or even cause muscle loss. Some people think that if you don’t consume carbs alongside your protein, you won’t maximize muscle protein synthesis.

    The second and perhaps most cited reason is that the ketogenic diet is one in which protein is moderated—keto doesn’t encourage a super high intake of protein; keeping it around 10 – 15% of total calories. The theory goes that, since protein is essential for growing large muscles, restricting your intake might lead to a significant loss of muscle tissue or an inability to get bigger.

    As we will see, the data don’t really support either of these takes.

    This is a generally new area of research, so we don’t have a ton of studies. However, some research has been done that points to a net benefit of the keto diet on markers of muscle growth and maintenance.

    Get Lean on Keto

    Building muscle is great, but another goal of many strength-based athletes is to optimize body composition. A low-carb high-fat diet can do this. Research has shown that athletes who adopt a keto diet experience greater body fat loss than a group of high-carb dieters.Mcswiney2017,Zinn2017 After 8 weeks of a keto-diet and resistance training program, young men experienced reductions in fat mass and visceral adipose tissue—changes that weren’t seen in the non-keto groups.Vargas2011

    It makes sense that fat mass would drop and body fat % go down on a keto diet once you “learn” to efficiently burn fat for energy.

    Being keto adapted ultimately leads to a greater ability to utilize fat from food and body storage areas.

    As long as lean mass is maintained (which most studies show is the case), increased fat burning capacity will result in improved body composition—less fat and more lean muscle.

    Keto Prevents Protein Breakdown

    Fail to eat enough protein, the saying goes, and you’ll shrivel up, lose muscle, and go frail.This fear is instilled by people who say that keto doesn’t contain enough protein to maintain lean muscle mass.

    However, research shows exactly the opposite—that the ketogenic diet actually prevents muscle from being broken down. When an equal number of calories are consumed on diets containing the same amount of protein but differing levels of carbs, the lower-carb diets actually maintain lean muscle mass to the greatest extent.Young1971

    Ketosis might actually improve our ability to utilize proteins. This could be due to the fact that the body no longer needs to breakdown protein for gluconeogenesis—instead utilizing ketones, sparing the protein we have. Studies support this. During ketosis and infusion of ketone bodies, it is shown that the utilization of BCAAs for energy is reduced, leading to enhanced protein synthesis and muscle maintenance.Volek2012,Nair1988

    Not only do ketones spare protein for muscle maintenance, but they actually can significantly increase muscle protein synthesis. Athletes who ingested a ketone supplement made of a BHB monoester had increased activity of mTOR, leading to a doubling of protein synthesis.Vandoorne2017

    Ketosis seems to have some profound effects of various markers of protein synthesis within the muscle. But how do athletes on a ketogenic diet respond to training. Do the studies show that muscle mass can improve?

    Keto Diets and Muscle Building

    As the ketogenic diet has risen in popularity with athletes, more researchers are becoming interested in testing the efficacy of this diet for performance.

    Let’s see how the keto diet performs.

    In one study, a low-carb diet was compared to a traditional western diet during a 10-week resistance training intervention in healthy young males. After 10 weeks, the group on the low-carb diet diet group gained 2.4% lean body mass and reduced their fat mass by 2.2 kilograms, changes which were similar to the group eating a normal diet.Wilson2017 However, the keto diet actually led to a greater increase in testosterone throughout the study. This study suggests that when combined with strength training, a keto diet is perfectly adequate for increasing body weight, most of which is lean muscle.

    The keto diet has also been shown to preserve muscle mass during training—dispelling the myth that keto will cause you to lose muscle.

    Two studies provide evidence for this. In the first, a group of elite gymnasts adopted a ketogenic diet while maintaining their training routines. By the end of the study, muscle mass was the same, but they actually got leaner—reducing body fat and body fat percentage significantly.Paoli2012

    Another study provided similar evidence. After 6 weeks on a ketogenic diet, athletes in a CrossFit program experienced no significant change in muscle mass, but significantly reduced their weight, percent body fat, and fat mass.Gregory2017

    It is important to note that in both of these studies, performance was also maintained in the keto diet groups. Keto diets are often advised against due to their potential impact on high-intensity performance measures which require a high glycolytic capacity.

    But, sticking to muscle-related outcomes; a bulk of the research indicates that a keto diet in combination with a resistance training program can preserve or increase lean muscle mass, reduce body fat and body fat %, and maintain strength and power.

    It will be exciting to see future studies done analyzing the potential for the keto diet to help with muscle building.

    Don’t Fear Protein

    While carbs are the major macronutrient of interest on keto, protein is another. While the keto diet isn’t necessarily a high-protein diet, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a low-protein one either. In fact, the actual definition of keto includes a “moderate protein” designation.

    If we put some numbers to it, even if you’re eating 15% of your calories from protein on a ketogenic diet, a 2,500 calorie per day diet means you’re still getting 93 grams of protein per day. While hard-core lfters will say this value might be too low, it’s still a fairly large amount of protein.

    Consuming even higher amounts of protein in the range of 20 – 25% of total calories is even possible on keto.

    In some people, they can still get into ketosis without really restricting protein.

    This might be especially true for high-activity athletes.

    However, there is the possibility that excess protein will kick you out of ketosis due to gluconeogenesis. This is a highly debated topic, however, and many studies have actually failed to find evidence that protein intake increases GNG enough to stop ketogenesis. GNG occurs slowly, and glucose production following a meal is largely independent of protein content or breakdown.Conn1936 One study showed that, even under “optimal gluconeogenic conditions”, eating protein failed to increase GNG.Fromentin2014

    Individual variability likely exists in the effect of differing levels of protein on a ketogenic diet. However, eating a bit more protein on a keto diet is likely nothing to be fearful of, and even something to consider if you want to build muscle.

    See Those Gains

    We hope this article has busted the myth that you can’t build muscle on a ketogenic diet. Research studies consistently show increased, if not maintained, levels of muscle mass in groups who undergo training while on a ketogenic diet.

    As long as you’re dieting right and getting adequate fat intake (mainly healthy fats) as a source of energy, you should be able to successfully get into a state of ketosis while also putting on the muscle you want. Whether your goal is lifting heavier, muscle gain, or bulking, you can accomplish it with a well-planned ketogenic diet.

    Anecdotal evidence, while not scientific per se, is powerful too. It isn’t difficult to find dozens, if not hundreds of people on social media who are successfully leaning out and building muscle while eating a ketogenic diet. The “evidence” speaks for itself.

    Do Ketogenic Diets Cause Muscle Loss? Here’s What Science Says

    We know that ketogenic diets promote fat and weight loss. We also know that some lean body mass loss (not necessarily muscle loss) must coincide with fat loss.

    However, there’s been much debate as to whether hypocaloric ketogenic diets cause muscle loss, or, at least when compared to hypocaloric non-ketogenic diets.

    In this article, Vincent looks at what the scientific literature on ketogenic diets and muscle mass says.

    Key Takeaways:

    1. Calorie- and protein-matched ketogenic and non-ketogenic diets lead to similar rates of fat loss.
    2. Ketogenic diets lead to larger weight losses, with greater water and *protein* losses than balanced macronutrient diets (both in terms of percentage of weight loss, and in absolute terms).
    3. It’s not clear if the protein losses during ketogenic diets are a result of losses in muscle tissue or in other protein-containing tissues (e.g. skin, organs, etc.).
    4. Issues with nitrogen balance preclude us from drawing any firm conclusions from trials using nitrogen balance to measure protein losses with ketogenic diets.
    5. Keto/lower-carbohydrate diets present a useful (short-term) tool for powerlifters looking to improve their Wilks score.
    6. Keto is best suited for those with weight/fat loss goals (likely short-term, but perhaps long-term) than for those with muscle building/weight gaining goals.

    Relevant research on keto and muscle loss

    Let’s start by looking at some relevant research on ketogenic diets and muscle loss or lean body mass loss.

    Kephart et al. (2018) took recreationally trained Crossfitters, put some on a ketogenic diet, and left others to their conventional diets. Lean body mass and fat mass were assessed (via DXA) after 12 weeks of crossfit training. The ketogenic diet group lost more body fat than the conventional diet group, but they also lost (leg) lean mass, while the conventional diet group did not.

    The significantly larger loss in body fat in the ketogenic diet group suggests that the subjects were in a bigger caloric deficit, which may explain the larger losses in lean mass relative to the non-ketogenic diet group.

    Greene et al. (2018) employed a similar study protocol (among intermediate-advanced olympic lifters), but also incorporated a crossover design. Here, subjects alternated between 3 months of their typical diet (>250 grams of carbohydrate) and a ketogenic diet (<50 grams of carbohydrate per day). The keto group lost more fat mass, as well as lower body and total lean mass. Nonetheless, lifting performance was roughly similar between diet conditions.

    Again, there was more fat loss during the ketogenic diet treatment, which could explain (at least partly) why the ketogenic diet resulted in more lean mass loss.

    Of note, Vargas et al. (2018) also assessed body composition changes in ketogenic vs. non-ketogenic diets (in trained lifters) undergoing resistance training. However, despite being prescribed a caloric surplus, the ketogenic diet group *lost* weight (which indicates a caloric deficit). Thus, lean mass changes between the ketogenic and non-ketogenic diet groups could not be compared, since the non-keto group gained mass. However, the ketogenic diet group did not gain lean mass (on average) throughout the 8-week resistance training program, and other research indicates that trained lifters can gain lean mass while losing weight.

    Otherwise, Chatterton et al. (2017) conducted a case study (in intermediate-level olympic lifters), in which subjects consumed 1g/kg of carbohydrate (borderline ketogenic diet). In this study, all subjects lowered their carbohydrate intake. Two out of five olympic lifters increased their strength similarly on the ketogenic and higher-carbohydrate diets. Alas, two lifters hit plateaus on the lower-carbohydrate diet, and another lifter actually lost (both relative and absolute) strength (however, this subject reduced carb intake the most).

    This suggests that responses to ketogenic dieting may vary between individuals, but that keto probably doesn’t offer any advantages for strength gain. Moreover, this study *weakly* supports the notion that ketogenic diets induce muscle loss, since none of the trainees increased quadriceps or triceps muscle thickness, but one subject experienced a 10.8% decrease in triceps muscle thickness.

    Summary of the research on keto and muscle loss

    The available research comparing the effects of non-ketogenic vs ketogenic diets on muscle loss in trained athletes/lifters indicates consistently larger lean mass losses with ketogenic diets.

    However:

    1. this does not imply muscle loss, especially considering “keto flush” (in which substantial water losses occur at the onset of a very low-carb diet).
    2. since ketogenic diets tend to result in a decrease in caloric intake, the larger reductions in lean body mass/muscle mass may be due to the resulting caloric deficit rather than due to the ketogenic diets per se.

    Anyway, on average, weightlifters roughly maintain strength performance with keto, and keto’s effects on strength differ between people.

    Taken together, keto has been shown to produce similar (average) strength gains, *and* greater lean mass loss. This paints a murky picture around keto for muscle growth, but a (potentially crucial) bit of data from 1976 adds another piece to the puzzle.

    The 1976 keto vs non-keto trial

    In a metabolic ward crossover trial (in 6 obese inactive males), Yang and Van Itallie alternated subjects between 3 (10-day) diet conditions:

    1. keto (800 calories; 10 grams of carbs),
    2. starvation (0 calories), and
    3. mixed-macronutrient dieting (800 calories; 90 g carbs),

    with (5-day) 1200 calorie breaks in-between.

    Subjects drank some combination of corn oil, sucrose, and sodium caseinate (for fat, carbohydrate, and protein, respectively) throughout the study.

    The researchers observed that 10 days of keto elicited ~4.7 kg of weight loss, on average. Of this weight loss, ~2.88 kg (61.2%) was water, ~1.64 kg (35%) was fat and ~.179 kg (3.8%) was protein. Compare this to the (isocaloric) mixed macronutrient diet treatment, which caused a body weight loss of ~2.8 kg, of which ~1.04 kg (37.1%) was water, ~1.67 kg (59.5%) was fat, and ~.095 kg (3.4%) was protein.

    Importantly, the keto group lost 179 grams of protein, but the balanced group only lost 95 grams of protein. To be clear, an 84 gram difference in protein loss is minuscule, but we’d expect protein losses to be small (because subjects dieted for just 10 days) under each condition.

    *However*, it’s noteworthy that the keto group lost 88% more protein over this time period. Indeed, the keto group lost almost twice as much protein, despite having similar energy, protein, and fat intakes. What’s more, both diet groups lost similar amounts of fat, thus *body composition change was better* in the higher-carbohydrate (mixed-macronutrient) diet condition.

    Here are a few other things worth noting:

    1. Upon returning to 5 days at 1200 calories, the keto group lost another ~.013 kg of protein and ~.63 kg of fat, while the balanced group lost another ~.03 kg of protein and ~.6 kg of fat. Thus, 5 days at higher carbohydrate intake slowed protein loss on keto.
    2. During this 5-day period, the keto group re-gained ~.9 kg of water weight (for a net weight gain of ~.26 kg). Meanwhile, the balanced diet group continued losing weight overall (for an additional weight loss of ~.82 kg). Taken together, this suggests that while energy balance dictates fat loss, carbohydrate intake can alter body weight and protein losses.
    3. The starvation diet produced significantly greater nitrogen losses than the keto and mixed diets. This highlights that keto won’t produce as much protein loss as prolonged fasting would.
    4. Since this was a crossover trial, the same subjects underwent all diet conditions. Thus, when the same people followed a calorie and protein-matched ketogenic diet, they lost more protein (on average) than they did on a higher-carb diet.

    So, while this is just one study, a metabolic ward trial with crossover design is very high quality. That said, this study’s results can’t necessarily be generalized to athletes, since just 6 obese individuals (with no resistance training) were examined. Also, the results can’t be generalized to the longer-term, since each diet condition only lasted 10 days.

    Ketogenic diets and powerlifting

    Considering the above, a very low-carbohydrate diet probably induces greater protein losses than a calorie-matched, higher-carb diet. This, plus the fact that keto has been shown to decrease lower-body lean mass and (possibly) triceps muscle thickness, supports the idea that keto can decrease muscle size (perhaps in skeletal muscle, in addition to/rather than organ tissue).

    The key word here is *can*, as individual responses seem to vary. Nonetheless, if your goal is maximal hypertrophy, you should probably consume greater than 1 gram of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight.

    On the flip side, keto provides a useful tool for some powerlifters. For example, if you can make strength gains as usual on keto, then a ketogenic/lower-carbohydrate approach may allow you to increase your Wilks score.

    This is because the ketogenic diet consistently reduces ad libitum energy intake (i.e. keto causes people to eat less, without trying), likely due to the diet’s hunger-blunting effect. This, combined with transient water loss, allows many lifters to improve their Wilks scores/relative strength (*at least* in the short-term). As such, the ketogenic diet is probably best seen as a short-term weight/fat loss tool.

    For those with lesser performance/size goals, the ketogenic diet may be a viable long-term option, but it’s worth noting that many people find it hard to stick to keto in the long-term (i.e. for more than 3 months).

    Lastly, I want to emphasize that it isn’t clear whether *ketone production* or *very low carb intake* causes the lean mass/protein losses seen on keto. As such, a targeted ketogenic diet (perhaps higher carbohydrate, with carbs biased around exercise) may allow you to reap the best of both worlds (i.e. any benefits of keto, with less/no muscle/performance loss).

    A saving grace for keto?

    In a conversation with Marty Kendall of Optimising Nutrition,  it was brought to my attention that we’d actually expect to see more nitrogen loss with ketogenic diets, as some protein is used for gluconeogenesis (the production of glucose from non-carbohydrate sources).

    By this logic, the keto group lost more protein/muscle because they used some for gluconeogenesis. However, if they compensated with greater protein intake, then nitrogen losses might have been similar in the keto group (for Van Itallie and Yang’s study).

    In practice, this means that higher-carb diets (containing ~1.8 g/kg protein) and ketogenic diets (containing ~2.2 g/kg protein) could produce similar protein balances.

    If true, this would mean that, with calories and protein matched, keto is still inferior for muscle growth. However, protein-enriched ketogenic diets might cause as much muscle growth as higher-carb diets. As such, body composition changes may be similar on keto, given higher protein intakes.

    Nitrogen balance and changes in muscle mass

    Ultimately, nitrogen balance is a very limited measurement tool. Protein researchers Jorn Trommelen and Stuart Phillips have each advised against drawing any conclusions based on nitrogen balance, given its constraints.

    For example, your nitrogen balance can be positive despite clear muscle loss. Thus, I may have erroneously drawn conclusions from Van Itallie and Yang, since nitrogen balance indicates little about changes in skeletal muscle mass

    Final thoughts and conclusions

    All said, we don’t have sufficient evidence to say with certainty if a ketogenic diet causes more muscle loss compared to a non-ketogenic/higher-carbohydrate diet. However, we know enough to draw a few conclusions:

    1. Calorie- and protein-matched non-ketogenic and ketogenic diets cause similar rates of fat loss, but ketogenic diets result in more weight loss due to decreases in water. Since water is a component of lean body mass, research that assesses body composition with DEXA can’t differentiate between a decrease in water and a decrease in muscle mass.
    2. There is only one documented case of a decrease in muscle size on the ketogenic diet (one subject in the Chatterton et al. trial who lost triceps thickness). However, while triceps thickness is a generally good measure of muscle mass, it cannot account for changes in fluids inside the muscle. This means that a decrease in muscle glycogen levels (which could very well happen with a ketogenic diet) may result in a decrease in muscle thickness, without an accompanying decrease in actual contractile proteins.
    3. Strength gains/losses on ketogenic diets seem to be an individual thing – i.e. some people do better than others. 
    4. While the ketogenic diet is (at best) on equal footing with other diets, it’s still a viable option for those seeking body composition improvements, especially for people struggling with hunger, or those who prefer to eat ad libitum (i.e. to satiety, without tracking calorie intake).
    5. The potential for performance and/or muscle loss might reasonably steer competitive bodybuilders and powerlifters away from keto, although, in the short-term, the water weight drop that accompanies ketogenic diets can improve powelifters’ Wilks score, since they lose more relative weight than they do strength performance.

    That said, the vast majority of people don’t need to worry about truly *maximizing* lifting performance and muscle growth. The differences between gains on calorie- and protein-matched keto vs non-keto diets are likely small, if even present at all. So, if keto is working well for you, then you should probably stick with it!

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    90,000 How ketosis affects muscle mass

    Unsurprisingly, a low-carb diet has become popular among the population because it helps:

    Increase insulin sensitivity
    Improve lipid profile
    Prevent Alzheimer’s disease

    However, it is also essential for most drugs for some athletes, such how it helps to improve oxidative metabolism.This fact has led many “professionals” to think that the brain uses only glucose if acidosis occurs and accelerates the onset of diseases such as cancer.

    Acidosis is a process of decreasing PH. When the acid-base balance of the body increases the acidity.
    Ketosis is the result of fat burning due to a deficiency in good carbohydrates.

    Relationship between a low carbohydrate diet and muscle loss.

    One of the things we have discussed more than once is the potential loss of muscle mass due to low carbohydrate intake when high glycogen levels inhibit protein degradation.However, there are some unfounded claims about the relationship between low carbohydrate intake and decreased muscle mass.

    When a person eats high to moderate carbohydrate rich in fat, there is a large loss of glycogen, both in the liver and in the muscles. This loss of glycogen brings about significant water loss. Thus, a person after a diet rich in fats loses 0.8-2 kilograms of mass in the first 72 hours. This phenomenon causes cells to use more glucose and less fatty acids for energy.The body needs fast energy to maintain a constant supply of glucose to cells such as red blood cells, which only use glucose.

    This is when our liver reacts by synthesizing ketones, entering a state of ketosis (not to be confused with ketoacidosis). Obviously, if we decrease our carbohydrate intake, our blood glucose levels and therefore our insulin levels decrease. This is one of the reasons why ketogenic diets work well for people with obesity or diabetes.

    To maintain muscle mass, you must bear in mind that the loss of body fat will entail a loss of muscle mass during a low-calorie diet.But is it really so? There are examples of obese people who ate extremely low calorie diets. These studies show that an 800-1200 calorie deficit results in an average loss of 61.2% water, 35% fat, and only 3% protein.

    We can see that very low calorie or carbohydrate diets, in people with a high percentage of fat, are not associated with any muscle hazard. However, in people with a low fat diet, protein degradation increases, and as a result, nitrogen levels in the body decrease significantly.Simply put – fat people on a low-carb diet don’t have to worry about their muscles. While people with a fat percentage of less than 10% should include protein in their diet when losing weight or fly.

    Conclusions.
    This study confirms that only protein and muscle stimulation are needed to build muscle tissue. Carbohydrates only provide energy functions. The amount of carbohydrates and fats entering the body does not affect muscle protein metabolism. However, if we can connect these facts with training, then it allows for greater intensity.The muscle stimulation will be greater and therefore long-term muscle gain is improved.

    A very low carbohydrate diet increases sympathetic activation, which in turn raises adrenaline levels in search of glucose. This adrenaline has a protective effect on muscles and inhibits proteolysis (protein breakdown).

    Thus, it can be said that both short-term and long-term ketosis are not responsible for the loss of muscle mass. However, this type of diet can have a negative impact on the performance of sports that border on the anaerobic threshold (HIIT, sprint, or CrossFit) because ketone bodies cannot store energy at that intensity.

    How effective is the keto diet for muscle growth?

    Keto diets have been used for weight loss for several years. While there is nothing magic about them in terms of metabolism, they do help some people lose weight: on a keto diet, a person feels fuller, and his spontaneous consumption of calories (energy) during the day decreases. And since not everyone knows / wants to count calories and are usually guided by the feeling of hunger and satiety, this may work – although not for everyone, since adherence to a diet plays a big role, and following keto is difficult for a long time due to strict rules and restrictions.

    There is ample research already that keto diets are effective for people who are overweight or obese (like most diets that offer a simple and straightforward way to limit calories), little is known about how effective they are in terms of body composition for those who are leaner. trained people.

    A recent study looked at the effects of the keto diet on muscle growth, and participants who ate the regular diet gained more lean body mass than those who followed the keto diet.But this study had several limitations. First, lean body mass is not 100% muscle, and although muscle makes up a decent portion of it, it was muscle fiber percentage that was not measured. Second, both groups were on a calorie-surplus diet and ate slightly more than their norm, so the study cannot be carried over to a calorie-restricted diet. Thirdly, the study participants are trained men, and the physiological features between M and F interfere with the transfer of results from men to women directly.

    While there is still not enough research on keto diets in women, we now have some new data.

    Research

    Study Effects of a ketogenic diet on body composition and strength in trained women , published in the scientific journal Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition in 2020.

    Participants: 21 women with at least 2 years of fitness experience, two groups: a keto diet and a regular diet.
    Food:

    • The Keto Diet.Proteins: 1.7 g / kg of body weight, carbohydrates: 30-40 g, the rest is fats to the required calorie content.
    • Normal diet. Proteins 1.7 g / kg body weight, Fats: 1 g / kg body weight, the rest carbohydrates to the desired calorie content.

    Calories: 40-45 kcal per kilogram of lean body mass in both groups (a small calorie surplus was planned).
    Workouts: 8 weeks, every week two upper body workouts, two lower body workouts.
    Program:

    • Week 1: Strength (3 sets x 3-5 reps almost to failure, 3 min rest)
    • Week 2: Hypertrophy (3 sets x 8-10 reps to failure, rest 90 seconds)
    • Week 3: Endurance (3 sets x 20-25 reps to failure, 45 seconds rest)
    • Week 4: Unloading (3 x 12-15 reps not to failure, rest 2-3 minutes)
    • Weeks 5-8: repetition of the cycle, with increasing working weights

    Results

    Participants in both groups exceeded the recommended protein intake, and the keto group ate more protein than the normal group (115 g per day versus 97 g).Also in the keto group, women reported lower calorie intake than planned – in contrast to the normal group: 1,710 kcal versus 1,979 kcal.

    Body Composition
    • Weight: members of the keto group lost an average of 2.2 kg, in the normal diet group the weight increased slightly.
    • Fat: in the keto group decreased by 1.1 kg, in the normal group – increased by 0.3 kg.
    • Dry weight: decreased by 700 g in the keto group and increased in the normal group.
    Training Performance
    • Bench Press: increased significantly in the non-keto group (+5.6 kg) and in the keto group + 1.5 kg.
    • Squat: both groups significantly increased squat weights, but in the regular group the gains were greater (+15.6 kg versus +5.6 kg respectively).
    • Jump height: improved significantly in both groups without significant differences.

    Research has shown that the keto diet leads to a decrease in weight and fat mass compared to a regular diet in trained women, however, this was accompanied by a decrease in lean body mass and influenced strength performance.

    What does this mean

    According to the conditions of the study, the participants were supposed to be in a calorie surplus (get energy with food slightly above their norm), but the keto group could not do this and ate ~ 300 calories less, which was not in the regular diet group. It can be concluded that the members of the keto group did not have enough appetite to eat with a surplus of calories, and there was that spontaneous decrease in calorie intake, which helps people with obesity to lose weight. The difficulty of maintaining a calorie surplus on keto is consistent with another study by the same scientists on male bodybuilders.

    How does the keto diet suppress appetite? Supposedly due to less variety in food (which reduces the effect of sensory-specific satiety and helps to eat less), more protein, less stimulation of the reward center in the brain (since there is no sugar) and possible suppression of appetite directly through ketosis – the use of fatty acids to provide the brain with energy when there are almost no carbohydrates in the food.

    With regard to lean body mass, other studies have shown that keto diets either do not increase it, or even reduce it, including directly reducing muscle thickness.These findings indicate that keto diets are not ideal for muscle hypertrophy.

    But research has several limitations. First, the scientists did not directly measure muscle size. They measured lean body mass (anything not fat), which is not 100% muscle, and changes in lean mass may not reflect changes in muscle. Second, the decrease in muscle thickness may be due to the loss of glycogen and water from a carbohydrate-free diet, rather than an actual decrease in muscle protein. Third, it may not be the keto regimen itself that is playing a role in muscle loss and reduced strength, but a calorie deficit.It is known that under conditions of energy limitation, protein synthesis decreases and at the same time their breakdown increases in order to provide the body with energy – this predictably affects both muscle size and strength indicators.

    This is why we need studies where the calorie deficit will be controlled in both groups, and not spontaneous – then it will be possible to compare the effect of keto and regular eating on the same calorie deficit and see if keto has any side effects on its own. …

    Conclusions

    The keto diet may not be appropriate if the goal is maximum muscle growth.It suppresses appetite, making it difficult to consume enough calories for muscle growth. The second problem is the loss of strength and the worst progress in working weights due to the strict restriction of carbohydrates in the diet. This makes it difficult to train hard enough to keep the muscles on the diet.

    If you want to use a keto diet, then it is better to do it for weight loss (after consulting a doctor for personal contraindications to a carbohydrate-free high-fat diet), and use more classical approaches for muscle growth.

    90,000 The Keto Diet For Muscle Growth

    Can You Build Muscle With The Keto Diet?

    You know that proteins are incredibly important for building muscle, but carbohydrates also play a role. Here’s what you need to know.

    One day I was on the phone with my good friend and part-time coach Joe Dowdell. I informed him that now my personal best in weight lifting is a good 420 pounds, but I am aiming to lift 500.

    He said, “Doable.”

    Cool. But then I served him a twisted one.

    I wanted to improve my weightlifting record by 80 pounds while staying on the keto diet. Joe sighed. Staying on a keto diet means eating so few carbohydrates that when your glycogen stores are depleted, the process of “ketosis” begins. The carbohydrate threshold at which ketosis occurs is very individual, but for most people it is less than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day.

    I was determined to eat less than 20 grams of carbs per day.How small is that? Even one medium-sized banana goes over the top!

    Wait, don’t carbohydrates stimulate muscle growth? How does it work over the long term? More importantly, can I add 80 pounds to my weight lifting without eating a lot of carbs? These questions stung the scientist in me.

    So I sat down and decided to find out not only with the help of scholarly books, but also with a real example in the gym.

    But before you look at the end of the article to see what I did, I would like to preface this with an explanation of the anabolic capacity of carbohydrates.Let me walk you through a series of questions about anabolism, in which carbohydrates and insulin play an important role.

    Carbohydrates, proteins, insulin

    Carbohydrates create an anabolic effect, triggering a whole cascade of hormone-controlled events. Chief among these events is the secretion of the hormone

    insulin from the pancreas. Many people understand that insulin regulates blood sugar levels, but insulin is not a magician with the same trick.

    It is so versatile n that many experts consider it fully integrated into the muscle synthesis process – among other functions.For example, one of its functions is to carry amino acids from the blood to the muscles.

    Thus, carbohydrates and insulin play a huge role in muscle growth.

    Carbohydrates and Protein Synthesis

    If you take a closer look at protein synthesis, carbohydrates are not required. Leucine – found in egg yolks, for example – is a very important amino acid and the main engine of protein synthesis. This means that protein synthesis can take place in the absence of carbohydrates.

    Back to our question: is insulin an anabolic? Does it help build muscle?

    First, the term “anabolism” is often misunderstood as synonymous with muscle protein synthesis.I encourage you to look more broadly at anabolism as a combination of amino acids to build muscle tissue.

    Anabolism carries out a whole physiological process that supports muscle building! And in this sense, yes, insulin is an anabolic.

    Carbohydrates, Insulin, Recovery

    Surge Recovery is an often forgotten gear in the muscle building machine. After all, the better you recover from exercise, the more often you can exercise.Frequent exercise is the key to hypertrophy. Carbohydrates enhance recovery and thus affect muscle growth.

    Insulin does not affect protein synthesis – it reduces muscle strain. So the anti-catabolic nature of carbohydrates makes them anabolic. Remember, we want to separate the association of anabolism with protein synthesis.

    In this light, carbohydrates are anabolic, they contribute to the entire muscle building th process. The addition of insulin triggers an additional effect – nitrogen balance.

    Carbohydrates also increase the rate of recovery. During intense exercise, the strength of your immune system is compromised, but carbohydrates reduce the effects of immune depression and help restore depleted glycogen stores. Whether or not you should immediately shove sweet potatoes down your throat depends on the type of workout, the frequency of workouts, and your overall goals.

    If you train three times a week, refueling with carbohydrates after training is not necessary: ​​your regular carbohydrate intake will help replenish glycogen stores.If you’re trying to gain a ton of muscle mass, it might be a good idea to eat a couple of bananas after training outside of your regular diet.

    Creatine Transport

    In my opinion, creatine is a necessary supplement for consumption. This is due to its well-known ability to increase strength, and

    due to its slightly less well-known ability to improve cognitive function and insulin sensitivity. I recommend using it every day.

    It is known that the intake of creatine together with carbohydrates improves the intramuscular intake of creatine due to the ability of insulin to transport creatine and increase the intramuscular capacity of creatine.

    Insulin also improves electrolyte build-up in cells, which, like the muscle capacity of creatine, increases cell volume. Both cellular hydration and volume help trigger anabolism.

    Anabolism without carbohydrates?

    After all that we have discussed here, it is clear that carbohydrates are anabolic. Time to get back to my weight lifting challenge. Is it possible to increase strength and muscle on the keto diet? Despite Daudell’s sigh, I found the answer – yes!

    Don’t get me wrong, sitting on keto when you exercise hard is not walking the shady boardwalk with a poodle.But in three and a half months, I put on the missing 80 pounds and started lifting 500.

    Despite the fact that carbs are anabolic, I could still accomplish this anabolic feat with almost no carbs. The human body is an amazing machine capable of intelligent adaptations in all situations.

    As part of the prolonged lack of carbohydrates, the body ceases to follow the usual biochemical rules – it must change. It becomes more sensitive to muscle glycogen, it regulates specific enzyme mechanisms even with a minimum of carbohydrates and insulin.

    Simply put, my adventure with anabolism while reducing carbs was to prove that we can be very active with a minimum of carbs – at least for a short period. There are other ways besides carbohydrates to make the anabolic process more efficient and effective.

    Does this mean everyone should stick to the keto diet? I don’t think this is for everyone (and most likely not for a long period).
    Source: http: //www.bodyb uilding.com/fun/ can-you-build-mu scle-on-a-ketoge nic-diet.html

    Read more interesting on the topic:

    – The Naked Truth About the Keto Diet

    Gaining Weight on Keto? How NOT to gain weight! Or how to gain it in ketosis

    Reasons for gaining excess weight on a keto diet:
    1. Serious metabolic disorders in the body
    2. Psychological and physical reasons forcing to significantly overeat on a keto diet
    3. Lack of a stable keto regime, in fact it costs be sure you are keto !?

    Before analysis, let’s agree on two things:

    1. It is worth weighing once a week, not more often.If today is plus on the scales, it is too early to sound the alarm. Gaining excess weight is a stable increase in EXCESS weight for more than 2 weeks.
    2. Consider body volume. As you gain weight, you can gain muscle but lose weight. Muscle is much heavier than fat. In this case, you need to measure your volumes. And if they decrease – this is a set of the correct weight, and not an extra . It is very good! The more muscle mass you have, the faster you burn excess weight.

    Let’s sort everything out in order.Metabolic disorders are a problem with which you should see a doctor. I can only recommend what I’ve read and heard from the reviews of people facing this problem.

    What to do if weight grows on keto:
    1. We check whether you are in keto or not (Ketogluck strips test every day)
    2. We are waiting for the end of ketoadaptation – 28 days of strict keto.
    3. We strictly monitor the amount of consumed proteins.
    4. No snacks!
    5. Eating the right fats.
    6. We enable intermittent fasting, after the end of adaptation – Skip breakfast or lunch.
    7. We connect light physical activity, preferably aerobic. The best is walking at least 5 km per day.
    8. Compliance with strict keto for a long time – from 3 months. Only after this is the final decision on the advisability of continuing the keto regime.
    What not to do in a metabolic situation on keto:
    1. You should not limit your intake of the amount of 90,021 calories eaten.The body on keto knows how much food it needs. If you overeat on keto – it’s not scary, then only while observing the amount of protein and carbohydrates consumed . It is worth paying attention to only on the consumed amount of fat . Sometimes it is still possible to drink fat on keto. Too much armor coffee and oil can do a disservice.
    2. Break out and get out of keto. If you constantly break down, then the body does not adapt, and you only make it worse from excessive consumption of fats.Fatty foods for a non-keto regimen – can be harmful to the body.

    Most people with metabolic disorders restore it on a keto diet. This requires stability and perseverance. You need to listen to your body and, if necessary, consult with a competent specialist. After a clean 2-3 months of keto, in most cases, a significant positive trend is visible.

    IMPORTANT ADVICE. If you encounter this problem, do not jump on the scale every morning. Weigh yourself no more than 1 time per week. Stop exhausting yourself and getting nervous. This is detrimental to the keto regimen. Focus on how you feel and how you feel. Your body will tell you what to do.

    The second reason for gaining excess weight on a keto regimen is critical overeating + high insulin levels.

    This is often encountered by people who are accustomed to observing calorie restrictions. Fatty foods have a much higher coloration, and a person who is accustomed to a certain amount of food begins to overeat significantly on a keto diet.

    What to do if you overeat heavily on keto?
    1. We check every day whether you are in keto or not. The strip test will help you.
    2. Observing the balance of carbohydrates and proteins, we are waiting for the end of keto adaptation.
    3. After that, we try to reduce the amount of food consumed to the required, normal amount of calories. Gradually getting used to a new amount of food.
    4. Choosing the right menu! This is an important part of success.
    5. We connect light aerobic activity.Walking, bike. Etc.
    6. We are waiting for 2-3 months from the beginning of the keto diet.

    In most cases, food volume, calories and carbohydrate addiction disappear completely. It is difficult to describe, but you just have to wait, endure, and you will realize that you simply do not want to eat anymore. This will be the moment you truly enter keto mode. After 4 months of the keto regimen, I could easily miss the skipping lunch, drank coffee and ran on. This is freedom from cravings for carbohydrates and food in general.

    The third reason “why you get fat on keto” is the lack of keto.

    Strange as it is. There are a significant number of people who think that if they eat something fatty, then they are in ketosis. But this is not the case. If a person has a lot of fat, then he just eats a lot of fat. And for a regular carbohydrate diet, this is a direct path to gaining excess weight.

    Total:

    • We carefully read all instructions on our website from beginning to end.
    • Checking whether you are in ketosis or not.
    • We are waiting for the end of keto adaptation

    We have been living on keto for 3 months and only then we draw conclusions.

    Instructions for life in keto mode in articles on our website:

    1. How I lost 30 kg.
    2. Keto adaptation.
    3. How to enter ketosis.
    4. Keto menu. Principles. Products.
    5. What will happen after keto.
    6. How to return to ketosis after a breakdown.
    7. Keto recipes can be found here.
    8. Choose your keto menu.

    What should not be eaten when gaining muscle mass? 3 MYTHS You Didn’t Know About 🏋️‍♀️

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    3 myths about gaining muscle mass.Many people try to build muscle at home. How to build muscle, what affects muscle gain? Nutrients support muscle growth. How to gain muscle mass?

    Myth 1. Carbohydrates are needed to gain muscle mass.
    Insulin helps muscle growth and stimulates carbohydrates. The more carbohydrates, the more insulin is produced. How many carbohydrates do you need? We need to deal with blood sugar. People consume a lot of sugar. With an excess of carbohydrates, the body adapts to them. The body has to make more and more insulin.
    Ketones store carbohydrates in our muscles. On a ketogenic diet, muscles are protected from destruction. You don’t need to stimulate insulin to build muscle.

    Myth 2. For muscle growth, the body needs a lot of protein. The breakdown of proteins and their construction requires nutrients. And if you regularly follow the keto diet and intermittent fasting, then the content of human growth hormone increases in the body. It protects against protein loss. Muscle building workouts are needed to stimulate the production of growth hormone.Maintain the right nitrogen balance – balance when the body has enough protein to maintain and build muscle. The advantage of intermittent fasting is that the body switches to ketones. If you have a fatty liver, your body starts burning this fat and converting it into ketones. Thanks to ketones, cravings for sweets disappear. Ketones are antioxidants. Ketones improve heart and brain function.

    Myth 3. By building muscle, the body burns more fat.
    This is incorrect. Increasing muscle mass will enable you to burn more calories.However, you need to burn fat calories, not sugar calories. When muscle fibers break down, they are converted to sugar. Diabetes develops as muscle protein turns into sugar.
    You are much more likely to build muscle and not gain fat when you combine intermittent fasting and ketosis.

    _____
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    purposes. It should not be used for self-diagnosis or as a substitute for medical examination, diagnosis, treatment, prescriptions or medical advice. The fact of viewing does not establish a doctor-patient relationship between you and Dr. Berg. You should not make changes to your regimen or diet without consulting a physician and undergoing a medical examination, receiving a diagnosis and prescribing from a doctor.Always consult a qualified doctor for any questions regarding your health. The Health & Wellness, Dr. Berg Nutritionals and Dr. Eric Berg, D.C. and the Official Representation of Dr. Berg in Russia are not responsible for the advice, treatment, diagnosis and any measures you take based on the data from this video material or on the website.

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    #MuscleMassBugs #GetWeightFood # DoctorBerg #KetoDiet # lose weight #keto # diet

    How to build muscle on a keto diet.• Bodybuilding & Fitness

    Believe it or not, you can definitely gain muscle on an ultra-low carb ketogenic diet. But this process will not be so random! Here’s what you need to do.

    Posted by: Paul Salter: Sports Nutrition Consultant

    When you hear that someone is following a ketogenic diet, you probably don’t think they are trying to build muscle by doing so.

    These days, the keto diet has a wide range of associations – fat loss, mental clarity, health, and biohacking – but gaining massive muscle size is usually not one of them.

    But there is merit and research to support adherence to a ketogenic diet for maintaining and building muscle mass.

    Bodybuilders, for example, have been following the rules of ketogenic diets for decades – unless they are preparing for the show. But what about the muscle gain or muscle maintenance phase? Yes, then it might work too.

    But if you are hoping to build muscle by following the keto diet, you need to be very careful and aware of every choice: what you eat, how much, and even when you eat it.

    You also need to change your thinking. “The more protein the better”, if this was your basic nutritional principle, it should be a thing of the past.

    Ketogenesis and Protein: The Complex Relationship

    We know that consuming enough protein is critical when it comes to building and maintaining muscle mass.

    But, as many athletes have discovered through their bitter experience, this does not mean that consuming more protein will automatically lead to more muscle growth.

    However, someone who does not follow a ketogenic diet may continue to accumulate protein without noticing any particular problems, except perhaps only in their wallet and digestion.

    However, on a ketogenic diet, excessive protein intake can actually lift you out of ketosis (a condition that develops as a result of carbohydrate starvation of cells, when the body begins to break down fat for energy to form a large number of ketone bodies)

    This is why a ketogenic diet is usually considered “moderate »A protein diet, not a high protein diet.

    So what is “moderate”? An effective ketogenic diet should include 15-20% of calories from protein. This is quite low compared to the 30-40% protein calories that are recommended by most online nutrition calculators in the bodybuilding community when your goal is “muscle growth.”

    But listen: a study published in the Journal of Sports Sciences found that an intake of 1.3-1.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight (evenly distributed between 3-4 meals and also with excess calories) was sufficient to optimize muscle protein synthesis levels.Therefore, 15–20% of calories from protein is enough to reach this threshold.

    Is it tempting to go higher, for example, the classic 2 grams per kilogram of body weight or more? This is the mistake of those who seek to stick to a ketogenic diet, and here’s why: when your body is devoid of carbohydrates, eating too much protein can cause some of the protein to be converted to glucose, which knocks you out of ketosis.

    As a result, you end up feeling unwell and delaying your workouts because your body is getting enough carbohydrates in the form of glucose to stay adaptable to carbohydrates, but without completely transitioning to the fat burning benefits that true ketosis has to offer!

    Are you afraid that your achievements will come to naught? Not worth it.When you are on a ketogenic diet, prolonged lack of carbohydrates leads to an increase in the production of ketones, which are a byproduct of fat breakdown. One of the unique benefits of increased blood ketone levels is that they preserve muscle.

    Specifically, one ketone called beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) has been shown in a small human study to have a positive effect on muscle growth, in particular by lowering leucine oxidation as well as promoting protein synthesis.

    However, there is little doubt about the potential reduction in protein intake. Here are three ways to make sure you are getting the most out of every gram of your diet while following the ketogenic diet.

    Keto Muscle Growth 1: Focus on High Quality Protein

    A high quality protein source is one that contains all nine essential amino acids and is especially rich in the key amino acid leucine for muscle building.

    Lower quality proteins such as grains and legumes are usually not on the ketogenic diet. And the animal protein sources typical of keto are excellent sources of complete, high quality protein.

    This selection includes eggs (both yolk and white), whole fat milk, Greek yogurt, cheese, chicken, turkey, pork, beef, lamb, fish and seafood.

    As much as possible, get protein from these sources and you will give your body more essential amino acids to build muscle.

    Keto Muscle Growth 2: Timing to Take Protein

    Research in recent years has confirmed the idea that it is not only how much protein you eat per day that matters, but also when you eat it, or more precisely, how you distribute it throughout the day.

    To get the most out of your protein intake, you must eat a certain amount of high-quality protein – enough to reach the so-called “leucine threshold” – every few hours.

    And if you do this consistently throughout the day, day after day, and week after week, you will have fantastic muscle growth results – provided that you also have a total calorie surplus and exercise consistently.

    But once you’ve hit that threshold with a meal – which is 25-35 grams of protein per meal for most people – there won’t be any additional muscle-building benefits. This is especially true if it gets you out of ketosis.

    Keep it simple: Focus on 3-4 meals a day, each with a stable enough amount of protein so you can reach your “leucine threshold” with every snack.

    Keto Muscle Growth 3: Maintain excess calories

    Most people go on a ketogenic diet to lose fat. But if your goal in body composition is to build muscle, a calorie deficit won’t help you. No matter what diet you follow, one thing is always true: your muscles need calories to grow!

    Remember that the previously mentioned study showed that moderate protein intake was sufficient, provided that the subjects distributed their meals and ate in excess of calories.

    The last part is key! While you are on keto, try to eat at least the required amount of calories. But if you want to grow, be sure to count calories to the best of your ability to make sure you’re in excess.

    Example of Calorie and Macronutrient Distribution

    • Height: 180 cm
    • Weight: 75 kg
    • Goal: Muscle Growth
    • Calorie Requirements: 2750 per day (determined with a calorie calculator)

    Ketogenic distribution macronutrients

    • Protein: 550 calories (20%), 138 grams
    • Carbohydrates: 138 calories (5%), 34 grams
    • Fat: 2063 calories (75%), 229 grams

    Macronutrient distribution

    • 4 meals a day: 35 g protein, 8 g carbohydrates, 58 g fat per meal.

    Read Also:

    How To Build Muscle On The Keto Diet

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