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Muscle Soreness on Keto - More or Less? - Thomas DeLauer
Study - Nutrients
This study found that (in mice) a keto diet reduced lactate levels and increased locomotion after exercise
The study divided mice into 4 groups: two groups consumed normal rat chow (7% fat, 17.8% protein, 64.3% carbs) and were either sedentary or active
Another two groups went keto (76.1% fat, 8.9% protein, 3.5% carbs)
Blood analysis showed that lactate levels were lower in the keto group, and that there was a trend towards lower creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase after 24 hours rest, suggesting that keto was able to protect muscle from delayed damage
In another study, published in Cell Metabolism, nutritional ketosis was induced in endurance athletes - lactate concentrations were significantly lower with KD administration, resulting in a 50% reduction in lactate concentrations 30 min after exercise commencement compared to the non-KD group
Note on Lactate
Lactate (or lactic acid) is a byproduct of anaerobic exercise, and the hydrogen ion that accompanies lactate is what generates pain and difficulty in muscle contraction
Study published in the journal Metabolism profiled 20 ultra-marathoners and ironman distance triathletes age 21-45 who were top competitors in running events of 50 kilometers (31 miles) or more
One group consumed a traditional high-carbohydrate diet, and the other a low-carbohydrate diet for an average of 20 months
On day one, the athletes ran on a treadmill to determine their maximum oxygen consumption and peak fat-burning rates - on day two, the athletes ran on a treadmill for three hours at an intensity equal to 64% of their maximum oxygen capacity
On average, the low-carb runners' peak fat-burning rate was 2.3-fold higher than the rate for high-carb athletes: 1.5 versus .67 grams per minute
Glycogen finding: Despite their low intake of carbs, the fat-burning athletes had normal muscle glycogen levels at rest
They also broke down roughly the same level of glycogen as the high-carb runners during the long run, and synthesized the same amount of glycogen in their muscles during recovery as the high-carb athletes
There was a robust capacity to increase fat oxidation during exercise while maintaining normal skeletal muscle glycogen concentrations
believed that lactate and/or glycerol, which were two-fold higher at the end of exercise in low carb athletes (and then sharply decreased during recovery), may have provided a source of carbons for glycogen synthesis during recovery
Lactate conversion to glycogen could occur directly (lactate glyconeogenesis) or indirectly via the Cori cycle
Could be that lactate rapidly replenished liver glycogen and it has an ability to maintain hepatic glucose output in the face of limited exogenous carb intake
The ability for KD to accelerate fatigue recovery may be accredited to keto-adaptation, a system that differs from adapted glycogen utilization or glycolysis, where most lactate may come from:
“There was a significant negative correlation between aerobic endurance performance and blood lactate value five min after exercise.
Well-trained endurance runners have more effective lactate-producing ability and higher lactate clearance rate than non-trained individuals.
After exercise, lactate is mainly oxidized into CO2 and water in skeletal muscle and myocardium.
The transfer process of the lactate shuttle can include ingredients of synthesis of hepatic glycogen or biosynthesis of fatty acids and certain amino acids.
Premium lactate clearance capacity is beneficial to the removal of lactate, thus promoting recovery after exercise.”
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