Debunking the Ketosis Muscle Loss Myth.
Thomas DeLauer breaks down the science behind Protein usage during Ketosis and how Ketosis is more beneficial for your muscles than most people think on the latest #ScienceSaturday.
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Transcript by Rev.com
- What's going on Jigsawland it's Thomas Delauer and today I'm giving you a breakdown of the ketogenic diet when it comes down to preserving muscle.
- Okay, we've talked about magnesium's relationship with ketosis and it sparked a lot of interesting comments. It sparked a lot of talk about what you can do with the ketogenic diet and who the ketogenic diet is for. And I figured in this video I wanna break down and debunk some of the common myths.
- In this particular one I wanna talk about how the ketogenic diet does not cause you to burn up muscle mass. In fact, it actually preserves it. Especially, when you're doing the ketogenic diet with proper mineral supplementation. Like of course, your magnesium.
- So let's get into the science and let's talk about how this could be or couldn't be for you. But I also wanna give you the detailed science. I wanna give you the understanding and the physiology behind what's happening within the body.
- So, first off let me address why people are usually concerned. People usually think that our body is just going to break down our existing protein tissue in an effort to create carbohydrates.
- You see, here's what happens. Our bodies don't have the ability to break down fat and turn it into carbohydrates. We have systems in our body that either run on fats or they run on carbs. Some can run on both. But not all. This is where people start to get concerned. Because you see, the body cannot break down fats into sugars but it can break protein down into sugars and since there are specific cells in our bodies that require glucose, people jump to conclusions and think the only logical thing the body's gonna do is break down protein and break down muscle.
Thusly, they think that the ketogenic diet, although they may lose fat, they think they're gonna lose muscle too. And it makes completely valid sense and I totally understand. But that's why I wanted to do this video to help you understand it a little bit more.
- You see, our body always needs a little bit of glucose. No matter what. Our brain requires a little bit, we have specific cells in the body called erythrocytes that need glucose, we have specific kidney cells, renal cells that need glucose. We'll never be in a state where we don't have glucose at all.
- Our body will always find a way to have it. But what ends up happening is on the ketogenic diet, when you have enough ketones being produced, meaning you're eating enough fat and your liver's actually producing the ketones, it's producing the fat energy, then what ends up happening, is that goes to the tissues that can run on both.
- Like the brain for example. The brain can run on fats and glucose. So what happens is the brain starts to use the fats instead and the glucose from the brain travels to other areas of the body. So really the ketones and the fats displace the glucose. They don't just completely replace, they displace.
- So now the glucose can go over to the erythrocytes, it can go to the kidney cells and it can do its job. We don't have to break down muscle tissue to get to that point. We have the glucose already available. It's always gonna be there. We will break down a little bit of protein but it doesn't have to come from muscle.
- But here's the other really cool thing that happens. We're gonna go back to biology class. You may not even remember this. There's something called the Cori cycle. C-O-R-I. And what ends up happening is after these erythrocytes, after these renal cells, after they end up using this glucose, that's been recycled and been displaced, it creates something called lactic acid. This lactic acid travels back to the liver and it gets converted back into glucose again.
- So we have a glucose recycling system that's naturally occurring so we don't have to consistently be breaking down protein. The only time when we'd start breaking down protein is if we're consuming too much of it at that point in time. Granted there are many situations where your body will break down muscle too. I mean we can't just hold on to muscle forever. But I'm not gonna really address those in this video that's for another time.
- So we have a very powerful way utilizing the Cori cycle to take the glucose that was in one part of the body, move it to another, have a byproduct from it and create more glucose, all because our ketones are elevated enough. The only time that your protein stores are gonna start to get utilized in terms of muscle mass is again, if you have too much protein coming in or not enough fat coming in to ever create the ketones bodies that we need.
- But now there's a whole different side of the equation when it comes down to what allows us to preserve our muscle and that is just the fact that beta-hydroxybutyric in and of itself. The main ketone body, I know it's a big mouthful to say beta-hydroxybutyric is the main ketone that is created from fats. That gives us all the energy in ketosis. It is very powerful at preserving muscle.
- In fact, there is one study that was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation that found that beta-hydroxybutyric preserved protein, preserved amino-acids and actually allowed our bodies to utilize the fat for fuel and preserve the muscle at the same time. They also found in this study that beta-hydroxybutyric the ketone body promoted protein synthesis which means it helped muscle become built.
- Protein synthesis is where we take the proteins and we actually build muscle with it. And then it stopped the oxidation of a particular amino acid known as leucine. Leucine is one of the main amino acids that is a constituent of muscle building. If leucine is being broken down we are catabolic, we're breaking down muscle tissue.
- But beta-hydroxybutyric, by being in ketosis in and of itself, you're able to keep that leucine from burning up. It stays there. It stays where it should be and it keeps your muscles hot and fresh and growing the way we want them to. That's one study. There's actually another study that was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Medicine that took a look at a really detailed thing.
- They took a look at participants that were on a very low-carb ketogenic diet. We're talking like 20% protein, 5% carbohydrate, and 75% fat, versus a traditional Western diet. 55% carbohydrate, 20% protein, and 25% fat. And they looked at the difference between the two after going on a specific periodization of weight training over a number of weeks. They wanted to see how much muscle they would lose or gain.
- So, three times a week they put both of these groups through a periodized weight training regime. Those were very calculated and very specific. And then at the end of the study they measured the responses. Well, get this, those that were on the low-carb ketogenic diet ended up having an increase of muscle mass of 4.3 kilograms. That's like nine and a half pounds, versus the traditional diet only had 2.2 pound increase muscle mass.
- So, with weight training the ketogenic diet ended up building more muscle. Then when it comes down to muscle size, the ketogenic diet, the very low-carb ketogenic diet ended up having a growth of muscle of .4 centimeters versus the traditional diet .19. So more muscle density, more actual muscle growth.
- So the beta-hydroxybutyric group, the group that was on the very low-carb ketogenic diet, when it came down to fat loss ended up having a 2.2 kilogram fat loss at the end of the study versus 1.5 kilogram fat loss in the traditional diet. So yes, you burn fat, you not only preserve muscle, but you built muscle while being on the ketogenic diet.
- Then, there's one other cool interesting thing that's starting to come out and that's the fact that we have this adrenaline response. When we look at the adrenaline response in the body, we have a high influx of adrenaline when we're in ketogenic diet.
- Why? It simply has to do with the catecholomine response. It's all just a matter of different hormones and different things that are happening. But adrenaline has a very, very anti-catabolic effect. In fact, it actually stops proteolysis. Proteolysis is when our body is breaking down protein into energy.
- So proteolysis is like glycolysis, right? Glycolysis is where we take carbohydrates that are in its storage form and turn it into energy. Proteolysis is just like that but with protein. So we're not breaking down the protein anymore. Much like gluconeogenesis.
- Now, this is in its embryonic stages. We don't know a whole lot about it. The fact is, it's one more key and one more piece to the ketogenic puzzle and one more bit of affirmation that we need to know, the ketogenic diet is not gonna allow you to just waste away. In fact it's gonna preserve muscle more than anything.
- So there you have it Jigsaw fans and if you are someone that's on a low-carb diet you wanna make sure you're getting your minerals in. It is imperative. You wanna make sure you're getting your sodium in, you wanna make sure you're focusing on all of your minerals but you also wanna make sure that you're getting copious amounts of magnesium to support the fact that you have so many enzymatic functions that require magnesium especially on a low-carb diet.
- So make sure you click on through and check out Magnesium SRT and some of the other awesome Jigsaw products. I'll see you in the next video.
