Today on The Ask Prof Noakes Podcast, we chat to Professor Tim Noakes about being in the state of ketosis when you’re running and if there is any added benefit to being in ketosis.

On the LCHF Podcast today we talk about being in the state of ketosis when you’re running and if there is any added benefit to being in ketosis on the LCHF diet. Jonathan Smolin submitted his question via our website and wanted to know for someone running a 100-mile ultra-marathon at an aerobic pace, would being in ketosis improve fat burning above and beyond simply being fat adapted from a low-carb but non-ketogenic diet?

Prof Tim Noakes: That’s a great question and Jeff Volek believes that ketogenic diets are better. In other words that if you are in ketosis there are additional benefits that you get. In fact there is a study out done recently on mice that ketosis can inhibit, to some extent, the growth of cancers.

So there are benefits to the ketodic state, which you don’t get from not being in ketosis. If Jonathan wants to run those races in ketosis, that’s fine, I certainly wouldn’t prevent it.

The benefits of running in ketosis on the LCHF Diet

It does take much more discipline to be in ketosis because you have to be cautious on the protein that you eat and obviously you have to very low carbs. You have to eat a very high fat diet. It’s very difficult for many people to get lots of fat in the diet. You really have to go and search for it.

It’s rather easier to eat protein than fat; it’s easier to find. Most people will not be in ketosis because they are eating a little bit more protein than they need. It takes a lot of effort and a lot of discipline to be in ketosis.

But if Jonathan can do it, people like Jeff Volek would say that he is actually going to benefit more from that ketosis than from not being in ketosis.