Ketogenic diets do not impair muscle growth

The body breaks down fat and protein to produce energy during fasting or carbohydrate restriction. In the absence of adequate amounts of dietary carbohydrate, the fatty acids from fats are incompletely metabolized, producing keto bodies and inducing ketosis (an accumulation of acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyric acid). Fats burn in a flame of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are broken down to pyruvic acid (pyruvate), which provides the structures for the Krebs cycle - a critical metabolic pathway for metabolizing fats. Can muscle grow during ketosis - a time when the body uses muscle protein as an energy source?

A study conducted with rats under the direction of Michael Roberts of the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology at Auburn Unviversity in Auburn, Alabama, found that rats fed a ketogenic diet (20 percent protein, 10 percent carbohydrate and 70 percent fat) showed similar adaptations to resistance training as animals fed a normal Western diet (15 percent protein, 43 percent carbohydrate and 42 percent fat).

If these results are transferable to humans, this is important information for athletes trying to lose weight by following a low-carbohydrate diet.

(Journal of Applied Physiology, published online December 29, 2015)