New sports drink claims to help endurance athletes avoid hitting the ‘wall’
Ketone supplement shown to help competitive cyclists add distance in a workout. In other news: a study links a woman’s age at first menstruation to her chances of living beyond 90
A sports drink that claims to help endurance athletes avoid hitting the proverbial “wall” and feel less achy post-exercise could soon be available. The supplement, developed by University of Oxford scientists, has shown in a study of 39 highly trained cyclists to add up to two per cent more distance in a 30-minute workout.
Originally developed for soldiers, the drink works by temporarily switching the primary source of cellular energy from glucose or fat to ketones – molecules derived from fat that are known to be elevated in people consuming a low-carb diet. “It’s really interesting; with a single drink of nutritional ketone you can do the same exercise with completely different metabolism,” says Dr Pete Cox, a clinician at Oxford and first author on the paper published in Cell Metabolism.
The researchers found that the cyclists’ muscles use ketones when provided in the diet, and that this uptake increases in proportion to the intensity of exercise. In one experiment, the researchers gave the cyclists “energy drinks”, each infused with a different source of fuel – carbohydrates, fats or ketones. They found that cyclists who had the ketone drink had the lowest levels of lactate, a by-product of the body’s breakdown of glucose often associated with muscular stress.
“The ketone itself is inhibiting glycolysis, so that with the same exercise you’re preserving glycogen and producing much less lactic acid – this hasn’t been seen before,” says Oxford biochemist Professor Kieran Clarke. “What may be happening is if you are doing something that isn’t a sprint, like going [for a marathon], you won’t hit the wall as quickly. Not only that, but it stops you from aching afterwards.”
Women with more than 40 reproductive years more likely to live to 90