What’s In Your Ketone Supplements? And Do They Improve Performance?

Delta G Ketone Introduction

How did I first hear about ketones? Until recently, ketones hadn’t been on my radar. I heard a little bit about them, but it sounded like buzz. Pro’s were taking them, then I heard they weren’t taking them, then I heard how expensive they were, Chris Horner was experimenting with them…it all sounded like a bunch of unreliable information.

An athlete in the EVOQ Discord asked me about HVMN’s KetoneIQ (spoiler: Do NOT buy this), so I contacted them to try. More on that later.

I Reached out to HVMN, got a sample, used them on a big 18,000 foot vert day, and FELT NOTHING.

The story gets worse.

The company was really awkward when I started questioning them more about the specifics of the product, and the whole experience had a bad vibe.

5 athletes responded to me when I posted pictures of their bottles and said, BUT DID YOU TRY DELTA G!?

I looked into it more, and reached out to them. HOLY COW!

WOW, what a difference in product; and that is because there are ZERO KETONE ESTERS in HVMN’s product. More on that below.

We’ll get into the differences between Delta G vs. HVMN vs Ketone Aid.

Let’s look at a study that highlights some important points in terms of exogenous ketone consumption, and how it can preserve glycogen during exercise, as well as understanding how our body has the ability to utilize different fuel sources.

How Do Ketones Improve Performance?

Ketones can improve our athletic performance by providing us with another fuel source. We will talk more about that below, but essentially ketones are naturally created by the liver when fat is broken down. Ketones are used when our body lacks carbohydrates, is in a fasting mode, or after long bouts of exercise.

By taking exogenous ketones like Delta G, we can provide extra fuel while also consuming carbohydrates! The dual fuel theory essentially allows us to tap into the ketones while conserving glycogen stores for later in our training and racing.

A nice benefit for performance is also that I’m seeing lower heart rate across the board, whether during endurance rides or hard threshold efforts. It also appears to keep my heart rate lower during hard surges, and when it rises, it falls back more rapidly. This is a huge benefit in my opinion as when your heart is bursting out of your chest, it’s really hard to drop the hammer!

Initial reports are coming in that ketones will also help recovery, in terms of muscle regeneration and glycogen resynthesis. This article is very interesting as it covers a lot of early discoveries with ketones.

Let’s look a bit more at the science of ketones.

Exogenous Ketone Science

Check out this article, with a snippet below, that talks about how nutritional ketosis alters fuel preference and thereby endurance performance in athletes.

Substrate metabolism in the normal human body is flexible: our bodies have evolved to utilize different fuel sources depending on their availability (Randle et al., 1963). During exercise, energy expenditure increases dramatically above resting levels, with rapid turnover of mobilized fuels required to keep pace with ATP demand (Spriet and Peters, 1998). Usually, as exercise intensity increases, mitochondrial oxidation of fatty acids reaches a ceiling, shifting the burden of energy provision to CHO so that glycolytic supply of pyruvate is the major carbon source for oxidation during heavy exercise (Romijn et al., 1993, van Loon et al., 2001). Despite the stimulation of sustained exercise here, the elevated circulating ketone concentrations significantly decreased human skeletal muscle glycolytic intermediates, including pyruvate. Remarkably, this suppression of glycolysis occurred despite physical workloads that would normally be highly glycolytic (∼75% WMax).

With ketone’s ability to potentially spare glycogen for later in the ride or race, athletes will have a big advantage on events that last 3 hours or more.

The other interesting use case that I’ve been dialing in is ketones for recovery. This is where a lot of the Pro teams started using ketones first: after the ride. 

I’ve been taking 5g of Tactical or the coffee booster (it’s the same exact product, but Tactical is made for on the road, and Coffee Booster is more for at home, since it has a nice glass jar).

We had 5 major questions on Instagram, so before I get more into how amazing these are and the science, let’s do Ketones Part 1. Or Ketones 101!

See Also: Cycling Weight Loss: Find Your Race Weight & Maximizing Power to Weight Ratio

Should I Take Ketones Before or After Workout?

When I first started taking exogenous ketones from Delta G, I was only taking large doses (16g or more) before, during, and after a workout. 

I’d take them during if it was a long 4-6 hour session, but now I’ve been taking them more often, in much smaller (5g) doses.

At the time of writing this article (February 2023), it is fair to say that we have a long way to go to know EXACTLY the best way to utilize ketones.

One big question is: How should I take ketone esters if I only have 2 bottles?

Let’s say I have two bottles for a 6h ride. What is the best time to consume ketones for a long bike ride? At the start and hour 3, or hour 2 and 4, or differs person to person?

The exogenous ketones protocol from Delta G: Our “gold standard” protocol would suggest you take 1/2 bottle 20 minutes before you start, and another 1/2 bottle every hour with your carbohydrates.  Although you only have two bottles, using this protocol in the beginning of your ride will still yield results!

I can attest to trying this protocol in a slightly different way, taking a bottle before riding, then taking 1 bottle at hour 2, and another bottle at hour 5.

I was amazed at how much fatigue was wiped away when I consumed the second bottle. I felt like I could have just kept pedaling!

Now let’s take a look at the difference between Delta G and HVMN Ketone IQ. I am disappointed to have to write this Ketone IQ review, because they tout a lot of great science, but unfortunately it is not true. On the other hand, I’m glad to review Delta G and know that they are the best exogenous ketones on the market for endurance athletes!

Delta G vs. HVMN Ketone IQ

Let’s discuss the scientific difference between ketone esters like Delta G, and other “ketone drinks” that contain just BDO, or R-1,3-BDO, such as HVMN’s Ketone IQ.

Delta G Is 1 part BHB and 1 part R-1,3 Butanediol (BDO). This is what is known as a ketone ester.

An ester is an oxygen bond.  DeltaG is a “ketone ester” because they bind Beta-Hydroxybutyrate to R-1,3 Butanediol with an oxygen, or ester, bond.

This becomes very important when we start to compare products, as you will learn that HVMN’s KetoneIQ is not an ester at all; it is simply R-1,3 Butanediol, without the ester bond. This is actually more along the lines of an alcohol that can make you inebriated.

The fact that Ketone IQ is missing the BHB is a huge problem, as R-1,3 (BDO) alone is in the same family as alcohol! There have been studies showing that subjects in tests felt inebriated when consuming HVMN’s Ketone IQ, and I can attest to that feeling.

To highlight the fact that this is an alcohol, not for sports performance but for recreation, Ketonaid is another brand that has a drink with ONLY R-1,3, and they market it as a new alternative to ethyl alcohol (beer, wine, spirits) to get you buzzed, and they warn you not to drink and drive.

R1,3 Butanediol is an alcoholic ketogenic precursor, not a ketone ester, and we’ll talk about how this negatively affects performance AND some really bad test results in a study.

Delta G even tried with @darpa and @nihgov to use R-1,3 Butanediol because it was cheaper to make, however it was discarded since it was getting subjects drunk and they realized that using R-1,3 Butandediol alone was not effect like actual ketone esters.

It is important to note that you also cannot just mix R-1,3 Butanediol with BDO. It must go through the esterification process in order to be a beneficial ketone ester, like Delta G’s product line.

As we’re seeing, there’s a lot of science going into this product!

R-1,3 Butanediol

R-1,3 Butanediol is not a new compound.

The University of Oxford and the NIH tested it extensively in 2003 when they received the $10 million DARPA grant but it was very ineffective at raising blood ketones. (This wasn’t published research, just insights on the iterative process from Professor Clarke and Todd King at the NIH, as reported to me by Delta G.)

Also, there were serious deleterious effects from attempting to achieve deep ketosis (similar symptoms as ethanol). You will never see R-1,3 Butanediol being called ethanol, because it is not, but it certainly is an alcohol, and will make you feel inebriated if consumed in excess. This is a major red flag if you are taking this product and then racing in a crit or descending down a mountain!

If this were not the case, KetoneAID would not have launched their “Hard Ketones” product, a product intended on replacing ethanol as a drink to get you “buzzed”.

Keep in mind, this is the same exact molecule that HVMN is selling as a physical performance enhancer.  As you can see on that product page, it says explicitly that R-1,3 Butanediol is not for performance enhancement and that you should not drive if intoxicated. 

R1,3 IS NOT A KETONE ESTER FOR PERFORMANCE. 

Delta G Review and Ketone IQ Review

Don’t believe just me, this is information From The Feed, a trusted online retailer.

P.S. What is the difference between deltaG® and KetoneIQ®?

DeltaG® is from the company TΔS and is the original Oxford Ketone Ester that most athletes have been using and has a large body of research supporting it. Not to get too scientific, but it is an “ester” of BDO & BHB that effectively increases ketone levels in the blood. 

While DeltaG® is more expensive, it has the most research behind it for sports performance and will almost always increase your blood Ketones levels above 2 mmol of ketones in your blood for performance benefit.

KetoneIQ is a new drink from HVMN and is only the BDO part, essentially one-half of what is in deltaG®.

What’s confusing is that HVMN used to market and have the deltaG® product in their original ketone product, but now they do not use deltaG® and have their formula called KetoneIQ. 

HVMN’s new KetoneIQ has shown that you still get to 1 to 2 mmol of Ketones in your blood after 60 minutes, but this was NOT MY experience.

I took 2 doses and only hit 1.1mmOL. I consumed 3 doses, the max for an ENTIRE DAY, and only hit 1.7. So disappointed.

KetoneIQ is Much less expensive, but for a reason: it does not work for performance gains, and is using false information on their site with old data. They post studies from when they used to license Delta G ketones, but continue to use this data on a brand new product (Ketone IQ) that has a completely different molecular structure. To add to that, some athletes are getting intoxicated feelings from the product!

The research lead has told me via email that they are coming out with a new product which hopefully addresses this issue.

Will it actually be new though? Companies like Thorne and Juvenescence spent tens of millions attempting to solve this problem and they both appear to have failed so far.

What Should Ketone Levels Be for Athletes?

Test your ketone levels. This will help us understand what is happening when we consume these ketone drinks.

As of now, we want to have the levels between 1.5-3.0 mmoL, and there may be benefit even after the levels decrease. What we really want to focus on is making sure that we don’t take too many ketones; more is not always better in this case, and too many ketones can actually inhibit glycolysis and our ability to utilize carbohydrate, which is clearly a bad thing!

HERE’S A STANDARD TESTING PROTOCOL:

• Get a baseline reading of BHB by taking a test with the Mojo Ketone Meter, which can be found here when you purchase your Delta G Ketones with the Discount code, or slightly more expensive on Amazon (at time of blog posting).
• Take the designated amount of deltaG
• Test again in 20 minutes

This will give you an idea of how high your blood ketones get with a specific amount of deltaG.

To test the “curve”, or how many ketones have left your blood, you would just need to test every 30 min. This will tell you how long you stay elevated.

1.5 – 3 mmol/L is the “Goldilocks” range. This is the range you would want to try to stay within for the duration of your training session/event, although I have still felt a benefit when the number has decreased below this during training sessions. 

It is also important to keep in mind that we are still learning more and more about ketones, and it is going to be really interesting to learn more about what the daily usage of ketones does.

I’ve noticed a lower heart rate in general, but especially a lower heart rate at endurance pace, during any intervals and sessions around my lactate threshold, and a faster decrease in heart rate after a hard effort. 

One thing that is harder to quantify is muscle recovery. I always heard master’s athletes talk about how much harder it was to recover from big days once they neared the age of 40. I was surprised to start noticing this when I turned 37 in 2019! The 5 to 6 hour days left much more fatigue, and I was not as sharp by Stage 3 of a stage race or omnium. Now at age 41, small and consistent doses of ketones appear to have aided in getting back on the bike and riding harder, for longer, and recovering better. 

I recently tied my season best 2 minute effort at 610W, and best effort over the past 3 years! To be fair, I also attribute lifting and Lactigo to this equation, but to crawl back on top of my own personal leaderboard felt awesome!

Ketones and Carbohydrates

Do you need to consume carbs?

You do not need to consume carbs, but for performance and recovery it appears that taking carbs with your deltaG allows you to utilize both fuel sources more effectively for performance.

Adaptation To Ketones

Does the body adapt to taking this over time? Will it wear off as I take more? 

The body slowly gets better at using deltaG over time.  It does not affect your body’s ability to produce its own ketones. So this is just a bit of speculation, but it appears that the body and the brain, when introduced to ketones consistently, become more efficient at utilizing ketones for energy over a long period of time. This does not mean you won’t be able to use ketones effectively on day 1, but it does appear that the body will become even more efficient with consistent use!

We will get into specific protocols in upcoming YouTube videos, but I have been seeing a big benefit (lower HR, faster recovery, increased cognition at work, increased focus at the end of long 5-6 hour rides) from taking smaller doses, more often.

I’ve been taking 5g to start the morning, 5g immediately post ride, and then 5g halfway through the work day

Ketone’s Goldilocks Zone

What does BHB actually do in the 1.5-3mmOL period? Give us extra 20% glucose availability ? Why is this the “goldilocks zone”? 

All of the positive research points in this direction.  There seems to be a lower threshold (1.5 mmol/L) where your body will start shifting substrate utilization.  There is no need to go above 3 mmol/L as those are mostly likely “wasted” ketones and if you get way too high (4+), you could inhibit a bit of glycolysis. 

Are Ketones a Food Group?

Can we call it a food group? Isn’t this somewhat crazy, or are we just so new to ketones.  

You can definitely call it a food group!  It is actually recognized quite often in the scientific community as a fourth macro nutrient.  There is even a very good book titled “The Fourth Fuel” about the history of ketones.  Ketones, specifically BHB, are a completely separate molecule from glucose and fat, and it is broken down and used as energy by the body.  Now that we are able to eat/drink ketones, it would make sense to call it a “food”.    

Ketone Protocol

Another big piece to this puzzle is dialing in your race day and big training day ketone protocol.

What is the best dosing, timing, and is there an adaptation phase to all of this?

Should you consume 1 bottle at the start, and then smaller doses?

If you have a huge gravel race and it might be hard to consume more frequent doses because of the terrain, should you just consume larger doses at the aid stations?

I’m going to link up with some other Delta G athletes and find out their protocol. I’ll be sharing that soon.

Also, we should really test these products to see what is in them; I can foresee other brands coming out with similar products, but will they be making the ester bond in a safe and reliable manner?

More on all of this to come. Thanks for reading, and please tell a friend about the article!