The Ketobrick protein bar was as effective as the Cliff Bar for all performance metrics. Ketobrick and Cliffbar had similar thirst/fullness perceptions. Keto protein bars are more energy-dense and lightweight and are a suitable alternative for pre-fueling before exercise.
SUMMARY OF NO SUGAR KETO BAR ARE JUST AS EFFECTIVE AS CLIFFBARS FOR PERFORMANCE
- The Ketobrick high protein, no sugar keto bar was as effective as the Cliff Bar for all performance metrics.
- Ketobrick and Cliffbar had similar thirst/fullness perceptions.
- Keto protein bars are more energy-dense and lightweight and are a suitable alternative for pre-fueling before exercise.
THE SEARCH FOR ALTERNATIVE FUELD FOR MILITARY MISSIONS
Soldiers are some of the most elite and hardcore athletes on earth. Unlike casual athletes that can stop and get food whenever they want during exercise, soldiers don’t have that luxury. Soldiers are known for spending several hours without food during military expeditions and burning many calories.
The most common military exercise is the rucksack march. Rucksacks carry your backpack over prolonged periods. The US Army Ruck March Standards are 12 miles. These are not lightweight backpacks either; they can weigh as much as 45-70 pounds, according to Military.com.
Several studies have suggested you can burn up to 1000 calories per hour marching with a weighted pack. (Palevo et al., 2020) Furthermore, soldiers have difficulty getting adequate calories under intense environmental extremes. (Ahmed et al., 2019)
Soldiers often experience underfeeding, resulting in reduced testosterone, increased protein breakdown, and body fat loss. Therefore, strategies to increase nutrient strategies to optimize performance before leaving on operations are of interest to the military.
The military has an interest in a high-protein keto diet. This diet increases fat metabolism and preserves muscle glycogen. This is beneficial due to the limited supply of muscle glycogen but an unlimited fat supply. A previous article on Evidence Based Muscle discussed the benefits of ketosis for improved cognitive function while being sleep deprived.
CAN A NO SUGAR KETO BAR IMPROVE PERFORMANCE?
Researchers conducted a proof of concept study in the Journal of Experimental Physiology. The study involved male college students. They consumed either a keto protein or high carbohydrate bar three hours before a treadmill ruck test. The backpack they carried during the test weighed 30% of their body weight.
The traditional military pre-diet before leaving on an expedition is similar to that of carbohydrate loading before a marathon. The military is looking for alternative, convenient to carry alternative fuel sources to carry and enhance performance.
The traditional rucking march is an aerobic exercise characterized by moderate to intense physical activity. If soldiers can burn more fat during rucking, this would require less refueling from carbohydrates and more efficient training.
The subjects maintained a normal diet throughout the study. The diet was 21% protein, 36% fat, and 41% carbohydrates. The subjects completed one trial receiving a keto or high carbohydrate bar.
No Sugar Keto Bar vs Cliff Bar
The no sugar keto bar (i.e., Ketobrick) contained 1000 calories with no added sugar (i.e., 0 grams of sugar). The keto brick ingredients consisted of raw organic cacao butter, grass-fed whey protein, MCT powder, etc.
The Ketobrick bar contained 92 grams of fat; the total carbs were 12 grams and 32 grams of protein. Macronutrient ratios of the Keto Brick from carbohydrate/fat/protein was 5/83/12. The fiber content was 8 grams.
The high carbohydrate bar was a Cliff Bar that was 1040 calories. The cliff bar contained 32 grams of fat, 160 grams of net carbs, and 44 grams of protein. Macronutrient ratios of the Cliff Bar from carbohydrate/fat/protein was 61/23/16. The fiber content was 20 grams.
Buga, A., Crabtree, C. D., Stoner, J. T., Decker, D. D., Robinson, B. T., Kackley, M. L., Sapper, T. N., Buxton, J. D., D’Agostino, D. P., McClure, T. S., Berardi, A., Cline, S., Fleck, T., Krout, J., Newby, D., Koutnik, A. P., Volek, J. S., & Prins, P. J. Metabolic and ruck performance effects of a novel, lightweight, energy-dense ketogenic bar. Experimental Physiology, n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1113/EP091029
BAR COMPARISON
Both bars were crunchy peanut butter, so the subjects would not know what bar they received. The key point was that the total weight of the Ketobar was 151 grams, and the Cliff bar was 272 grams. The subjects had to consume four servings of the Cliff Bar compared to 1 serving of the Keto Brick.
3 hours before the test, the subjects did one trial in which they received a Keto Brick and one in which they received a Cliff Bar. The subjects performed a time to exhaustion test on a treadmill wearing a backpack that was 30% of their body weight (average weight was 51.2 pounds).
Buga, A., Crabtree, C. D., Stoner, J. T., Decker, D. D., Robinson, B. T., Kackley, M. L., Sapper, T. N., Buxton, J. D., D’Agostino, D. P., McClure, T. S., Berardi, A., Cline, S., Fleck, T., Krout, J., Newby, D., Koutnik, A. P., Volek, J. S., & Prins, P. J. Metabolic and ruck performance effects of a novel, lightweight, energy-dense ketogenic bar. Experimental Physiology, n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1113/EP091029
RESULTS
At the end of the study, performance was identical between the no sugar keto bar Ketobrick and the high-carbohydrate Cliff Bar. There were different metabolic responses between the two bars. The Ketobar resulted in greater ketones and more fat burning during exercise, whereas the high carbohydrate bar used more carbohydrates during exercise and less fat.
One would expect that the Cliff Bar with more fiber would result in greater fullness; however, fullness was not different between the bars, and also the sense of thirst was also similar between the groups. (Buga et al.)The researchers commented, “Both bars were equally filling and did not stimulate thirst differently. REFERENCES
Ahmed, M., Mandic, I., Lou, W., Goodman, L., Jacobs, I., & L’Abbé, M. R. (2019). Comparison of dietary intakes of Canadian Armed Forces personnel consuming field rations in acute hot, cold, and temperate conditions with standardized infantry activities. Mil Med Res, 6(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40779-019-0216-7
Buga, A., Crabtree, C. D., Stoner, J. T., Decker, D. D., Robinson, B. T., Kackley, M. L., Sapper, T. N., Buxton, J. D., D’Agostino, D. P., McClure, T. S., Berardi, A., Cline, S., Fleck, T., Krout, J., Newby, D., Koutnik, A. P., Volek, J. S., & Prins, P. J. Metabolic and ruck performance effects of a novel, lightweight, energy-dense ketogenic bar. Experimental Physiology, n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1113/EP091029
Palevo, G., Walsh, D., Polascik, M., & Slaton, J. A. (2020). Physiological Differences Of Us Army Cadets Comparing A Loaded And Unloaded 6-mile Ruck March. Journal is not defined within the JOURNAL database.
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