SynthesisJournal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition2020
A review of the ketogenic diet for endurance athletes: performance enhancer or placebo effect?
Synthesis in Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of interventions targeting modifiable factors that impact dietary intake in athletes.The British journal of nutrition · 2024Pooled it
- Efficacy of Nutritional Strategies on the Improvement of the Performance and Health of the Athlete: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Trial
- Ketogenic Diet and Brain Health: Cerebrovascular Mechanisms, Neuroprotection, and Translational Implications.Nutrients · 2026Review
- The science of ketogenic supplements for athletes: boosting endurance, efficiency, and energy metabolism.Nutrition & metabolism · 2025Review
- Consensus Document of the Spanish Nutrition Society (SEÑ) on Nutritional Strategies in Sports.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Periodized carbohydrate intake influences metabolic flexibility and indices of running economy during endurance training in recreationally active males.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Effect of Social Media on Diet, Lifestyle, and Performance of Athletes: A Review of Current Evidence.Current nutrition reports · 2024Review
- Effects of a 10-Week Exercise and Nutritional Intervention with Variable Dietary Carbohydrates and Glycaemic Indices on Substrate Metabolism, Glycogen Storage, and Endurance Performance in Men: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Sports medicine - open · 2024Article
- A low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet leads to unfavorable changes in blood lipid profiles compared to carbohydrate-rich diets with different glycemic indices in recreationally active men.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Article
- Optimizing the Gut Microbiota for Individualized Performance Development in Elite Athletes.Biology · 2023Review
- Association of healthy dietary patterns and cardiorespiratory fitness in the community.European journal of preventive cardiology · 2023Article
- Longer-Term Effects of the Glycaemic Index on Substrate Metabolism and Performance in Endurance Athletes.Nutrients · 2023Review
- Effect of a four-week isocaloric ketogenic diet on physical performance at very high-altitude: a pilot study.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2023Article
- Exploring the role of ketone bodies in the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Review
- Dietary Intake of Vegan and Non-Vegan Endurance Runners-Results from the NURMI Study (Step 2).Nutrients · 2022Article
- Article
- Fueling Gut Microbes: A Review of the Interaction between Diet, Exercise, and the Gut Microbiota in Athletes.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2021Review
- Supplement Intake in Recreational Vegan, Vegetarian, and Omnivorous Endurance Runners-Results from the NURMI Study (Step 2).Nutrients · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe ketogenic diet has become popular among endurance athletes as a performance enhancer. This paper systematically reviews the evidence regarding the effect of the endurance athlete's ketogenic diet (EAKD) on maximal oxygen consumption (VO
methodsPubMed and Web of Science searches were conducted through November 2019. Inclusion criteria were documentation of EAKD (< 50 g daily carbohydrate consumed by endurance athletes), ketosis achieved (measured via serum biomarker), VO
resultsSearches identified seven articles reporting on VO
conclusionLimited and heterogeneous findings prohibit definitive conclusions regarding efficacy of the EAKD for performance benefit. When compared to a high carbohydrate diet, there are mixed findings for the effect of EAKD consumption on VO
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.