Ketones: Biohacking or B.S? The Science of Ketone Supplements

Aug 28

Are ketone supplements the next big thing in sports performance, or just overpriced hype that tastes like jet fuel? In this episode of Your Diet Sucks, Zoë and Kylee break down the science behind exogenous ketones: what they are, how they work, and whether they actually improve endurance, recovery, or brain function.

We dig into the differences between ketone esters, ketone salts, and precursors like Ketone IQ, and trace their wild backstory, from epilepsy treatments to DARPA’s “Metabolic Dominance” program to their controversial rise in the Tour de France. Along the way, we unpack what the research really says about ketones for weight loss, blood sugar control, and athletic performance, and why most runners, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts probably don’t need them.

Zoë Rom

Zoë Rom is a science and environmental journalist with bylines in The New York Times, Outside, and High Country News. She co-hosts Your Diet Sucks, an evidence-based nutrition and wellness podcast, with registered dietitian Kylee Van Horn, RDN, where they investigate how wellness culture distorts science and how athletes can do better. A Colorado-based ultrarunner, she finished second at the Leadville Trail 100 and top five at Run Rabbit Run 100. Her reporting and commentary focus on the intersection of sport, science, and the wellness industry's long history of selling women their own anxieties.