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The US military is planning to change the diet of elite operators such as Navy SEALs, new evidence showing that their diet could improve their capabilities on the battlefield, particularly under the influence of the US Army. water, but officials are worried about what it could mean legally and in terms of health. .
The ketogenic diet, or keto, is rich in protein and fat and very low in carbohydrates. The diet forces the body to go to ketosis, in which it burns stored fat, or ketone bodies, in the form of energy instead of sugar in the blood, which comes from carbohydrates.
Research shows that the ketogenic diet can help human bodies stay under water for longer periods of time, according to the Washington Times.
This would allow elite operators like Navy SEALs to be more efficient during a combat dive or raid starting from a SEAL delivery vehicle underway. marine.
Lisa Sanders, director of science and technology at the United States Special Operations Command, touted the results, but raised ethical concerns about promoting a particular diet among soldiers.
"One of the effects of true ketosis is that it changes the way your body handles oxygen deprivation, allowing you to stay underwater in the water. [deeper] longer depths and not oxygen crises, "Sanders told the SOFIC conference in Tampa, Florida in May.
"This type of technology is available today," Sanders said. "We can say whether or not you have a ketosis, we have very good indications of how to treat you with ketosis, and we know, in statistical terms, what it does to your ability to maintain # 39; oxygen ".
Dieting keto helps reduce what is called the respiratory quotient, or the amount of carbon dioxide that the body produces compared to the amount of oxygen that it consumes, according to Dr. David Ludwig, professor of nutrition at Harvard's TH Chan School of Public Health.
"It's not oxygen in the blood that makes you want to breathe," he told Business Insider. The accumulation of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream triggers the need to breathe. The ketogenic diet, he said, "is the best way to reduce the production of carbon dioxide" and reduce the respiratory quotient.
Thus, in the case of a ketogenic diet, the body needs to breathe less – theoretically, up to 30% less, according to Ludwig. In fact, the body would need to breathe about 15% less, which, according to Ludwig, remains important in extreme situations, such as living in a submarine or diving to recover an explosive ordnance.
"It's a well-established metabolic fact, but we do not know the long-term effects on health," Ludwig said. The effect of the keto diet on things like long-term cardiovascular and neurological health has not been studied, he said.
Jeff Volek, a professor in the Humanities Department at Ohio State University, co-authored a small study on the effects of the keto diet on 29 people, many of whom are members of the ROTC campus.
About half of the participants followed the keto diet. They were able to maintain their ketosis for 12 weeks and lost an average of 17 pounds and 5% by weight.
"We showed that a group of people with a military affiliation could accept a ketogenic diet and lose weight, including visceral adipose tissue, a type of fat strongly associated with chronic diseases," he said. at the Washington Times.
Although the study says nothing about the effectiveness of the regime on military performance, "this could be the first step towards a broader study on the potential benefits of ketogenic nutrition in the armed forces, "he said.
Sanders warned, however, that Pentagon officials were faced with an ethical dilemma: sacrificing personal choice and freedom for a more effective combat force.
"For me, this evokes the removal of free will from one of the most basic biological functions: eating and consuming energy.This is also a function that misunderstands and gives a false representation. of functioning of a biological organism, "says E. Paul Zehr, neuroscientist and professor. at the University of Victoria in Canada, told the Washington Times.
Sanders raised the same ethical concerns at the May conference.
"All about man – our policies and our authorities are really difficult to navigate because we place great importance on confidentiality and personal choice," she said.
In addition, Zehr told The Washington Times, "Organic beings are not machines or machines, you can not just try to optimize one thing and not let it change anything else." All systems … exist in a scale. "
Humans are more similar than different in terms of nutrition, Zehr told Business Insider. But "there are still many differences in terms of digestion and metabolism".
"To actually implement the most optimized diet (whatever that may mean), it would require a thorough assessment of each soldier, then a specific diet plan for each one of them. It's not a "one size fits all" blanket, "said Zehr, the author of" Chasing Captain America: How Science, Engineering and Biotechnology Advances Will Produce a Superhuman. "
The philosophical dilemmas and doubts about the keto diet do not slow down scientific progress. Volek told Business Insider that he hoped to carry out further studies to determine if the keto diet could improve the efficiency of the troops.
"We are motivated to carry out larger and more comprehensive studies to elucidate the therapeutic health benefits of ketosis, as well as performance / performance," Volek said in an e-mail. "We have submitted several grants over the years and continue to do so to move this laboratory hypothesis to the battle."
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