A B S T R A C T To study the capacity for moderate endurance exercise and change in metabolic fuel utilization during adaptation to a ketogenic diet, six moderately obese, untrained subjects were fed a eucaloric, balanced diet (base line) for 2 wk, followed by 6 wk of a protein-supplemented fast (PSF), which provided 1.2 g of protein/kg ideal body wt, supplemented with minerals and vitamins. The mean weight loss was 10.6 kg.The duration of treadmill exercise to subjective exhaustion was 80% of base line after 1 wk of the PSF, but increased to 155% after 6 wk. Despite adjusting up to base line, with a backpack, the subjects' exercise weight after 6 wk of dieting, the final exercise test was performed at a mean of 60% of maximum aerobic capacity, whereas the base-line level was 76%. Resting vastus lateralis glycogen content fell to 57% of base line after 1 wk of the PSF, but rose to 69% after 6 wk, at which time no decrement in muscle glycogen was measured after >4 h ofuphill walking. The respiratory quotient (RQ) during steady-state exercise was 0.76 during base line, and fell progressively to 0.66 after 6 wk of the PSF. Blood glucose was well maintained during exercise in ketosis. The sum of acetoacetate and beta hydroxybutyrate rose from 3.28 to 5.03 mM during exercise after 6 wk of the PSF, explaining in part the low exercise RQ.The low RQ and the fact that blood glucose and muscle glycogen were maintained during exhausting exercise after 6 wk of a PSF suggest that prolonged ketosis results in an adaptation, after which lipid becomes the major metabolic fuel, and net carboThis work was presented in part at the Annual Meeting of the American Federation for Clinical Research, San Francisco, Calif., May 1978. Address reprint requests to Dr. Edward S. Horton, Metabolic Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt. 05405. Received for publication 6 June 1979 and in revised form 21 Table I.Diets. During an initial 2-wk base-line period, the subjects were fed a eucaloric diet providing 1,400 kcal/m2 formulated from common foods, containing 45% of energy as carbohydrate, 40% as fat, and 15% as protein. This diet was sucIAbbreviations used in this paper: PSF, protein-supplemented fast; RQ, respiratory quotient; rT3, 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine; T3, 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine; T4, thyroxine; VO,max, maximum rate of oxygen uptake.ceeded by a 6-wk period during which the subjects ate a diet that consisted of lean meat, fish, or fowl, and provided 1.2 g protein/kg ideal body wt per d. This was supplemented by 25 meq/d of potassium as bicarbonate. Vitamins and iron were supplemented to meet the Recommended Daily Allowance ( Fig. 1). Noncaloric beverages were allowed ad lib. above a mandatory minimum of 1,500 ml/d. Food was salted to taste and extra sodium provided in the form of bouillon when necessary to prevent orthostatic symptoms. Routine monitoring. Weight was measured daily. Blood pressure, pulse, respirations, temperature, and urine ketones (by Acetest tablet, Miles Laboratories, Inc., Elkhart, ...