National Cyclocross Champion Katie Compton on Ketosis and MTHFR

Sept. 7, 2017

When a 13-time National Champion reaches out to say that she’s been enjoying your podcast, there’s only one thing you can do: invite her onto the show. I love to spend time talking to elite athletes to find out what makes them tick, and one trait I’ve seen consistently in cyclists is they spend a lot more time maintaining the engine than they do worrying about equipment.

Frequently, and like me, the athlete is forced to be their own health detective. Never was this truer than for Katie, and in this interview, she talks about her experience tracking down the causes of her chronic leg pains that often prevented her from racing and training. Katie also talks about her experience eating a very high-fat, ketogenic diet, and it's one that we’ve seen consistently with the clients we work with at NBT.

Photo: CX Magazine.

Here’s the outline of this interview Katie Compton:

[00:00:50] Why cyclocross?

[00:02:51] Single-speed MTB.

[00:03:58] Level of commitment.

[00:05:36] Book: The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Steve Peters.

[00:06:43] The start of a World Cup Cyclocross race.

[00:08:51] Training track at the USOC Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO.

[00:09:32] Health issues.

[00:10:14] App: Overcast podcast player.

[00:11:03] Leg pains.

[00:11:39] Allergies, thyroid, asthma, staph, giardia.

[00:12:08] MTHFR.

[00:14:29] MRSA infection, abscess.

[00:14:37] Podcast: All Things Thyroid with Dr. Michael Ruscio on Livin’ La Vida Low Carb.

[00:15:33] Homozygous MTHFR A1298C.

[00:16:08] 23andMe genetic testing.

[00:17:52] Folic acid.

[00:18:22] Methylfolate supplement.

[00:19:48] Reducing processed food intake.

[00:21:09] Enriching grains.

[00:21:39] 100g CHO per day.

[00:22:15] Racing in ketosis.

[00:24:44] Increased aerobic capacity.

[00:25:52] Avoiding sports nutrition products.

[00:27:33] Study: Zinn C, Wood M, Williden M, Chatterton S, Maunder E. Ketogenic diet benefits body composition and well-being but not performance in a pilot case study of New Zealand endurance athletes. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2017;14:22. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0180-0 and Podcast: Caryn Zinn PhD on ketogenic diet for athletes.

[00:30:55] Missing 5th gear.

[00:32:05] Decreased recovery after high intensity work.

[00:32:52] Quantifying things, power, calories.

[00:34:34] App: myCircadianClock by Satchin Panda Lab.

[00:36:42] Coping with jet lag.

[00:39:10] Disordered eating.

[00:40:30] Don't stress over the pesky details.

[00:41:06] Book: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson.

[00:42:11] Sweet potato, squash, fruit, brown rice, buckwheat flour.

[00:44:27] Buffalo and Elk.

[00:44:54] Eating in Belgium.

[00:47:33] Trek Factory Racing and a video of the Trek Service Course in Belgium presented by Shimano.

[00:48:19] Katie Compton on Twitter and Instagram.