Bronson Dant – Keto and Athletic Performance: What the Studies Miss

<p>In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, can the principles of metabolic flexibility reframe how athletes — and everyday people — think about fueling exercise? Dave Feldman sits down with Bronson Dant (metabolic performance coach and doctoral candidate in health science), who makes the case that food is function, not fuel. Bronson discusses his Army nutrition research experience, his carnivore diet journey and its effect on longstanding IBS, the distinction between fitness and health, oxidative priority debates, and emerging research on ketogenic adaptation timelines.</p><p><br></p><p>📎 Mentioned in this episode:</p><p>• 2:18:58 – Clinical audit of Dr. Mark Cucuzella&#39;s VA low-carb nutrition program: `https://journalofmetabolichealth.org/index.php/jmh/article/view/141`</p><p>• 3:00:37 – Bronson Dant &amp; colleagues — substrate-corrected VO2 / movement economy paper: `https://journalofexerciseandnutrition.com/index.php/JEN/article/view/212`</p><p>• 3:02:58 – Coach Bronson&#39;s website / coaching hub (coachbronson.com): `https://coachbronson.com/`</p><p>• 3:03:04 – Coach Bronson — YouTube channel: `https://www.youtube.com/@coach.bronson`</p><p><br></p><p>🔥 This episode is sponsored by us --</p><p>Own Your Labs 👉 `https://ownyourlabs.com/sp/55`</p><p> Private blood testing services</p><p>🩸Over 300 blood tests</p><p>💰Extremely affordable</p><p>❤️ We love our customers</p><p>(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)</p><p><br></p><p>🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:</p><p>Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`</p><p>X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`</p><p>Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`</p><p>Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`</p><p><br></p><p>⏱ Chapters</p><p><br></p><p>0:00 – Cold open &amp; intro</p><p>1:15 – Bronson&#39;s background in fitness</p><p>6:36 – Decision to join the Army</p><p>11:04 – Army nutrition research at Natick Labs</p><p>20:57 – Transition from IT to CrossFit coaching</p><p>31:52 – Opening a gym: lessons learned</p><p>51:20 – Carnivore as an elimination approach</p><p>1:05:04 – IBS resolution and dietary change</p><p>1:21:56 – Coaching, identity &amp; behavior change</p><p>1:34:22 – The 2020 disruption &amp; rebuilding</p><p>1:46:43 – Systems thinking in nutrition science</p><p>1:56:37 – Metabolic flexibility: four components</p><p>2:04:06