#116 HVMN and Ketone-IQ: Next-Level Metabolic Health with Ketones for the U.S. Navy SEALs and The Rest of Us | Michael Brandt, Co-Founder & CEO

About HVMN and Ketone IQ

“Your human body is the most advanced piece of technology you'll ever own.” – Michael Brandt

Michael Brandt is Co-founder and CEO of HVMN and Ketone IQ, which makes the world's first drinkable ketones. HVMN stands for Health via Modern Nutrition, and in 2017, they launched version 1.0 of their drinkable ketones product. After landing a $6 million contract with the US Department of Defense to study how ketones could improve the performance of our special forces warriors, they launched version 2.0, called Ketone-IQ, in November 2021.

Ketones are likely a word that you've heard of. It's a type of energy that your body produces when you're in a state of ketosis, by breaking down fat. Everyone from Tim Ferris to Ben Greenfield has been raving about the benefits of ketosis for years. HVMN's innovation was creating the world's first drinkable ketones, which are ketones that can pass through your digestive system, which they brought to the market in 2017. And today, they're used by everyone from Navy SEALs to Tour de France cyclists, hedge fund investors, athletes, and executives around the world.

In this episode, we cover ketosis and ketones 101, including what ketones are, how they work, and why they're so helpful for boosting cognitive and physical performance. We compare and contrast ketones with sugar, covering everything from how ketones pass the blood brain barrier to why they provide energy with less oxidative stress. We dive into how drinkable ketones are used by the Navy SEALs and Operation Metabolic Dominance. And we discuss all the work that HVMN has done around bioengineering, manufacturing, and testing to produce their latest product, Ketone-IQ.

For more, explore the transcript of this episode.

As a listener — that’s you — you can try Ketone-iQ and save 10% off today. Simply go to HVMN.me/OutlierAcademy or use code OUTLIER at checkout.

‍

Chapters

This episode is our definitive guide to metabolic health with ketones. In it we cover:

00:00:00 – Introduction
00:03:02 – Marathon running and the origin of HVMN
00:08:47 – Health via modern nutrition
00:10:51 – Ketones as a metabolic substrate
00:15:32 – Energy from ketones vs. energy from glucose
00:20:52 – How substrates work in the body
00:29:08 – Operation Metabolic Dominance
00:31:56 – HVMN.s $6 million contract with the Navy Seals
00:36:08 – How ketones can improve performance in endurance sports
00:49:07 – Iterating on the product and moving from petrochemicals to biochemicals
00:59:00 – Ketones as an alcohol replacement in cocktails and more
01:05:17 – Educating consumers is step one for growth

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Pocket Casts, Player FM, Podcast Addict, iHeartRadio, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch the interview on YouTube here.

Our Favorite Quotes

Here are a few ideas we'll be thinking about weeks and months from now:

“Your body makes ketones when you have low levels of circulating glucose, carbohydrates in general. It is a super efficient metabolic substrate.”
“It's not this black and white thing where you're completely normal and then one day you have diabetes. It's a decay function over time. It's something a lot of people should be thinking about.”
“A lot of people feel really sharp when they're eating low carb. They feel really sharp when they're doing an intermittent fast. They feel really sharp when they're on a run and they feel runners high. In all these contexts, they're inducing their body to elevate ketone levels.”

5 Ways to Dive Deeper

A Masterclass on Metabolic Health, The Next Frontier in Real-Time Health Optimization with Josh Clemente of Levels: In this episode of Outlier Academy, we discuss how metabolism works, the importance of feedback loops, and how your blood glucose levels can shape everything from your energy levels to the quality of your sleep. (56 Min)
Creating a Healthier Coffee Alternative with Lopa van der Mersch of Rasa: In this episode of Outlier Academy, we discuss the challenges and rewards of being a founder, branding and customer love, and energy intelligence. (53 Min)
Eight Sleep – Sleep Fitness and Category Creation with Alexandra Zatarain: In this episode of Outlier Academy, we discuss the benefits and pitfalls of working on a physical product, category creation, and sleep fitness as a brand and movement. (60 Min)
Ancestral Health and Building a $200M Brand with Mark Sisson of Primal Kitchen: In this episode of Outlier Academy, we talk with the author of the Keto Reset Diet about health, habits, and building a $200M disruptive health brand. (69 Min)‍
The science behind intermittent fasting — and how you can make it work for you: This article from TED does a great job of explaining how intermittent fasting works and provides examples of how to practice it. (13 Min)