Dietary Carbohydrate Intake and Skeletal Muscle Glycogen: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis to Determine Optimal Carbohydrate Loading Strategies
Study Details
This systematic review and meta-analysis included 63 trials and 641 participants, with 18 in the quantitative analysis, examining how carbohydrate intake, loading duration, training status and exercise influence muscle glycogen 🔍
Here are the key findings ⬇️
Key Findings
🍞 Increasing carbohydrate from <6.5 to >6.5 g/kg/day increased muscle glycogen by ~192 mmol/kg dry muscle in crossover trials
📈 A clear dose-response relationship was observed between carbohydrate intake and glycogen in recreationally active and endurance-trained athletes
🏃 In endurance-trained athletes, relative carbohydrate intake explained ~49% of the variation in muscle glycogen
🎯 >8 g/kg/day for 36–48 h may be the most practical strategy to significantly increase pre-competition glycogen stores
⚡ Prior glycogen-depleting exercise was not essential in trained athletes, but can accelerate restoration when followed by high carbohydrate intake
⏱️ With prior depletion and high-GI carbohydrate, supercompensation may be possible within 24–36 h
🍚 High-GI carbohydrate appears most useful when the loading window is <36 h; over longer periods, a mixed diet is likely sufficient
🚴 Light-to-moderate taper training did not appear to compromise glycogen storage when carbohydrate intake was very high
👩 When carbohydrate intake was matched, women appeared to have a similar capacity to store glycogen as men
🧩 Training status, loading duration and exercise all influenced glycogen storage, but carbohydrate quantity appeared dominant
⚠️ Heterogeneity was very high and only 12% of participants were female, so the exact optimal dose and true saturation point remain uncertain
Conclusion
For endurance athletes, >8 g/kg/day for 36–48 h is a practical carbohydrate-loading target, with shorter loading windows benefiting from glycogen-depleting exercise plus high-GI carbohydrate ✅
Reference
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/sms.70379
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