Periodising carbohydrate intake improved metabolic flexibility and running economy 🗓️

Does periodisation = performance?

Periodized carbohydrate intake influences metabolic flexibility and indices of running economy during endurance training in recreationally active males

Study Details

This new study recruited 24 runners who were randomly assigned to either a…

📊 Periodised Diet (PER: 4 weeks ≤ 50g carbs per day then 4 weeks high carb)

🥑 Low Carb Diet (LCHF: 8 weeks ≤ 50g carbs per day)

🍞 High Carb Diet (CHO: 8 weeks high carb)

The high carb aspects of the interventions were 50 - 60% of energy intake 🍞

🏃‍♂️ Training during the interventions were a programmed and periodised 5 running sessions per week

Key Findings

After 4-weeks, fat oxidation increased and carb oxidation decreased at lactate threshold in the PER and LCHF groups 📈📉

Carb oxidation then significantly increased alongside increased carb intake in the PER group during weeks 5 - 8 🔥📈

Both PER and LCHF also lost significant weight and fat mass after 4-weeks ⚖️

Weight and fat mass continued to drop in the LCHF group during weeks 5 - 8 📉

Across the whole intervention, running economy at lactate threshold improved in the PER group only 📈

All groups improved running performance, but there were no significant differences between groups ❌

Conclusion

Periodising carbohydrate intake alongside endurance training can enhance running economy 🔋

But longer periods of time, or within-weekly periodisation of carbs may be required to improve running performance ✅

Reference

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41624183/

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