SHOULD I TRY FAT LOADING FOR A MARATHON?

Endurance athletes know that to make it through those long distance events they need to make sure they don’t run out of glycogen, carbohydrate fuel which is stored in muscles.  One strategy recommended by some is to “spare” glycogen by training the body to use more fat for fuel.  This makes sense because glycogen stores are limited while fat stores are not, even for the leanest.  But does this strategy translate into improved performance?

Endurance training itself upregulates fat metabolism, meaning that a trained athlete is able to use (oxidize) more fat for fuel than an untrained individual.  Studies have shown that eating a high fat low carbohydrate diet will boost fat metabolism even more.  Some have jumped on this finding to advise high fat diets during training.  The problem is, while fat oxidation does increase, improved performance has not been demonstrated.

Elite athletes perform at high intensities, where carbohydrate (aka glucose or sugar) is the key fuel source for working muscles.  But not only muscles benefit from adequate carbohydrate.  Studies have shown that carbohydrate, even if it’s only swished around in the mouth and not swallowed, stimulates the pleasure centers of the brain which may reduce sensations of fatigue.

Fat cannot be used for fuel at high exercise intensities; it takes too long and needs too much oxygen.  This has lead researchers to study the effects of providing a high fat diet for several days to increase the body’s ability to use fat for fuel, then following this with a high carbohydrate diet prior competition day to increase the muscle’s supply of glycogen.  The result?  Still no improvement in performance.
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The body regulates fuel metabolism very carefully, so increasing the availability of fat by eating a high fat diet actually downregulates carbohydrate metabolism, allowing less of this critical fuel to be used.  Researchers believe that this explains why performance does not improve in endurance events even when more fat is used for fuel.

My recommendation is to stick with accepted protocols based on voluminous research.  Fat is an important fuel source during the marathon and other endurance events, but training itself allows us to access more of this fuel.  Carbohydrate remains the limiting fuel in these events.  Increase availability by making sure your muscles are packed full prior to your event and by supplementing this with sports drinks, gels, pretzels, gummies, or other carbohydrate sources of your choice during your race.  Be sure to experiment during training so that you know what your body tolerates best.  Your muscles will thank you, and your brain will be happier too!

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