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Stick With Carbs. Fat Loading Doesn't Improve Performance

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Written by SuperHuman
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Endurance training improves the capacity of muscle cells to use fat as fuel. Endurance-trained athletes adapt faster and better to high-fat meals than untrained people. Since the body has an almost unlimited amount of fat, some experts have speculated that fat loading (feeding high fat meals to induce improved fat utilization) could improve performance in ultra-endurance events. The theory behind the method is that athletes could be trained to use fat rather than carbohydrates as fuel. Radioactive tracer studies conducted at the University of California, Berkeley by Dr. George Brooks showed conclusively that the body switches to carbohydrates at exercise intensities above 65 percent of maximum effort. Carbohydrates provide more energy (ATP) per liter of oxygen consumed than fats, so they’re a more appropriate fuel for high-intensity exercise. Ultra-endurance events aren’t low intensity and athletes wouldn’t benefit from increased fat use. Even in a 100-mile race, the object is to complete the distance as quickly as possible. Carbohydrates produce usable energy faster than fats and are the preferred fuel at any competitive distance. (Journal Applied Physiology, 100: 7-8, 2006)

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