![]() Participants reported to the lab in the morning in a fasted state and underwent a performance test on three occasions: i. In a translational case study design, this pilot study set out to investigate the effect of a 10-week ketogenic diet on body composition and performance outcomes in five New Zealand endurance athletes, as well as to evaluate, qualitatively, the athletes’ experiences of undertaking the ketogenic diet during their training season. ![]() There is very little athlete-specific literature, particularly of a qualitative nature, addressing non-performance outcomes of LCHF or ketogenic eating in an athlete cohort. the anecdotal benefits that are cited by athletes eating this way. a reduction in body fat that is frequently cited when athletes undertake LCHF or ketogenic diets, and 2. It is likely that this is the case for two reasons that go beyond the desire to obtain the extra performance edge: 1. The majority of these studies have been criticised for not being long enough to allow for the full adaptive mechanisms to occur, which appear to require at least 21 days.ĭespite the lack of peer-reviewed evidence for performance enhancement, athletes continue to be intrigued with the LCHF dietary paradigm. However, studies have also shown a reduction in maximal aerobic performance with some evidence indicating a negative effect on exercise intensity >70% of VO 2 max. Some individual responses to a ketogenic diet have shown dramatic benefits in both fat metabolism and performance, and are worth further investigation. ĭespite the physiological advantage of utilising fat as a fuel source during sub-maximal exercise, to date there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that this results in subsequent performance enhancement. This metabolic shift, seen after a period of dietary alteration is often referred to as being ‘fat-adapted’, which has been well-documented in studies since the 1980s. The appeal of LCHF eating for endurance athletes is likely due to the shift in fuel utilisation, from a carbohydrate-centric model to one that utilises fat predominantly, of which stores are unlimited compared to carbohydrate (i.e., muscle glycogen). ![]() Under these dietary conditions, athletes utilise carbohydrate as their predominant fuel source to fuel high volumes of aerobic exercise. The overarching mainstream nutrition philosophy for endurance athletes, is one that emphasises a carbohydrate-dominant, low fat paradigm. However, there is no consensus regarding the efficacy of ketogenic diets on sports performance. Low-carbohydrate, high-fat (LCHF) diets, including their extreme version i.e., ketogenic diets have recently become popular dietary regimes for athletes for several reasons. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |