Obesity & Physical Activity

Abstract

Low carb diets are more and more common between recreational and elite athletes. It is predicated that low carb results in increased fat oxidation. Consequently, due to adaptations in fat metabolism performance enhancements are assumed, at least in endurance sports. In practice, low carb is often implemented unstructured and without basic nutritional knowledge. Based on misinformation of supervisors and coaches, who often propagate carbohydrate abstinence, athletes get a false impression on the importance of carbohydrates in sports. Instead, low carb is often advertised as revolutionary sports nutrition and its potential risks are disregarded.Current scientific studies do not show any benefits for sports performance by low carb nutrition.To summarize, low carbohydrate intake is able to up-regulate fat oxidation at rest and during exercise. However, despite adaptation of fat metabolism, so far no study exist showing real performance enhancements by low carb or ketogenic diets. It is rather necessary to consider possible health risks resulting from low carb, such as increased susceptibility to infection and injury, stress and overtraining. In general, neither a chronically high or low carb diet should be conducted. It is rather recommended to integrate a variable carbohydrate intake according to the respective sport, individual aims and training period.KEY WORDS: Low Carb, Fat Metabolism, Sports Nutrition, Carbohydrate Intake