Seven compelling benefits of low carb diets for sports performance
As athletes, when we have the ability to switch back and forth between using fat (and some carbs) and using pretty much just carbs as a fuel source we are said to be ‘metabolically flexible’. Sometimes this is also called being ‘fat-adapted’. Metabolic flexibility is the ultimate for the athlete as they can take advantage of different fuel sources when and where they need them. Fats burn cleanly and produce little cell damage, but may limit power at top end output. Carbs provide this power but burn with more damage to the body.
To become metabolically flexible you’ll have to go through a period (possibly an intense period) of restricting carbs and eating strictly Low-Carb, Healthy-Fat. This will turn you into a fat burning machine – doubling the amount of fat you can use for energy. Here are the benefits.
Reason 1: You will be mentally sharper
Simple and effective – when you turn into a fat burner you can run your brain on ketones (from fat). Contrary to popular belief the carbs, and becoming a fat burner improves cognition. You’ll also have sustained mental energy all day because you won’t fall off the glucose cliff mentally every few hours and have to refuel with carbs.
Reason 2: You won’t run out of fuel
When you are fat-adapted you are using your body’s fat stores as fuel. Even the leanest has much more fat in their storage sites than they do carbs (glycogen). Using fat for fuel means you have a pretty much endless supply for your exercise session, no matter how long it is. For the endurance buffs out there, it means that you are ‘bonk proof’.
Reason 3: You will recover faster
Chronic inflammation is associated with fatigue and muscle loss not gain. Eating low carb can decrease inflammation. Eating loads of carbs, especially sugar promotes inflammation. That’s because fat burning doesn’t create reactive oxygen species (also called ROS or free radicals) like carb burning does. If you burn fat when you are exercising then you’ll create less inflammation, muscle soreness, and immune problems – you’ll recover faster and get fitter faster.
Reason 4: You will be leaner
Not all athletes struggle to hold a healthy lean body weight, but many do. If you are one of these who do despite training lots, and making some effort with a healthy diet, then eating less carbs is definitely for you. Simply put, you overcome hunger, feel full earlier, and dial down the load of insulin you need to get nutrients like protein and carbs into the cells around the body. If you have trouble with weight, the number one goal is to reduce the insulin you make because insulin stops you burning fat. Insulin is made by the body to deal with carbs. Less carbs=less insulin.
Reason 5: You will experience fewer gut/stomach issues
Fitting food around your training can be hard, especially if your energy needs are high. If you are sensitive to running, jumping, lifting and otherwise being active when your stomach is full of food then you can sometimes end up with problems when you don’t want problems. This can end badly in competitions. You either perform worse, or have to stop and sort things out, or just can’t get enough nutrition. Eating low carb healthy fat allows you to eat less, especially bulky carbs and sugar which cause most guy problems. You won’t need that quick burst of sugar energy wither, so you can control the timing of food much better to suit your training needs.
Reason 6: Your health will improve
It’s common for people to think that eating a diet high in fat, and sometimes higher in saturated fat, is bad for us. We have become fat phobic as a society after decades of the food pyramid guiding us to keep our fat intake as low as possible. Saturated fat is seen as the devil incarnate. The reality is that there are now dozens of studies that show that eating low carb healthy fat actually improves your health more rapidly and with better results for practically everything you and your doctor are interested in than the current low fat recommendations.
Reason 7: You will age slower
Our cells need to produce energy to help us live. It’s that same energy burning which eventually kills us though. It’s the by-products of energy production that damage and age cells. Low carb diets dial down the mTOR system in the cell mitochondria (where energy is produced). Dialling down this system and activating another system (the AMPK system) for energy sends the right signals to preserve and repair cells, and kill off the ones that are past their use-by-date. The high-carb diet drives constant growth signals that result in cell damage without taking stock and repairing the damage. This is ageing.
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