Carb Load

Dear Performance Nutrition Leaders,

This week: a new LJMU study, the latest moves across elite sport, and a look at the brand funding future practitioners.

A new study from Liverpool John Moores University takes a closer look at one of the most practically important questions in endurance nutrition — how much carbohydrate do athletes actually need to load effectively?

Jones and colleagues note in their introduction that previous research reported no difference in muscle glycogen between 7 and 12 g/kg/day.

This study set out to examine the dose-response in a protocol designed to reflect real-world competition preparation.

Eleven endurance-trained cyclists completed three five-day periods consuming 6, 8, or 10 g/kg/day of carbohydrate across the final 48 hours, with muscle biopsies taken on day five.

The authors were deliberate about ecological validity: "Exercise sessions were designed to mimic a pre-competition taper where, even during a CHO loading period, athletes would still complete light-moderate intensity training to maintain training adaptations."

All food was provided and pre-packaged. Participants photographed every meal at the time of consumption. Food containers were weighed before and after to account for leftovers. Compliance came in at 97.1%.

The relationship between carbohydrate intake and muscle glycogen was linear and significant (r = 0.711, p < 0.001). 10 g/kg/day produced significantly higher muscle glycogen than both 6 and 8 g/kg/day (635 vs 461 and 506 mmol/kg dry mass).

The finding that may surprise practitioners: 6 and 8 g/kg/day were statistically indistinguishable. The jump from 6 to 8 produced no meaningful benefit. The jump from 8 to 10 did.

This protocol involved around 60 hours of elevated carbohydrate availability. Time at high intake potentially appears to matter as much as the dose itself.

Stomach fullness was greater at 10 g/kg/day. Body mass was not. That distinction matters for practitioners advising athletes in weight-sensitive sports who may be reluctant to load fully.

No direct performance outcome was measured — glycogen concentration via biopsy was the primary endpoint.

The data does not establish a ceiling. Whether intakes above 10 g/kg/day would drive further glycogen accumulation remains an open question!

Read the full paper →

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