Research summary · Nutrition and hydration
Low carbohydrate availability changed fuel use without improving mitochondrial efficiency
Ten trained men completed glycogen-depleting exercise followed by either a higher- or lower-carbohydrate diet between consecutive testing days. Graded exercise tests and muscle biopsies assessed fuel use, glycogen and mitochondrial function, with conditions separated by seven to fourteen days.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Randomized crossover mechanistic study
- Journal
- The Journal of Physiology
- Population / context
- Trained men · Exercise metabolism
What the publication reports
Peak fat oxidation increased after both interventions and rose further when exercise was followed by the lower-carbohydrate diet. The intensity eliciting peak fat oxidation increased only in that condition. Mitochondrial coupling control and efficiency did not change.
Limits and interpretation
This acute, small, male-only experiment explains substrate use rather than establishing superior race performance. More fat oxidized during a test does not demonstrate greater body-fat loss, better recovery or a reason to chronically restrict carbohydrate.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Effects of exercise followed by a low-carbohydrate diet on peak fat oxidation and mitochondrial coupling control and efficiency in healthy trained men
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42801284DOI: 10.1113/JP291697Reader discussion
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