Research summary · Nutrition and energy
Meal sequence and short-term metabolic responses in football
A crossover trial compares carbohydrate-first and carbohydrate-last breakfasts for post-meal metabolic and appetite responses in trained football players.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Randomized counterbalanced assessor-blinded crossover trial
- Journal
- Clinical Nutrition ESPEN
- Population / context
- Highly trained male football players
What the publication reports
Fourteen men completed both meal conditions one to two weeks apart. Eating carbohydrate last reduced the early glucose response but produced a higher triglyceride response, greater hunger and lower satiety. Subsequent unrestricted food intake measured three to six hours after breakfast did not differ.
Limits and interpretation
The small male-only trial examined a single meal context and short-term responses. It did not measure match performance or long-term health and does not establish one meal sequence as universally preferable for athletes.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Food intake sequence affects postprandial metabolic, hormonal, and appetite responses in healthy male football players: A randomised crossover trial
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42617805DOI: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2026.105037Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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