Fuel Utilization in Endurance Athletes

Episode 130 of the Institute of Performance Nutrition's "We Do Science" podcast! In this episode, I (Laurent Bannock) discuss "Contextualising Fat Oxidation During Exercise" with Ed Maunder PhD(c) (Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand).

Discussion Topics Include:

• Defining and differentiating "fat oxidation" and "fat burning"
• Fat as a "fuel" for exercise: storage and metabolism
• Substrate oxidation (fuel use) during endurance and ultra-endurance exercise
• Substrate availability and performance: a case for optimising maximal fat oxidation?
• Testing methods to determine maximal fat oxidation (FatMax) and its value to inform performance nutrition strategies
• Maximal fat oxidation: what we know, don't know, and what's relevant to elite and recreational endurance athletes
• Relevance to exercise performance: substrate utilisation during Ironman triathlon case study discussion

Key Paper(s) Discussed / Referred to:

• Contextualising Maximal Fat Oxidation During Exercise: Determinants and Normative Values (Frontiers in Physiology, 2018)
• Substrate Metabolism During Ironman Triathlon: Different Horses on the Same Courses (Sports Medicine, 2018)

Related Podcast Episodes:

• Episode 128 - "Ketogenic Diet and Athletes" with Fionn McSwiney PhD
• Episode 123 - "Nutrition and Single-Stage Ultra-Marathon" with Nick Tiller PhD
• Episode 117 - "Nutrition and Ultramarathon Running" with Dr Ricardo Costa
• Episode 115 - "Dietary Fat and Elite Endurance Performance" with Dr Jill Leckey
• Episode 97 - 'LCHF and Performance' with Professor Louise Burke
• Episode 70 - 'Nutrition and Metabolism for Endurance Sports' with Professor Asker Jeukendrup
• Episode 62 - 'Fat Oxidation, Exercise & Insulin Sensitivity' with Scott Robinson PhD(c) and Gareth Wallis PhD

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