You’ve probably come across discussions in the last year or so about the ‘high carb trend’ - taking very large amounts of carbohydrate during exercise, often well over 100g per hour. These levels are significantly greater than official sports nutrition guidelines, so what’s behind the trend? Is it based on new science, product marketing, or is it just another fad that will come and eventually go? And most importantly, is it relevant to you?

In this episode we speak to the Lead of Human Science at the Ineos Grenadiers Pro Cycling Team, Aitor Viribay, who has also worked with some of the biggest names in ultra trail running. He discusses how, when and why these very high carb intakes have become a thing in recent years, the scientific rationale behind it, when it’s used vs when it’s not, and whether non-professional athletes need to worry about these levels of intake.

Podcast Guest:

• Aitor Viribay - Ineos Grenadiers Pro Cycling Team

Aitor's online presence:

• X/Twitter: @MVAitor
• Instagram: @glut4science
• Website: GLUT4 Science (in Spanish)
• Podcast: 90 Gramos de MetHub (in Spanish)

Aitor's research mentioned:

• Viribay, A et al. (2020). Effects of 120 g/h of Carbohydrates Intake during a Mountain Marathon on Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Elite Runners. Nutrients. 12(5):1367. DOI: 10.3390/nu12051367

Fuelin:

This episode is supported by Fuelin, the world's first training-based nutrition app. It syncs with your training plan (in TrainingPeaks, Final Surge, and TriDot or Run Dot) and creates a personalised nutrition plan, built around your training schedule and tailored to your goals. You’ll see adjustments in your fuelling both within and outside of training sessions, using a traffic light system to adjust your carb intake to fuel appropriately for your needs. 

To get 30% off your first month, go to https://www.fuelin.com/ and enter the code FE30 at checkout.

Fueling Endurance eBook:

At over 260 pages, the Fueling Endurance eBook contains answers to 49 of the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists and triathletes ask. Covering the first two years of the podcast, the eBook contains additional insights, tips, and quotes from experts and athletes. Every copy sold helps cover the cost of making the podcast. 

Purchase directly from https://fuelingendurance.com/ or search Fueling Endurance on Amazon for the Kindle version.