#208 - A low-carb diet may boost exercise performance and health | Professor Tim Noakes & Josh Clemente

High-carbohydrate diets and carbohydrate loading have been long-standing tenets of athletic training and competition, but newer research indicates a low-carbohydrate diet may be more beneficial for performance and overall health. Professor Tim Noakes and Josh Clemente discuss how a fat-adapted body can rely on fat as a fuel source at all exercise intensity levels, rather than burning mostly carbohydrates, and how such adaptation and dietary focus may reduce one’s risk of prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes.

Levels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health.

Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.

🎙 What Tim Noakes, MD, PhD, & Josh Clemente discuss:

(04:28) — Dr. Tim Noakes explains his career trajectory

(19:04) — An adapted body can rely on fat for all exercise intensities

(22:30) — The body will never get to a state of no glucose circulation

(23:28) — A delicate balance of macronutrients is likely necessary

(29:11) — Before the high-carbohydrate craze, elite athletes were fat adapted

(33:46) — Fat oxidation in muscle may have a protective effect against Type 2 diabetes

(36:39) — Exercise does not cancel out the risk for metabolic disease if diet isn’t accounted for

(47:25) — The body can cope with fasting

(54:32) — The high-carb training trend has been perpetuated by the carbohydrate industry

Transcripts & Show notes

🔗 Helpful links:

Learn about metabolic health: https://levelshealth.com/blog

Find us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/levelshealth?sub_confirmation=1

📲 Connect:

Connect with Dr. Tim Noakes on Twitter: https://twitter.com/proftimnoakes