Episode 7 : The Sugar Conspiracy: Is It Fueling Your Wins or Your Weakness? ⛽

Episode 7 : The Sugar Conspiracy: Is It Fueling Your Wins or Your Weakness? ⛽💬 Got a question or feedback? Write us at: [email protected]☕ Buy a Gel Caf for Lactate to support the work:⁠ https://ko-fi.com/lactate⁠⁠⁠⁠Summary: Why do champions like Eliud Kipchoge consume over 100 g of sugar per hour while popular narratives push low-carb? This episode reveals the real "conspiracy": athletes have historically under-fueled. The difference between the podium and the "bonk"—like Pogačar's infamous collapse on the Granon—is energy availability. The old performance ceiling was 60 g/h, the saturation point of the gut's SGLT1 glucose transporter. The modern breakthrough is using Multiple Transportable Carbohydrates (MTCs); adding fructose opens the separate GLUT5 "express lane", smashing the bottleneck to allow absorption of 90 g/h, 120 g/h, or more. This is a trainable adaptation. Your goal for events >2.5 hours is 90 g/h using a mandatory glucose:fructose blend. You must "train your gut" by methodically increasing from 60 g/h in training sessions to upregulate these transporters. For short, hard efforts (45–75 min), a simple mouth rinse provides a powerful neurological benefit. We also explain why ketogenic (LCHF) diets, while boosting fat oxidation, fail for performance: they provide no benefit and impair high-intensity efforts (>70% VO2max) by being less oxygen-efficient.Keywords: carbohydrate, sugar, endurance, fueling, gut training, mtc, glucose, fructose, marathon, cycling🎙️ Lactate, the podcast that deciphers science to improve your performance.Key references : Gejl, K. D., & Nybo, L. (2021). Performance effects of periodized carbohydrate restriction in endurance trained athletes a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18(1), 37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-021-00435-7Jeukendrup, A. E. (2014). A step towards personalized sports nutrition: carbohydrate intake during exercise. Sports Medicine, 44(Suppl 1), 25-33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-014-0148-zMaughan, R. J., Burke, L. M., Dvorak, J., Larson-Meyer, D. E., Peeling, P., Phillips, S. M., Rawson, E. S., Walsh, N. P., Garthe, I., Geyer, H., Meeusen, R., van Loon, L. J., Shirreffs, S. M., Spriet, L. L., Stuart, M., Vernec, A., Currell, K., Ali, V. M., Budgett, R. G.,... Engebretsen, L. (2018). IOC consensus statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(7), 439-455. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2018-099027Pochmuller, M., Schwingshackl, L., Colombani, P. C., & Hoffmann, G. (2016). A systematic review and meta-analysis of carbohydrate benefits associated with randomized controlled competition-based performance trials. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 13, 27. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-016-0139-6Thomas, D. T., Erdman, K. A., & Burke, L. M. (2016). Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116(3), 501-528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2015.12.006Viribay, A., Fernández-Elías, V. E., & Mielgo-Ayuso, J. (2IA). The ergogenic effects of acute carbohydrate feeding on endurance performance: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression. European Journal of Sport Science, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2023.2233812Voices generated by artificial intelligence from the scientific report produced by the Lactate team.