Low carb diets and sport performance: Systematic Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.19230/jonnpr.2979Keywords:
Low carbohydrate diet, strength, endurance, performanceAbstract
Objectives. To review recent scientific literature that investigated the effects of low carbohydrate diets in body composition and performance management in athletes of different sport disciplines.
Methodology. Two independent researchers performed a search within four different databases using the terms “Low Carbohydrate Diet” AND “Performance”. Full text articles that studied the effects of low carbohydrate interventions of at least three weeks of duration were included in the review. Low carbohydrate diets were defined as less than 50 grams of carbohydrates consumed per day or, alternatively, less than 10% of the daily energy coming from this energy source. The search included articles published between 1st january 2012 and 1st december 2018.
Results. 11 studies including 121 subjects were included in the final review. All three studies that included subjects corresponding to strength disciplines found no impairment in performance and improvements in body composition in this subgroup. Of the eight studies that included endurance athletes, three showed impairments in performance, other three showed improvements and two found neutral results. Studies that included endurance athletes showed improvements in body composition at expenses of total mass and fat mass reductions.
Conclusions. The low carbohydrate diet does not seem to produce impairments in performance in strength sports. On the contrary, despite what could suggest a better fat oxidation, results in endurance modalities were contradictory. The diet induced changes in body composition in all athletes, at expenses of body mass and fat mass reductions.
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