Impact of sugar consumption while training

Triathlon Forum
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I think at this point its commonly agreed that high sugar diet is bad for you (if you disagree, please do not reply. Drink your high fructose corn syrup coke and post elsewhere, that is not the topic of this thread)

However, I have heard/read multiple times that consuming simple carbs (e.g. sugar, maltodextrin/fructose, etc.) while training is fine and does not have the same metabolic disastrous impact (e.g. type 2 diabetes and other such metabolic diseases).
Rationale I heard is a. insulin response is different since blood sugar is already elevated, b. sugar is burnt right away so does not have the same impact (fatty liver, etc.). Apologies if I’m dumbing it down or misrepresenting.

My question - is this assumption scientifically proven? is there actual research that is proving this point?

Thank you.

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There’s tons. Search for “insulin response during exercise .” Eg:

In summary… The mechanism of glucose absorption during exercise is fundamentally different. Insulin secretion is SUPRESSED during and immediate afterwards, and is not required during exercise. Your muscle cells absorb the glucose without the need for insulin at that time. Also, exercise works to increase your sensitivity to insulin following exercise. This increase in sensitivity lasts afterwards which improves your ability to regulate blood sugar long term.

Dr Alex has provided a couple of more in depth summaries of the research, both here and on his YouTube.

edit: corrected for typos.

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Oh thank god you could stop this thread in its tracks.

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That’s wildly optimistic. :face_in_clouds:

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Where does workout fueling with cube steak fit into this narrative?

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Mods, how many threads about this are we going to have? Seems a reasonable enough conversation to have, but not sure we need a new thread every week.

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highly. it churns your gut so hard that it elevates your basic metabolic rate to generate ancillary adaptions. a zone 1 workout becomes tempo with no additional muscular fatigue

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Sounds rad AF

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Kudos to you! Someone asked a legit question they were confused about and you gave them a clear, data-backed reply that they hopefully found informative and helpful. There will always be an ending trail of lighthearted/sarcastic responses (i.e. “depends on your saddle height and if you regularly take AG1”), but hey that’s the beauty of ST.

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there is usually increased straining and elevated blood pressure, generated from the cavities separating the lower limbs. the scientific literature has not fully resolved this issue.

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Thanks Tom. Apologies for my laziness, could have googled it myself.

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No worries. Not everyone knows what to search for. I don’t mind providing that lift , it it helps.

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While all of that is true, I do wonder about the peak carb loading of 10g per kg of body weight, combined with the pre race gels etc. clearly in that state you are not already exercising (yet).

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Great discussion.

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That was not the question asked by the OP.

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Safe to say this will age terribly :rofl:

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Do you know anyone who fuels their workouts who doesn’t carb load going into and just before a race? Are any of them doing that before workouts? Do you think it’s helpful to know or wonder if there might be a cost to that within the context of “when you’re working out it doesn’t matter so much”?

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I do not regularly carb load for workouts. And I don’t know anyone who regularly carb loads for workouts, nor would I recommend it.

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Regularly is doing some important lifting there. And skipping over the carb loading before an event (which is now advised 3 days out). Which might happen 10x or more a year for some people.

The reality is, we don’t have any study that looks at the overall carb loading, frequently racing while carb binging lifestyle.

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Again … Completely off topic from the OP.