How Does Diet Affect Athletic Performance?

Kenneth Abel
University of Central Florida
ENC1102
April 26, 2021
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Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of diet on athletic performance by gathering research and other

information done by others into one location. The specific question answered is, “How does diet

affect athletic performance?” The proportion of carbohydrates consumed that is roughly equal to

the proportion of fats consumed is the typical Western diet. Athletes and others sometimes opt to

eat a high proportion of carbs, and a low proportion of fats. This diet helps recreational and elite

level athletes squeeze as much performance as they can from their bodies by preventing their

glycogen stores from becoming fully depleted, and is the diet generally recommended to all

athletes. Other individuals opt to eat a low proportion of carbs, and a higher proportion of fats.

This diet aids with fat loss, inflammation, and testosterone levels; it is a diet typically best

utilized by new athletes or athletes who specifically want the benefits of fat loss, inflammation,

and testosterone levels. Its effect on performance has conflicting results. This diet, although less

popular, seems to be a promising alternative to the general recommendation to eat a high

proportion of carbs and low proportion of fat. Overall, this paper has uncovered that the HCLF

diet is not a one-size-fits-all answer for athletes, and has promising implications for the LCHF

diet. Furthermore, the western diet seems to be an adequate diet for new and recreational

athletes. In the future, it will be interesting to investigate the effects it has on the health of the

general population if it becomes more widely adopted.

Keywords: LCHF, HCLF, diet, caloric intake, carbs, carbohydrate, keto, aerobic exercise,

performance, running, training, weight training, strength training, score, ability

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How Does Diet Affect Athletic Performance?

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been forced or encouraged to stay

indoors for their own safety. Establishments that were not ‘essential’ closed (like gyms), and

establishments that were essential carried the burden of society (like restaurants). A side effect of

this is the decrease in exercise over time, as gyms closed, and a decrease in the quality of diet, as

takeout or delivery services made eating restaurant food at home convenient and easy. The result

of this is that a poor diet is getting in the way of rebuilding the habit of exercising in any form.

As time goes on and the virus remains present (if maybe to a lesser extent than mid-2020), this

issue is becoming more and more relevant. Working out and eating clean is difficult, and the

situation surrounding the two have made them harder to achieve for many. I intend to make this

paper useful for those of you who want to know what can be done in the kitchen to boost

performance and energy in any athletic endeavor—from weightlifting, to basketball, to

underwater basket weaving.

So, how does diet affect performance in exercise? Initially, I was completely unsure. As a

result, I decided to look at three diet categories: high carb, low fat (HCLF); low carb, high fat

(LCHF); and medium carb, medium fat (MCMF; this is the assumed average diet). Going into

the research process, I anticipated that the LCHF diet would prove superior at enhancing

endurance activities like jogging, marathons, triathlons, and the like. I likely believed this

because of newfound hype surrounding the ketogenic diet, which is characterized (similarly to

the low carb, high fat diet) by eating ZERO carbs, and high amounts of fats to make up for the

lack of usable energy from carbs. The hype consistently claimed that the ‘keto’ diet was the best

diet ever, especially for fat loss but also athletic performance. I generalized these claims to also

apply to any LCHF diet. Perhaps as a result of these beliefs, I expected the HCLF diet to be the
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old recommendation of times past, but for it to have been recently uncovered to be less effective

than an LCHF diet. In any case, I expected both HCLF and LCHF to be superior in every way to

the average American diet, with the HCLF diet being best for gaining weight, and LCHF being

best for endurance and losing weight. However, I was surprised by some of the information I

found.

Results

Diet One: HCLF (High Carb, Low Fat)

The high carb, low fat diet is characterized by being high in carbohydrates and low in fat,

proportionally speaking. Foods that are good for this diet include potatoes, cookies, pasta, soda,

beans, and more. Athletes choose this diet because carbohydrates are the body’s preferred energy

source. There is a necessary amount of human biology to be understood here. If given the option

to choose between using fat or carbs as an energy source, the body will prioritize the use of carbs

—which is why it is called the “preferred” energy source. When you eat carbs, the body

metabolizes (or converts) carbohydrates into glucose (sugar), to be stored as glycogen in the liver

and muscles for future use (Murray & Rosenbloom, 2018). From there, the body can use it as a

quick and easily accessible energy source—allowing for high intensity exercise.

An example of the body utilizing this quick energy source to boost performance can be

found in the following sources. In a case study conducted by Webster et al., an elite distance

runner who had previously been on an LCHF diet was switched to a HCLF diet (2018). They

found a 2.8% improvement in his 20km running time, which is very significant. Furthermore,

there was a ‘small improvement’ in his 4-minute sprint power, and a small reduction in time in
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his 100km run. Overall, the switch in diet had statistically significant improvements in power,

without any notable reduction in endurance. Additionally, Reddit user ‘threewhitelights’ (2013)

gives a personal account of following a high carb, low fat diet, stating “Over the years, I've found

that a carb backloading strategy, coupled with getting way more protein than studies show is

‘necessary’, improves my recovery better than any of the other diets I've tried.” According to

himself, he enjoyed working out as a hobby, and weighed a muscular 185lbs at the time.

Furthermore, the nuance he shows in his posts and comments suggests that he is a well-educated

lifter. He recommends this diet for recovery and as a diet overall. Beyond this recommendation,

though, threewhitelights mentions a term ‘carb backloading’. He is referring to a common

strategy found in endurance running that is also known as ‘carb loading’. This is, put simply,

“filling your muscles to the brim with glycogen” by eating a very high percentage of carbs, and

minimal fats (McDowell, 2021). This is important because it helps prevent runners from hitting

“the wall” midrace. When you hit “the wall”, that is your body telling you that its glycogen

stores are depleted. This is not good because the body must now convert fat to energy, which

isn’t as efficient. Overall, an HCLF diet seems to boost athletic performance and have a good

reputation in sports communities.

Diet Two: LCHF (Low Carb, High Fat)

The low carb, high fat diet is characterized by a high fat consumption, and a very low

carbohydrate consumption. In the absence of sufficient carbs (and thus, sufficient levels of

glycogen), the body must utilize a new energy source: ketones. Produced by the liver breaking

down fat cells, ketone production is a healthy and normal biological response to starvation. Once

created, ketones circulate through the blood stream to be collected by muscle tissue (as well as
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the rest of the body) as a substitute for glucose. Body tissue then metabolizes these ketones for

energy.

In a study of swimmers who were on either HCLF or LCHF diets, and swimming at a rate

50-70% of their respiratory system’s limits, found that those on an LCHF diet had a respiratory

exchange ratio (RER) significantly lower than that of those on the HCLF diet (Bestard et al.,

2020). At least one participant exceeded an RER of 1, and all such participants were following

an HCLF diet. According to a Wikipedia entry titled “Respiratory exchange ratio”, an RER in

excess of 1 indicates intense exercise and that the participant is near exhaustion (2020).

However, the RER is less accurate as exercise intensity increases, and furthermore, RER best

indicates a participant’s fuel source (primarily carbs vs. primarily fats), as opposed to how

exhausted their respiratory system is. An RER below .7 indicates fat as a fuel, and above 1.0

indicates carbohydrates as a fuel. In all trials, 7 of the 8 participants showed a notable decrease in

RER from the HCLF diet to the LCHF diet. Another study analyzing respiratory load found that

an LCHF diet increased respiratory load and led to “abnormal fat distribution” in mice

(Velayoudom-Cephise et al., 2020). In contrast, a study comparing groups of people put on a

ketogenic (LCHF) diet and people put on a traditional western diet (HCLF) measuring hormonal

changes, body composition (the amount of fat, bone, water, and muscle in the body) changes,

and strength performance found favorable fat loss in the LCHF diet (Wilson et al., 2020).

Additionally, higher levels of testosterone were noted in the LCHF diet participants, and the

LCHF group of participants were the only group to gain lean mass during the 10th to 11th week of

strength training. Another effect of following an LCHF diet is reduced inflammation, according

to a 2021 study conducted by Shaw et al., in which the participants (trained male endurance
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athletes) adopted the ketogenic diet. Overall, the LCHF diet seems to affect fat storage in the

body, trigger positive hormonal changes, and increase athletic performance.

Diet Three: Baseline Western Diet; Medium Carb, Medium Fat (MCMF)

The average American diet (used interchangeably with ‘western diet’ and ‘MCMF diet’)

has roughly 50% of calories from carbs and 35% of calories from fat (Last & Wilson, 2006).

This proportion of carbs is not high enough to be considered high-carb, and this proportion of fat

is neither high nor low. As a result, this diet sits between HCLF and LCHF—I call it medium-

carb and medium fat, or MCMF. In fact, studies show that as long as you get enough carbs, any

extra do not influence performance (Van Zant et al., 2002; Prins et al., 2019). In an experiment

testing to see whether a high-carb, low fat diet and a medium carb, medium fat diet show

differences in performance among moderately trained and sedentary adults in weightlifting, no

difference in performance was found. In another experiment, they were testing to see whether a

high-carb, low fat diet and a medium carb, medium fat diet show differences in performance

among relatively athletic recreational runners. Again, no difference in performance was found.

Furthermore, in a study by Flynn et al. (2020), participants were grouped based on diet. Both

groups cycled for 90 minutes to empty their glycogen stores, and later replenished them via

either commercial sports supplements used by athletes, or simple potato-based products.

Afterwards, the participants cycled in a time-trial format, and performance between groups was

(again) the same.

Analysis
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The HCLF diet and MCMF diet both bring similar properties to the table. The high carb,

low fat diet relies on keeping the body’s glycogen stores full. Similarly, the medium carb,

medium fat diet relies on the same tactic, although those who adopt this diet usually do so

naturally and unintentionally (Last & Wilson, 2006). These two similarly show that a key tenet

to maximizing athletic performance is to get enough fuel. This is the goal of carb loading, in

which the individual eats as much carbohydrates as they can to prevent hitting the wall during an

upcoming activity. The importance of this can be seen especially in the study by Van Zant et al.

(2002) and in the study by Prins et al. (2019), in which no difference in performance was found

between the HCLF diet and the MCMF diet. This is because both groups in both experiments

were supplied with enough carbs to prevent a total depletion of glycogen stores before finishing

their respective activities. This can be seen again in the study by Flynn et al. (2020), in which the

lack of performance difference between groups implies that a simple method of glycogen

replenishment like potato products is sufficient for maintaining full glycogen stores, similarly to

commercial sports supplements. One detail to note is that no participants in these three studies

were elite level athletes. As a result, these two diets seem to be identical in practice, at least to

new and recreational athletes.

In contrast to these two diets, the low-carb, high fat (LCHF) diet relies on the production

of ketones to fuel the body. The body can produce more ketones whenever it needs, if the body

has any fat left, which is unlike the other two diets because the body does not need to eat more

carbs for more immediate energy. The results for its effect on athletic performance and fat loss

seem to be mixed. In mice, an LCHF diet negatively effects fat distribution; but in humans, a

positive effect in body composition was observed (Velayoudom-Cephise et al., 2020; Wilson et

al., 2020). Furthermore, it appears that a LCHF diet may reduce strain on the respiratory system
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in swimmers, reduce inflammation, and increase testosterone levels in male athletes (Bestard et

al., 2020; Wilson et al., 2020; Shaw et al., 2021). These three effects can help with performance.

Decreasing the strain on the respiratory system allows the athlete to push themselves further;

reduced inflammation aids with joint pain and recovery, allowing the athlete to train harder and

for longer amounts of time; according to a study, higher testosterone levels are linked with more

leg power without effecting the accumulation of fatigue (Storer et al., 2003). Additionally,

Wilson et al. (2020) found an increase in overall muscle mass between the 10th and 11th week of

training that was unique to the LCHF diet group of participants. This is certainly a positive

effect. However, Webster et al. (2018) case study on an elite level runner finds that an HCLF diet

improves sprinting and 20km running performance, muddying the waters on if the LCHF diet

truly helps or hinders performance.

With this information taken into account, it seems that the LCHF diet is beneficial for fat

loss, aiding inflammation, and increasing testosterone. For a sedentary adult, high fat,

inflammation, and low testosterone are barriers to athleticism which can be overcome more

easily with the help of the LCHF diet. Such individuals will not benefit from carb loading or

otherwise increasing carb consumption to the levels found in the HCLF diet, because an entry

level athlete typically eats enough carbs to prevent glycogen stores from running out. On the

opposite end of the spectrum, and elite level runner (or other athlete) may not require benefits to

fat loss, inflammation, and testosterone and will find extra performance with an HCLF diet.

Recreational athletes looking to maximize performance should consider an HCLF diet if they

find themselves “hitting the wall” during their preferred activity and should consider an LCHF

diet if they are prioritizing fat loss, suffering from joint pain, or want to increase levels of

testosterone.
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Discussion

Overall, the HCLF diet does not seem to be the one-size-fits-all answer that it’s been

hailed to be. While, yes, it does help athletes prevent themselves from “hitting the wall”, it is

unclear whether or not the HCLF diet and MCMF diet produce significantly different

performance results. The HCLF diet has a reputation in sports communities such as running and

weightlifting to be the key to maximizing performance, but without a comparison between elite

level athletes following each of these two diets, an information gap remains. If the HCLF diet is

superior, it could be because of the maximally filled glycogen stores, which the MCMF diet does

not achieve. In contrast, does the body perhaps seamlessly transition to using ketones as fuel

once glycogen runs out? This would mean the downfall of the HCLF diet’s reputation and make

the MCMF diet an acceptable one for many recreational athletes who currently follow the HCLF

diet. Whether the current belief of the HCLF diet’s superiority is true or not, it will be important

to further investigate its use in elite level athletes in comparison to the MCMF diet. This is an

area I would be glad to see investigated by the scientific community. The benefits of the LCHF

diet may represent an important shift away from the reign of the HCLF diet in new and

recreational athletes. This may affect general consumer purchases of snacks ranging from chips

to fried rice, in leu of purchasing foods with lower carb content and higher fat content like red

meat and vegetables. Additionally, the fat loss benefits of the LCHF/keto diets may aid with

obesity rates, which are particularly high in the USA and generally higher in more developed

countries. While long-time athletes may not have much weight to lose, lower obesity rates may

help the general population feel better and more inspired to give a sport or other activity a try.

Overall, it is clear that diet has an effect on athletic performance, whether you want to

avoid “the wall” via the high-carb, low-fat diet, or gain the general health benefits of the low-
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carb, high-fat diet. In any case, performance in the gym or on the field is tied to decision making

in the kitchen, a realization that has not gone unnoticed in the scientific community. It will be

interesting to see how athletes around the world continue to adapt their diet to suit their needs,

and to what extent each diet helps or hinders their efforts.

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