When aiming to improve one’s performance, which is the better diet to follow: low-carb or low-fat? That was the topic of a study breakdown in a video published on powerlifter and nutritional scientist Dr. Layne Norton‘s YouTube channel on March 22, 2023.
Norton dissected a 2023 crossover study in Frontiers in Nutrition that tracked subjects’ performances running at least 20 miles per week and a sub-seven-minute mile after a month on a low-carb or low-fat diet. The study sought to assess the effects on “performance, body composition, substrate oxidation, cardiometabolic, and 31-day minute-by-minute glucose (CGM) biomarkers. (1)
The same subjects followed each diet for one month before being tested for the above biomarkers. There was a “washout period” between those months. Check out the video below, wherein Norton breaks down the study’s findings:
[Related: 6 Nitric Oxide Benefits for Cardio Health and Training Performance]
Low-Fat vs. Low-Carb
Although the macro breakdown for each diet was obviously different, the study was “isocaloric,” meaning that subjects consumed equal calories while following each diet. Per Norton, the study found “no difference in performance or body composition…between the groups.”
These results did not surprise Norton. As calories were consistent across both diets, body composition remaining consistent as well was more or less the expectation. Aside from “extreme exercise,” Norton also seemed unsurprised by the lack of improved performance when following one diet versus the other.
[Related: What You Need to Know About Dry Scooping Pre-Workout]
More Nutrition Content
- Your Guide to Prime Cuts — The Training-Nutrition Strategy for Long-Term Muscle Growth
- Refeed Day Vs. Cheat Meal — Which to Do and When
- 6 BCAA Benefits Every Lifter Should Know About
Editor’s Note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. When starting a new training regimen and/or diet, it is always a good idea to consult with a trusted medical professional. We are not a medical resource. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional.
References
-
Prins, P. J., Noakes, T. D., Buga, A., D’Agostino, D. P., Volek, J. S., Buxton, J. D., Heckman, K., Jones, D. W., Tobias, N. E., Grose, H. M., Jenkins, A. K., Jancay, K. T., & Koutnik, A. P. (2023). Low and high carbohydrate isocaloric diets on performance, fat oxidation, glucose and cardiometabolic health in middle age males. Frontiers in nutrition, 10, 1084021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2023.1084021
Featured image: @biolayne on Instagram
