This academic article from The Journal of Nutrition provides a comprehensive review of carbohydrate intake strategies for endurance and ultra-endurance athletes.
The authors examine over a century of research to explain how sugar consumption during exercise prevents fatigue by maintaining blood glucose and sparing internal energy stores.
While 2016 guidelines suggested a limit of 90g per hour, this paper highlights a modern “fuelling revolution” where elite competitors now successfully tolerate up to 120g per hour using mixed-format glucose and fructose blends.
The text evaluates how variables like environmental heat, high altitude, and biological sex influence metabolism and the risk of gastrointestinal distress.
Ultimately, the researchers propose a theoretical model for personalised nutrition, advocating for “gut training” and tailored dosing based on an individual’s specific body size and event intensity.
Through case studies of professional cyclists and marathon runners, the source illustrates how evolving scientific perspectives are currently transforming elite athletic performance.
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Study Link: https://jn.nutrition.org/article/S0022-3166(26)00091-X/fulltext
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