About this episode

Dr. Andrew Koutnik discusses the complexities of carbohydrate needs for athletes with host Mike Haney.

Most athletes are told the same basic rule: the harder you train, the more carbs you need. But Dr. Andrew Koutnik argues the science is more complicated. In this episode, Mike Haney talks with Dr. Koutnik about how the body fuels exercise, why muscle glycogen may not explain “hitting the wall” as neatly as many people think, and why blood glucose, brain energy, insulin, and metabolic flexibility may matter more than conventional sports nutrition advice suggests. They discuss whether athletes really need 60, 90, or even 120 grams of carbs per hour, why some athletes may perform well on far less, and how to think about fueling as an individual experiment rather than a universal rule. Because apparently even “eat sugar while running” was too simple for human physiology to leave alone. Free course: Improve your metabolic health Get our free email course on how glucose, nutrition, exercise, sleep, and measurement can help you build habits that support better energy and long-term health: ⁠⁠https://levels.link/wnl⁠ 🎙️ About the Guest: Dr. Andrew Koutnik is a Visiting Research Scientist at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, studying nutrition, metabolism, Type 1…

People in this episode

Host: Mike Haney

Guest: Dr. Andrew Koutnik

Topics covered

• sports nutrition
• carbohydrates
• metabolic health
• exercise physiology
• individualized nutrition

Keywords

• carbs
• athletes
• metabolism
• glycogen
• blood glucose
• insulin
• performance
• nutrition

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, NASA, Department of Defense

Places: University of South Florida

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