High-carbohydrate diets and carbohydrate loading have been long-standing tenets of athletic training and competition, but newer research indicates a low-carbohydrate diet may be more beneficial for performance and overall health. Professor Tim Noakes and Josh Clemente discuss how a fat-adapted body can rely on fat as a fuel source at all exercise intensity levels, rather than burning mostly carbohydrates, and how such adaptation and dietary focus may reduce one’s risk of prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes.

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🎙 What Tim Noakes, MD, PhD, & Josh Clemente discuss:

(04:28) — Dr. Tim Noakes explains his career trajectory

(19:04) — An adapted body can rely on fat for all exercise intensities

(22:30) — The body will never get to a state of no glucose circulation

(23:28) — A delicate balance of macronutrients is likely necessary

(29:11) — Before the high-carbohydrate craze, elite athletes were fat adapted

(33:46) — Fat oxidation in muscle may have a protective effect against Type 2 diabetes

(36:39) — Exercise does not cancel out the risk for metabolic disease if diet isn’t accounted for

(47:25) — The body can cope with fasting

(54:32) — The high-carb training trend has been perpetuated by the carbohydrate industry

Transcripts & Show notes

🔗 Helpful links:

Learn about metabolic health: https://levelshealth.com/blog

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📲 Connect:

Connect with Dr. Tim Noakes on Twitter: https://twitter.com/proftimnoakes