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Cited by 105Muscle metabolism and nutritionSports Performance and TrainingCardiovascular and exercise physiology

Dietary carbohydrate, muscle glycogen content, and endurance performance in well-trained women

Walker, J. Lynne, Heigenhauser, George J. F., Hultman, Eric, Spriet, Lawrence L.·2000·Journal of Applied Physiology
DOI 10.1152/jappl.2000.88.6.2151
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Abstract

This study examined the ability of well-trained eumenorrheic women to increase muscle glycogen content and endurance performance in response to a high-carbohydrate diet (HCD; ∼78% carbohydrate) compared with a moderate-carbohydrate diet (MD; ∼48% carbohydrate) when tested during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Six women cycled to exhaustion at ∼80% maximal oxygen uptake (V˙o 2 max) after each of the randomly assigned diet and exercise-tapering regimens. A biopsy was taken from the vastus lateralis before and after exercise in each trial. Preexercise muscle glycogen content was high after the MD (625.2 ± 50.1 mmol/kg dry muscle) and 13% greater after the HCD (709.0 ± 44.8 mmol/kg dry muscle). Postexercise muscle glycogen was low after both trials (MD, 91.4 ± 34.5; HCD, 80.3 ± 19.5 mmol/kg dry muscle), and net glycogen utilization during exercise was greater after the HCD. The subjects also cycled longer at ∼80%V˙o 2 max after the HCD vs. MD (115:31 ± 10:47 vs. 106:35 ± 8:36 min:s, respectively). In conclusion, aerobically trained women increased muscle glycogen content in response to a high-dietary carbohydrate intake during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, but the magnitude was smaller than previously observed in men. The increase in muscle glycogen, and possibly liver glycogen, after the HCD was associated with increased cycling performance to volitional exhaustion at ∼80%V˙o 2 max.

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  • CHO loading using a similar pattern and amount of carbohydrate intake during the mid-luteal phase fails to change resting muscle glycogen concentrations or only documents a modest increase of 13%, compared to what is generally reported for male athletes (18-47%) or female athletes during the follicular phase (17-31%).

    “CHO loading using a similar pattern and amount of carbohydrate intake during the mid-luteal (ML) phase failed to change resting muscle glycogen concentrations [182] or only documented a modest increase (13%) [186] compared to what is generally reported for male athletes (18–47%) [185,187–191] or female athletes during the follicular phase (17–31%) [184,185].”

    From International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutritional concerns of the female athlete (2023) · cites this paper as [185]

  • Carbohydrate loading at 8.4-9.0 g/kg body weight/day increases resting muscle glycogen concentration in the mid-follicular phase of the menstrual cycle.

    “carbohydrate loading (8.4–9.0 g.kg body weight−1.d−1) has been shown to increase resting muscle glycogen concentration in the mid-follicular (MF) phase of the menstrual cycle [184,185].”

    From International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutritional concerns of the female athlete (2023) · cites this paper as [185]

  • Increasing carbohydrate intake increases glycogen storage to a lesser extent in women when compared with men.

    “It has been reported that increasing carbohydrate intake increases glycogen storage to a lesser extent in women when compared with men [84]”

    From Regulation of Energy Substrate Metabolism in Endurance Exercise (2021) · cites this paper as [84]

  • CHO loading (8.4-9 g CHO/kg BW/day) in the mid-luteal phase results in no change to a small increase (13%) in muscle glycogen, which could potentially enhance performance.

    “To that end, CHO loading (8.4–9 g CHO/kg BW/day) in the mid-luteal phase has resulted in no change to a small increase (13%) in muscle glycogen, which could potentially enhance performance [57,58].”

    From Considerations of Low Carbohydrate Availability (LCA) to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) in Female Endurance Athletes: A Narrative Review (2023) · cites this paper as [57]

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Authors
Walker, J. L., Heigenhauser, G. J. F., Hultman, E., & Spriet, L. L.
Affiliations
  • University of Guelph (CA)
  • McMaster University (CA)
  • Division of Clinical Chemistry, Huddinge University Hospital, Huddinge S-141 86, Sweden
ORCID
Spriet, Lawrence L.
Venue
Journal of Applied Physiology
Publisher
American Physiological Society
Published
2000-06-01
Volume
88
Issue
6
Pages
2151-2158
ISSN
  • 0161-7567 (ISSN-L)
  • 8750-7587
  • 1522-1601
DOI
10.1152/jappl.2000.88.6.2151
OpenAlex
W2171084521
Cited by
105
References
38
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 3
FWCI
0.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Applied Physiology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
Keywords
dietary carbohydrates, muscle glycogen, endurance performance, high-carbohydrate diet, menstrual cycle, luteal phase, eumenorrheic women, glycogen utilization, liver glycogen, cycling to exhaustion, sex differences, well-trained athletes
MeSH terms
Adult, Bicycling, Blood, Dietary Carbohydrates, Dietary Fats, Female, Glycogen, Hormones, Humans, Muscles, Oxidation-Reduction, Physical Education and Training, Physical Endurance

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