thumb|Pre-marathon meal
Carbohydrate (CHO) loading, commonly referred to as carb-loading, or carbo-loading, is a strategy used by endurance athletes, such as marathoners and triathletes, to reduce fatigue during an endurance event. While carbohydrates should be consumed both during and after an event, carb-loading is specifically referring to the consumption of carbohydrates before the event. This maximizes the storage of glycogen (or energy) in the muscles and liver to be used during the competition in order to prevent performance decline later on.
Carbohydrate loading is generally recommended for endurance events lasting longer than 90 minutes, but may still be utilized for shorter events. Large portions before a race can, however, decrease race-day performance if the digestive system has not had the time to process the food regimen.
Specific recommendations
The composition of carbohydrates in the athlete's diet during carbohydrate loading is as important as their share of the overall caloric regimen.
Some examples of foods that are rich in carbohydrates include: bananas, with 30g CHO per 115g of the food itself, raisins, with 30g CHO per 36g, and oats, with 30g CHO per 67g.
Most diets consist of both simple and complex carbohydrates which produces a variation of glucose, fructose, and galactose. These molecules are metabolized into glycogen within the liver and muscles.
Limiting factors
Because of the possibility that some carbohydrate rich foods cause gastrointestinal issues, it's recommended that an athlete experiment with different sources before a race, during the training period.
References
Further reading
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