Best Carb Supplement for Runners 2020

Our knowledge of training for running has increased over the years. From how to run a faster 5, or even a 10k and longer events such as marathons – there’s endless advice online for runners.

However, advice and the science is only just catching up on how to fuel our bodies efficiently.

But one thing we can say from the early, and even to the most recent studies – is that carbs are the main component in endurance nutrition.

This article will run through why carbs are important for a runner, the benefits of using a carb supplement, and the best available in 2020:

Why Carbs are Essential for Runners

Your body uses carbohydrates as its main fuel source, as either blood glucose, or stored muscle and liver glycogen.

When you consume a carb supplement, it enters your bloodstream, being delivered around your body by insulin, where it supports muscle contractions along with blood, nutrients, and most importantly oxygen supply – which increases performance.

Therefore, by making sure you have enough carbs present in your body before, during and after exercise, will be a key factor in how well you perform.

Carb Supplements can enhance the following;

• Endurance
• Muscle contractions
• Blood, nutrient and oxygen delivery
• Recovery

Also, the quality of the carbohydrates you consume has been shown to affect running performance.

One study on ‘High-Quality Carbohydrates and Physical Performance’ said that where possible, eating a large portion of carbohydrates from quality sources should remain the priority in an athletes diet:

“consuming a majority of daily calories in the form of high-quality, high-carbohydrate whole food sources, such as potatoes, as a means of improving physical performance and recovery from exercise.” (I)

Another reason why carbohydrates are vital for runners is the way carbs are the main macronutrients which have the most impact on running performance, over fats or proteins.

One paper published by J W Helge said that comparing high carb vs high-fat diet protocol, the group using more carbohydrates excelled in performance above the rest. (II)

And one final point to mention on the topic of fat loss: It’s completely possible to consume a high carb diet and still lose weight without affecting performance. Instead, it’s better to focus on overall calorie consumption – not on the removal of carbs. As this is the main fuel source for the body.

Benefits of Carb Supplements for Runners

Before I highlight the importance of carbs for runners, let’s first take a look at how our energy system works. That way, you’ll better understand your own body works, and how to fuel accordingly using carbohydrates:

When you consume carbohydrates before a run, also known as carb loading, your body digests the foods you eat (or supplements used) and converts them to glycogen. This is how your body stores carbs in your muscles and liver.

Before this happens, inulin is released from your pancreas. Insulin transports carbs, in the form of glucose, into your muscles and liver. But if you consume a carb supplement mid-training, then blood glucose will be immediately used.

Increased Performance

As mentioned, carbohydrates are the body’s most preferred fuel source. By supplying your body with a combination of either fast or slow-releasing carbs (ideally both) then your running performance will skyrocket.

As you hit the road, hills, or wherever it is you run, your body will quickly tap into stored muscle and liver glycogen. When that’s been used up, you’ll hit the wall. Unless you consume fast-acting carbs.

Once you ingest carbs, insulin will be released (for your pancreas) to shuttle the blood glucose to your muscles, where it’s quickly absorbed and burned during each stride you take.

So make no mistake, if you don’t have enough carbs present, the time it takes to deplete your glycogen stores will happen much quicker than if you were to consume a quality carb supplement before and during your run.

Enhanced Blood Flow and Nutrient Delivery

As discussed, when you consume carbohydrates, your pancreas releases insulin. Insulin not only helps to transport carbs into your muscles, boosting your performance, but it will also increase nutrient delivery.

When carbohydrates enter your intestines, they pull-through other nutrients, such as amino acids, minerals and vitamins from foods already eaten.

This increased nutrient pulling is enhanced so much that carbs are able to improve muscle function and repair considerably, as opposed to not supplementing with carbs surrounding your run.

Lastly, carbs dilate blood vessels due to their naturally containing sugars. This helps the above-mentioned micronutrients absorb faster for improved running.

Shorter recovery Times

Due to the way carbohydrates enhance nutrient delivery, energy production and running endurance, then carbs should be a pivotal macronutrient in a runner’s diet. But not only for these reasons…

This is because carb supplements will also assist in muscle repair when combined with other nutrients such as leucine.

For example, studies indicate that when carbohydrates are consumed with a protein source pre-training, muscle protein synthesis (MPS) can be accelerated. (III) MPS is the delivery of amino acids for muscle function and repair.

Not only will the consumption of carb supplements assist in muscle repair post-exercise, but they will also allow you to train on a more frequent basis by re-filling your glycogen stores – a vital practice used by elite athletes. This is also referred to as glycogen resynthesis.

RELATED: Caffeine Post Exercise: Accelerate Your Recovery

Conclusion

The quality of carbohydrates, meaning, the micronutrient content present in most other carb supplements are zero. They contain literally no nutritional value, just calories in the form of sugar.

They consist of dextrose or maltodextrin, along with sweeteners from artificial sources such as E numbers. Which, as a fact, the World Health Organisation is urging companies to warn consumers on the dangers these additives bring.

But as you can imagine, supplement companies don’t want to warn potential customers as this will ultimately affect their profits.

This is where Performance Lab Carb comes in. It’s made using the most natural, micronutrient-rich elements with organic flavourings, and a state of the art carb formula designed to fuel your body with a sophisticated fueling system. Meaning, a combination of slow and fast-acting carbs.

I have been using Performance Lab Carb for some time now. It gives me energy all day long. It doesn’t bloat me like other carb supplements, and I’ve never had an upset stomach – it’s the cleanest-tasting carb supplement I’ve ever used, hence why it’s the Best Carb Supplement for Runners 2020.