The Benefits and DANGERS of Carb Loading

Are the dangers of carb-loading worth the benefits? Check this out!

0:00 Introduction: Carb-loading

0:10 Carb-loading explained

1:17 The dangers and benefits of carb-loading

7:57 Check out my video on vitamin B1!

Today, I will cover the pros and cons of carb-loading, or carbo-loading, before a sporting event. Many athletes carb-load one to four days before endurance-type sports. Athletes do this to increase energy and prevent fatigue during the event.

Carb-loading aims to increase the glycogen reserve in the muscles and the liver. Glycogen stored in the muscle provides the muscle with glucose, and glycogen stored in the liver provides the blood and brain with glucose.

The dangers of carb-loading:

1. There is a limited capacity of stored glucose. However, if you were fat-adapted, the calories you can use as energy are virtually unlimited.

2. You hit the wall, where you run out of sugar, causing you to feel exhausted mentally and physically.

3. You can experience a lot of bloating, gas, and abdominal pain.

4. You can experience diarrhea that can lead to dehydration.

5. It can lead to fluid retention.

6. It can raise your blood pressure.

7. You can develop insulin resistance by consuming carbs and sugar. However, the level of exercise of an elite athlete can counter insulin resistance.

8. It can lead to inflammation and a leaky gut.

9. Sugar depletes important vitamins and minerals, leading to many different issues. Without these vitamins and minerals, you also won’t be able to make the quantity of energy you need when competing.

Overall, I don’t think carb-loading, with all of its cons, is worth the one pro that exercise helps improve insulin resistance.