I Was Wrong About Carbs! 120g/hr Breaks World Records
In this episode we cover what his new paper actually claims about muscle glycogen versus blood glucose, why he now believes 120 grams of carbs per hour works — and why the mechanism is not what anyone thought, the difference between fueling your metabolism and stimulating your brain, why recreational runners may be unknowingly developing pre-diabetes, the central governor theory updated, and his single most important training recommendation for every endurance athlete.
Prof. Tim Noakes is a South African sports scientist, physician, and Emeritus Professor at the University of Cape Town. He is the author of the landmark book Lore of Running, one of the most comprehensive references in endurance sport ever written. He ran the Comrades Marathon nine times. He pioneered research on hyponatremia in endurance athletes that has saved lives worldwide. He developed the Central Governor Theory of fatigue. And he has spent decades challenging mainstream thinking on carbohydrates, muscle glycogen, and what actually limits human performance.
Professor Tim Noakes has spent nearly 50 years studying endurance performance. He helped build the science of carbohydrate loading. He championed low carb for athletes. And in this conversation, he changed his mind — live — about something he had argued against for years. This is one of the most scientifically dense and genuinely surprising conversations in the history of this podcast.
The carbohydrate paper:
"Carbohydrate Ingestion on Exercise Metabolism and Physical Performance" by Prof. Tim Noakes and colleagues
https://academic.oup.com/edrv/article/47/2/191/8432248?login=false
The best impact paper:
"Carbohydrate ingestion eliminates hypoglycemia and improves endurance exercise performance in triathletes adapted to very low- and high-carbohydrate isocaloric diets" by Prof. Tim Noakes and colleagues
https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpcell.00583.2024
The debate paper:
"Does a low-carbohydrate diet impede endurance sports performance? Debate Consensus" by Prof. Tim Noakes and Prof. Louise M Burke
https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(26)00080-8/fulltext
0:00 Prof. Tim Noakes changed his mind
1:11 His new paper on carbohydrates and performance
9:44 Two glucose pools — muscles vs blood
17:11 Muscle glycogen vs blood glucose explained
21:34 Low glycogen fat burning and carbs during exercise
26:09 Does 120 grams per hour actually work
33:07 Practical carb strategy by athlete type
37:34 Should you carb load the liver
42:27 Practical advice for masters runners
53:06 The central governor theory updated
59:36 Mistakes runners will make after this conversation
1:02:18 The Norwegian method — final takeaway
1:07:23 What endurance means to Prof. Noakes
