Burke et al. have elegantly shown in world-class race walkers undergoing a 3 week period of intense training that, compared with a diet providing high carbohydrate (CHO) availability (8.6 g kg-1 day-1), a low CHO diet (< 1.0 g kg-1 day-1) impaired performance, in part due to worsened exercise economy (Burke et al. 2017). Their study adds valuable information to the field of sports nutrition given the ongoing debate (also in the mass media) about which dietary pattern is more suitable for endurance athletes. Recent alternatives to the `classic` high CHO approach, such as diets with periodic or chronic low CHO availability, are receiving growing attention.
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