Sultan Zeeshaan H, Speelman Diana
Biochemistry, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, USA.
Cureus. 2025 Feb 17;17(2):e79166. doi: 10.7759/cureus.79166. eCollection 2025 Feb.
A low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) or ketogenic diet is commonly used by individuals who want to achieve ketosis, which can boost fat metabolism, increase insulin sensitivity, and reduce blood sugar spikes. However, many athletes are hesitant to utilize a diet that specifically restricts the intake of carbohydrates, an important source of energy for physical activity. Athletes usually adopt a high-carbohydrate or high-protein diet, depending on their goals. This review aims to examine the evidence for the impact of an LCD on athletes' aerobic, anaerobic, and upper and lower body strength performance. A systematic review of original studies was conducted for articles indexed in PubMed that utilized an LCD in athletes and reported athletic performance values. A total of 19 studies were included in the final synthesis. An LCD may aid in maintaining or increasing upper and lower body strength. However, this type of diet provides no consistent benefit and may even negatively impact some measures of aerobic and anaerobic performance. Taken together, no strong evidence indicates the benefit of an LCD on athletic performance. Athletes wishing to modify their diet for improved performance should consider possible diets with specific training and performance goals in mind.
低碳水化合物饮食（LCD）或生酮饮食通常被想要实现酮症的人采用，酮症可以促进脂肪代谢、提高胰岛素敏感性并减少血糖峰值。然而，许多运动员对于采用一种专门限制碳水化合物摄入的饮食犹豫不决，而碳水化合物是身体活动的重要能量来源。运动员通常根据自己的目标采用高碳水化合物或高蛋白饮食。本综述旨在研究低碳水化合物饮食对运动员有氧、无氧以及上下肢力量表现影响的证据。对PubMed索引的原始研究进行了系统回顾，这些研究在运动员中使用了低碳水化合物饮食并报告了运动表现值。最终的综合分析共纳入了19项研究。低碳水化合物饮食可能有助于维持或增加上下肢力量。然而，这类饮食并没有持续一致的益处，甚至可能对某些有氧和无氧表现指标产生负面影响。总体而言，没有强有力的证据表明低碳水化合物饮食对运动表现有益。希望为提高表现而调整饮食的运动员应结合特定的训练和表现目标考虑可能的饮食方案。
