Macro partitioning
Inadequate dietary intake of carbohydrates and proteins in endurance athletes negates the structural and functional cardiac advantages typically observed in women during marathon racing, leading to prolonged elevation of muscle damage and inflammatory markers.
If you are an endurance athlete, your sex does not protect you from the negative cardiovascular effects of poor nutrition. Ensure you are consuming adequate carbohydrates and proteins daily. Failure to do so can lead to prolonged inflammation and muscle damage, even if you are a woman who typically has better cardiac recovery profiles than men.
Structural and functional cardiac advantages that women display compared to men in aerobic efforts are not manifested when diet is not adequately designed.
Why this rating
Small sample size (n=15 per sex) and cross-sectional design limit causal inference, though biomarker measurements are robust.
Source
Effect of diet on cardiovascular health‐related circulating parameters in men and women athletes participating in a marathon race: A cross‐sectional study
Alejandro Martínez‐Rodríguez et al. · American Journal of Human Biology · 2023
DOI 10.1002/ajhb.23884
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →