Research
Hormonal
Hormonal responses to exercise (glucagon, epinephrine, GH, cortisol) are enhanced by glucose privation, as evidenced by faster and higher increases in these hormones after a fat diet compared to a carbohydrate diet.
When your body runs low on glucose (as happens on a low-carb diet during exercise), it releases more stress hormones like glucagon, epinephrine, and cortisol to try to maintain energy. This hormonal surge is a sign of metabolic stress due to glucose privation.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Plasma norepinephrine increased and insulin decreased similarly in CH- and F-expts., whereas the increase in glucagon, epinephrine, growth hormone and cortisol was enhanced in F-expts.
Why this rating
Clear hormonal assays with statistical significance reported for differences between diets.
Source
The effect of different diets and of insulin on the hormonal response to prolonged exercise
H. Galbo et al. · Acta Physiologica Scandinavica · 1979
DOI 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1979.tb06438.x
crossover · n=7Cited 253×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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