42 articles
The maker of AG1 funded a study on 16 people and showed that the vitamins from the powder really do reach the bloodstream. That is true β and it is not the same thing as βit worksβ. The arithmetic of a serving explains why the plant part of the formula is almost inevitably underdosed.
The nitrate from beetroot is turned into nitric oxide not by your body but by the bacteria on the back of your tongue. A chlorhexidine mouthwash abolishes that conversion in saliva completely and sharply blunts the rise of nitrite in the blood. Humans have no enzyme of their own for this reaction.
The carotenoid from Haematococcus algae is sold as the βmost powerful antioxidant there is.β In a crossover trial, 12 mg a day for a week made a 40 km time trial 1.2% faster and raised fat oxidation at the finish. The sample was twelve people.
Semaglutide and tirzepatide have reached the running group chats. A survey of recreational athletes shows who takes them and why, and STEP-1 data show how much of the lost weight is muscle. WADA has added the drugs to its 2026 monitoring list.
A 2025 meta-analysis pulled together everything known about golden root in endurance sport. The VOβmax gain is there and surprisingly consistent, the drop in creatine kinase is sizeable β but a fortyfold spread in doses makes it impossible to name a protocol.
A fresh meta-analysis gathered the entire evidence base on citrulline malate β and rated its certainty as Β«low to very lowΒ». Here is what that means for anyone who already bought the tub.
Across 1,121 athletes, maximal fat oxidation occurred on average at 49.3% of VOβmax β with a range from 22.6 to 88.8%. Known factors explain only 47% of the differences. Here is what to do about it in practice.
Six weeks of leucine supplementation in cross-country skiers improved maximal oxygen uptake and strength. Here is how a single amino acid differs from Β«just eat more proteinΒ» β and who might actually benefit.
Rinsing the mouth with a menthol solution every six minutes raised mean power by 1.67% in the heat. The body does not actually cool β only perception changes. Here is where that helps and where it gets dangerous.
In a study at +32 Β°C and 60% humidity, taurine extended time to exhaustion: 6 grams worked in men, 4 in women. Here is why that difference is almost certainly not about sex at all.
An ordinary optical sensor on the wrist cannot measure glucose β not because the algorithms are bad, but because it never collects the signal in the first place. We unpack the physics, a fresh re-analysis of the data, the FDA position, and what actually works.
Your legs are ready for 120 grams of carbohydrate an hour, but your gut is not. We look at why absorption runs into transporters, how a glucose-fructose blend gets around them, and what in all those gut-training protocols has actually been tested.
A meta-analysis of 10 studies found a moderate advantage for plant-based diets in aerobic measures and no loss in strength. But the overall performance figure came out at zero β we look at why that happened.
A meta-analysis of 35 studies confirms that rinsing your mouth with a maltodextrin solution does help β but the effect is small (g = 0.18), the certainty of evidence is low, and the classic βonly works when fastedβ rule has barely been tested at all.
An eight-week study found a marked gain in power and mitochondrial adaptations from a ketone ester taken after training. Yet most of the literature finds no effect β here is why both pictures may be true.
PogaΔar is racing on a gel with exogenous lactate and his rivals are testing their own. Yet there are no published trials of the gels themselves, and the existing work on lactate supplements contradicts itself. A look without the excitement.
Fresh 2026 meta-analyses show that beta-alanine's effect is narrow and not guaranteed. We break down where it can genuinely help, where it's useless, and how it differs from 'soda' (bicarbonate).
Montmorency cherry concentrate speeds the return of strength after hard efforts and dampens some inflammation markers. But it's a recovery tool, not an 'endurance pill' β and in the off-season it may even get in the way.
We break down how alcohol after a workout hits muscle protein synthesis, sleep, and rehydration β and how to drink so you lose less. No moralizing: just data and practice.
At record-setting events, glucose in elite athletes without diabetes drops to 3.0 and climbs to 11 mmol/L β and that is normal. Here is why an amateur might want a sensor, why it is not a βfuel gauge,β and where self-deception begins.
Two thirds of college athletes are short on vitamin D, and every 5 ng/mL drop raises the odds of injury by 13%. Here is who is at risk and what runners and triathletes should do about it.
Collagen hydrolysate with vitamin C before a strength session may help a runner's tendons β but only paired with loading. We break down a fresh 2026 review and the JUMPFOOD protocol, without the βdrank it and it's goneβ myth.
Endurance athletes have a distinctive set of gut bacteria, and Veillonella turns exercise lactate into fuel for the muscles. We break down what probiotics really deliver and why βany probiotic = a boostβ is a myth.
Fish oil is no βmagic boostβ to your results, but 2β4 g of EPA+DHA a day noticeably dampens inflammation, muscle damage and soreness. And it works strongest precisely in recreational athletes.
A fresh review in Sports Medicine (2025) rethinks protein for runners and triathletes: it's not about muscle mass but about recovery, mitochondria, and immunity. We break down what that means in servings of chicken, cottage cheese, and fish.
Sodium bicarbonate is an IOC-recognized supplement, but its effect depends on the race format. We break down where soda buys you seconds, where it does almost nothing, and how to avoid a βgut rebellion.β
A meta-analysis of 33 studies and 519 athletes settles the question: beetroot nitrate delivers a small but real gain in sprinting, power, and VOβmax. We break down the dose, the timing, and why in elite athletes the effect often βgets eaten up.β
A new RCT in Frontiers in Nutrition: 4 weeks of a low-carb phase followed by a return to carbs improved running economy at the lactate threshold β something neither constant keto nor constantly high carbs achieved.
Ferritin is low but hemoglobin is fine β and endurance still drops by 3β4%. Here is what to test, how to eat, and when supplements make sense.
A large network meta-analysis of 48 studies shows the effective caffeine dose is more modest than commonly believed, and the performance gain is around 2%. Here is how to calculate your dose without overdoing it.
A fresh review in the journal Nutrients gathered 38 creatine studies in endurance sports. The verdict: it has little effect on βpureβ aerobic work, but genuinely helps sprints, strength work, and recovery. We break down who needs it and how to take it.
The elite load up to 120 grams of carbs per hour. We break down how much fuel you really need for long races, why glucose and fructose are worth mixing, and how to train your gut to handle it.
Why an endurance athlete needs calcium beyond strong bones, how much is required, and how to avoid a stress fracture out on the course.
Magnesium powers energy, muscle and nerve function. Let's work out how much an athlete actually needs, where to get it from food, and when capsules are truly worth it β versus when they're just wasted money and diarrhea.
The U.S. National Academies revised the reference intakes for sodium and potassium and, for the first time, introduced a category aimed at reducing disease risk. Let's break down how to read these numbers if you train for hours.
It's your gut, not your muscles, that caps fueling speed on long events. We break down the transporter limits and practical g/h schemes for running, cycling, and triathlon.
Why sodium helps you absorb water, why you should mix glucose with fructose, and where stomach trouble on a long race comes from β a breakdown of the physiology of absorption.
The WHO advises eating less than 5 g of salt a day, but during a multi-hour race in the heat that rule works in reverse. Let's figure out how to reconcile both approaches without harming your heart or cramping up on the course.
Why, for an endurance athlete, sodium isn't just the salt in a gel but a control system for fluid, nerves, and muscles. We break down the mechanics of balance and what to do about it during long efforts.
Potassium is the main intracellular electrolyte β one we think about less often than sodium and magnesium. We break down how much you need, its role in blood pressure and recovery, and why food is almost always better than supplements.
We break down what electrolytes are, how the kidneys keep them balanced, and why on a long course it matters not only to drink water but also to replace salts.
'Drink more water' is advice about as useful as 'run faster.' How much is more? A liter? Three? Let's calculate specifically.