Carbohydrate is a crucial nutrient for exercise and low-carbohydrate diets can increase the risk of low-energy availability. It has also been shown that carbohydrate feeding around training can reduce the negative consequences to bone around that session in endurance athletes.
Researchers at University of Limerick in conjunction with the Sport Ireland Institute are trying to understand how low-carbohydrate dietary practices such as fasting, periodic reductions in carbohydrate intake and manipulation of the timing of carbohydrate intake impact bone health in an endurance athlete.
Male and female endurance athletes aged 18-35 year who are consistently training for more than eight hours per week and who have competed at national championships (at a minimum) are being sought to take part. They will be asked to fill out a survey that will take 10-15 minutes, and the results of this will form part of a larger project looking at how low carbohydrate diets impact bone health in endurance athletes.