Do you really need 120g of carbs an hour?
Everyone’s chasing bigger carb numbers lately. 90g became 100. Then 120.
Here’s the thing: two major studies looked at this, and they don’t agree with each other. One found diminishing returns above 90g/hr. The other found benefits all the way to 120g/hr.
So who’s right?
Turns out that’s the wrong question. The real issues are ratio confounds, whether oxidation even predicts performance, and whether your gut can handle it in the first place - even elite marathoners reported the worst GI symptoms at 120g/hr.
We broke down what the research actually says (and what it doesn’t) - and why 84g at a 2:1 ratio isn’t a ceiling, it’s just where we start most people.
Brad K.
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