How eating more fat changes your body's fuel during exercise
Fat utilization during exercise: adaptation to a fat‐rich diet increases utilization of plasma fatty acids and very low density lipoprotein‐triacylglycerol in humans
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
VLDL-TG uptake increased 8-fold on the high-fat diet despite no change in leg glucose uptake.
Most assume switching to fat-burning means reducing glucose use, but here, sugar uptake stayed the same while fat use skyrocketed—showing dual fuel access.
Practical Takeaways
Try a 7-week fat-rich diet (around 60% fat) to potentially improve your body's ability to burn fat during moderate exercise.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
VLDL-TG uptake increased 8-fold on the high-fat diet despite no change in leg glucose uptake.
Most assume switching to fat-burning means reducing glucose use, but here, sugar uptake stayed the same while fat use skyrocketed—showing dual fuel access.
Practical Takeaways
Try a 7-week fat-rich diet (around 60% fat) to potentially improve your body's ability to burn fat during moderate exercise.
Publication
Journal
The Journal of Physiology
Year
2001
Authors
J. Helge, P. Watt, E. Richter, M. Rennie, B. Kiens
Related Content
Claims (4)
When your body gets used to burning fat for fuel, it becomes better at using fat by turning up the systems that break it down and use it for energy.
If untrained guys eat a high-fat diet for 7 weeks, their bodies get better at burning fat from the blood during exercise compared to eating a high-carb diet.
If untrained guys eat a high-fat diet for 7 weeks, they burn more fat during exercise than if they eat a high-carb diet.
If untrained guys eat a high-fat diet for 7 weeks, their muscles use less stored sugar during medium-intensity exercise compared to eating a high-carb diet — it’s like saving their fuel — but their legs still take up the same amount of glucose from the blood.