Mr Matthew Carpenter

Research project: The Efficacy of Carbohydrate for Living and Performance

Abstract

Long standing nutrition guideliens have advocated carbohydrate based feeding for both the general public and as a means of optimising human performance.

In spite of this, ketogenic and low carbohydate diets are increasing in populairty, due primarily to the weight loss and improvements in health shown when carbohydrates are restricted.

There is also growing interest in the role that a low carb/ketogenic diet could have on exercise performance. This is because ketogenic diets result in a change in substrate metabolism that results in a vast upregulation in fat oxidation. Since human fat stores are vast in comparison to carbohydrate stores, the use of ketogenic and low carbohydrate diets to promote fat oxidation are gaining greater attention in the literature. There are however only few studies that have shown performance improvements when purely using ketogenic diets, we believe acute carbohydrate supplementation before and during exercise would further improve performance.

Biography

I enrolled at Kingston University in 2014 to complete a BSc in Sport Science, achieving first class honours. Following this I completed an MSc in Sport and Exercise (performance), also at Kingston University, achieving a distinction. During my masters degree, I completed a research project entitled 'Acute Carbohydrate Supplementation Improves Ultra-Endurance Performance in a Keto-adapted Individual.'

I began my PhD at Kingston University in 2018, in order to further investigate the role of ketogenic and low carbohydrate dietary interventions on health and exercise performance, in addition to addressing the role of acute supplementation in ketogenic athletes, and the impact this has on substrate metabolism and exercise performance.

Areas of research interest

  • Sport Science
  • Nutrition
  • Ketogenic Diets
  • Physiology

Qualifications

  • BSc Sport Science, Kingston University
  • MSc Sport and Exercise Performance