Study is here, and it's just great in so many ways: https://www.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/japplphysiol.00567.2019 …
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They gave 12 cyclists either water, 123 grams of potato puree, or 23 grams of carbohydrate gel I'm not sure that's a fair comparison!pic.twitter.com/OgrX7swhwS
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All of the cyclists fasted overnight (!), warmed up, and then had a few trials of their cycling prowess That's another problem. This was the first food that they'd eaten all day
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Immediately, what we're comparing isn't "potato puree to carb gel" it's "an entire baked potato to a small bar of carb gel FOR BREAKFAST"pic.twitter.com/FXSCwh2sQ2
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The basic results - that eating something for breakfast makes you a slightly better cyclist - are perhaps not all that surprisingpic.twitter.com/45v4DcPAp2
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What IS surprising is that the media failed to note that the potato group were actually worse off in terms of some side-effects, like bloating and abdominal painpic.twitter.com/8AK8md4NuV
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It's possible that, in fact, eating AN ENTIRE POTATO while cycling vigorously is not as good a solution as having a small bar of concentrated carbs
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And, in a truly delightful twist, this study was funded by BIG POTATO Sometimes I love science stories in the newspic.twitter.com/ozJXJjvHYq
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Either way, unless cyclists are planning on carrying multiple potatoes with them on their morning cycle, chances are that this study is a bit misleading
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And I'd strongly argue that comparing two groups WHO HAD NOT EATEN makes this a study about maintaining performance rather than improving it, unless most cyclists fast for ~16 hours prior to a race
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Oh, also, I'd question whether you can take much of anything from a non-blinded crossover trial of 12 people unless you're confident that the effect sizes are HUGE
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