#64 - The liver's underappreciated role in endurance sports

You may have already read the headline and thought that the liver is probably not the most exciting thing in exercise physiology. But that's exactly why you'll benefit from the episode.

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In this episode, we delve into one of the most overlooked factors in endurance sports: the liver's role in energy metabolism. When we talk about fatigue, we often think of muscle glycogen stores. But research shows that the liver's ability to keep blood sugar stable is also very important. It's crucial to how long we can perform and why we "hit the wall" in long competitions.

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We discuss how the liver functions as a regulator of blood sugar through both glycogen stores, gluconeogenesis, and ketogenesis. We compare muscle and liver glycogen stores and explain why the relatively small liver stores may be the real limiting factor for performance.

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We then review how exercise and carbohydrate intake during activity can conserve liver glycogen, and why trained athletes are better at burning fat and thus protecting the liver. We also look at recovery and glycogen replenishment, where new research shows that the liver replenishes faster than the muscles, but only if you consume the right types of carbohydrates. Finally, we discuss the role of ketones. What happens to metabolism when you consume ketones?

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