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Carbohydrate Availability and Running Performance in Professional Male Footballers
Sponsor: Göteborg University
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn how different daily carbohydrate intakes affect training performance in professional male football players during a pre-season training week. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does a higher carbohydrate intake affect how much high-speed running and sprinting players complete during football training? * Does a higher carbohydrate intake affect players' jumping performance, perceived effort, recovery, and daily readiness? Researchers will compare two carbohydrate intakes. In one condition, participants will consume a moderate-carbohydrate diet. In the other condition, participants will consume the same base diet plus carbohydrate drinks. The drinks will look and taste similar, but only one type will contain extra carbohydrate. Participants will complete both conditions during two pre-season training weeks. The order of the conditions will be randomized. This means participants will be assigned by chance to start with either the moderate-carbohydrate condition or the higher-carbohydrate condition. During the study, participants will: * Follow a standardized diet during each training week * Drink three study beverages per day during each condition * Take part in their regular team football training * Wear a global positioning system device during training to measure running activity * Complete countermovement jump tests during the training weeks * Report their perceived effort, recovery, and daily readiness This study will help researchers understand whether changing carbohydrate intake during a normal football training week affects training output and recovery-related measures in professional football players.
Official title: The Effect of Varying Carbohydrate Intake on Training Performance in Professional Football Players
Key Details
Gender
MALE
Age Range
18 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
17
Start Date
2026-04-01
Completion Date
2026-05-01
Last Updated
2026-06-25
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Interventions
High-Carbohydrate Beverage
Participants consumed three daily maltodextrin-containing beverages in addition to a standardized food-based diet providing 4 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body mass per day. The beverages provided an additional 3 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body mass per day, resulting in a total target intake of 7 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body mass per day.
placebo beverage
Participants consumed three daily placebo beverages without added carbohydrate in addition to the same standardized food-based diet providing 4 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body mass per day. The total target intake was 4 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body mass per day.
Locations (1)
Center for Health and Performance, Department of Food and Nutrition, and Sport Science University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Gothenburg, Sweden