Effect of carbohydrate or carbohydrate plus medium-chain triglyceride ingestion on cycling time trial performance

1 Exercise Physiology and Metabolism Laboratory, Department of Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052; and 2 School of Health Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia This study examined the effectiveness of ingesting a carbohydrate or carbohydrate + medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) on metabolism and cycling performance. Eight endurance-trained men [peak O 2 uptake = 4.71 ± 0.09 (SE) l/min] completed 35 kJ/kg as quickly as possible [time trial (TT)] while consuming 250 ml/15 min of either a 6% (wt/vol) carbohydrate solution (C), a 6% carbohydrate + 4.2% MCT solution (C+M), or a sweet placebo (P). Time to complete the set amount of work was reduced in both C and C+M compared with P by 7 and 5%, respectively (C: 166 ± 7 min; C+M: 169 ± 7 min; P: 178 ± 11 min; P