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Does Glycemic Index of Pre-Exercise Meal Matter? Past research has shown that exercise performance is improved after consumption of a low/moderate glycemic index meal versus a high GI meal. But these studies have not involved carbohydrate consumption during exercise. Would the GI of a pre-exercise meal still matter if carbohydrate was consumed during the workout? Researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong recently sought to answer this question.  Eight male runners completed a 21km treadmill time trial on three occasions.  Two hours before one trial they consumed a low GI meal, a high GI meal, or a low-calorie in random order. In all three trials the runners consumed a sports drink immediately prior to starting and every 2.5km. Blood samples were taken before and after each trial. There was no signficant difference in finish time among the three trials. However, the blood samples revealed that interleukin-6 levels, which were elevated 100-fold in all three trials, returned to baseline much faster after the low GI trial. In the high GI trial only, the blood glucose level did not return to the pre-exercise level within 60 minutes after the time trial was completed. Cortisol levels increased less during the low GI trial than the control trial.  These results suggest that while a low GI pre-exercise meal does not enhance performance when carbohydrate is consumed during exercise, it does reduce the physiological stress of exercise. This study was published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.

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