Research has shown that metabolic adaptations do occur as a result of high fat fueling, although claims that high fat, carbohydrate-restricted diets improve performance in competitive athletes have not been proven.

This has significant implications for athletes in muscular endurance sports that require a burst of power, such as rowing, swimming, gymnastics, figure skating, judo, boxing, baseball, basketball, or soccer, to have energy generated aerobically.

It is important to recognize that there are many sources of fat in foods. Fat is present, but not separately visible, in:

• Dairy products such as cheese, whole milk, sour cream, and ice cream
• Processed foods such as chips, crackers, granola bars, and french fries
• Cooked meats and fish
• Other food sources like nuts or avocados

Other more obvious sources of fat are in products like margarine, butter, mayonnaise, salad dressing, oils, and meats with marbling or visible fat.

Athletes should consume 20 to 35 percent of their calories from fat. Along with decreasing overall calories, increasing mono-unsaturated and n-3 polyunsaturated fats and decreasing consumption of saturated fat and sugar sweetened beverages (soda) are the first steps toward losing excess body fat and improving metabolic function. Doing so may be a benefit to athletes by reducing inflammation and helping to maintain proper vascular function, which indirectly may support athletic performance.