NEW 2026 Study Proves Our Bodies Are Not Designed To Run on Carbs

Professor Tim Noakes asserts that human bodies are not designed to run on carbohydrates but rather on fat, aligning with our evolutionary history. He explains that our ancestors were primarily meat-eaters, which contributed to brain development. The shift to grain-based diets in the last 50 years, influenced by agricultural interests, goes against this natural design and contributes to modern health issues.

Noakes details how excessive carbohydrate consumption leads to increased insulin secretion. For individuals not equipped to metabolize high carbs, this results in insulin resistance, causing fat cells to store more fat and leading to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cancers, and dementias. He references Gary Taubes's work, highlighting evidence from early insulin treatments where patients gained significant weight, demonstrating insulin's role as a fat-storing hormone. He also notes that doctors in the 1920s observed increased arterial disease in insulin-treated diabetics, a fact later overshadowed by the cholesterol hypothesis.

Challenging conventional wisdom, Professor Noakes states that both wholemeal bread and apples are equally detrimental for individuals with elevated insulin levels. He explains that whether simple or complex, carbohydrates break down into glucose, stimulating insulin release. This perspective contradicts common dietary advice, where doctors often promote whole grains and fruits as healthy.

Noakes criticizes the medical profession for being compromised, particularly by the pharmaceutical industry, which dictates prescription practices and discourages challenging established norms. He recounts his personal experience, triggered by a dire run in 2010, that led him to discover the benefits of a low-carbohydrate diet through a book (The New Atkins for the New You), reversing his own diabetes and improving his running performance. This newfound understanding clashed with institutional teachings, leading to loss of funding and a four-year legal battle with the Health Professions Council, which he ultimately won, upholding doctors' right to speak publicly on health matters.

Professor Noakes introduces his upcoming 2026 study, co-authored with Jeff Volek among others, which investigated the impact of carbohydrate ingestion on exercise metabolism. Initial findings from 5km and mile time trials showed no difference in performance between high-fat and high-carbohydrate groups. Astonishingly, during 800-meter intervals, the high-fat group exhibited the highest rates of fat oxidation ever measured in humans, even at 86% of maximum effort, debunking the long-held belief that fat cannot be burned efficiently at high intensities. This study, published in the American Journal of Physiology, was awarded the best impact paper for 2025.

The study revealed two distinct glucose pools in the body: a large muscle glycogen pool and a small blood/liver glucose pool. Noakes explains that muscle glycogen's primary role is to act as a 'sink' for excess carbohydrate, protecting blood glucose levels, not as a primary fuel for exercise. The small blood glucose pool's function is to maintain stable blood glucose. Their research demonstrated that while muscle glycogen levels (large pool) did not affect performance, providing small amounts of glucose during exercise (to maintain the small pool) significantly improved performance by 20% in both carbohydrate-adapted and fat-adapted individuals, indicating the small glucose pool is critical for performance.

For inactive individuals, Professor Noakes emphatically states there is 'absolutely no right to take in carbohydrates,' as their muscles are already full of glycogen, leading to elevated insulin levels and fat storage. He emphasizes that fat adaptation, achieved by consistently low carbohydrate intake (under 50 grams for some), is essential to lower insulin levels and unlock the body's natural ability to burn fat. This transition can happen rapidly for elite athletes, shifting from carbohydrate to fat burning within five days.

Noakes highlights sugar addiction as a major barrier to health, comparing it to alcoholism, where moderation is ineffective. He shares a success story of a man who lost 80 kg (160 lbs) in 28 weeks by strictly adhering to a low-carb 'green list' of foods, eliminating cravings. His 'green list' focuses on meat, chicken, fish, dairy (including cheese), occasional nuts, and eggs, all of which do not stimulate glucose and insulin. For those struggling with weight loss on a high-fat, low-carb diet, he suggests increasing protein intake and reducing fat, and hints at the possibility of fasting, though noting it's not his primary strategy.

Professor Noakes vehemently refutes the diet-heart hypothesis, which links dietary fat, high cholesterol, and heart disease. He cites the Women's Health Initiative study, a $700 million trial that failed to show benefits of a low-fat diet in preventing heart disease and even revealed increased risk for those with pre-existing conditions. He argues that statins do not reduce coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores and may even increase them, with cardiologists often reinterpreting this as plaque stabilization rather than ineffective treatment. He strongly advises against routine cholesterol measurements, instead recommending CAC scores and non-invasive arterial imaging to assess actual arterial disease.

Quitting carbohydrates can rapidly reduce fat in the liver within a week or two. While this can reverse diabetes if intervention occurs early (within five to ten years of pre-diabetes), long-term diabetes (30-40 years) may lead to irreversible insulin resistance. He stresses that preventing fat accumulation in the liver and pancreas is crucial to avoid Type 2 diabetes. Noakes concludes by motivating listeners to consider the severe long-term consequences of diabetes, such as renal dialysis, brain damage, or heart failure, as a strong incentive to adopt a low-carb diet.