They give us energy to train

That won’t just impact your work, but also your training. “A lot of people assume that to be healthy they should move more and eat less, but we know that training without sufficient carbs actually impacts your performance in your workout,” Pigott says. “Glucose is stored in the muscles as glycogen, and that is what your body uses to power your muscles. Keeping your glycogen topped up is just like ensuring your have a full tank of fuel, and is proven to improve your training and reduce the risk of injury.”

Carbs aid recovery

It’s also essential to help post-workout muscle recovery. “There’s a very heavy focus on protein after exercise, and while that’s really important for refuelling and repairing the muscle damage that we’ve done during exercise, people forget the role of carbohydrates as well,” says Pigott.

In a 2021 study by the Australian Institute of Sport, researchers found that while people adapted to using fat as a fuel source after only a few days on a low-carb diet, it made exercise less effective. Participants needed a higher oxygen uptake for the same amount of work and all saw a reduction in their race performance.

They’re key to hormonal health

Finally, carbs also play a huge role in hormonal balance. A lack of carbs has been associated with conditions such as relative energy deficiency, with key symptoms of the condition including period and weight loss.

Why carbohydrates are good for your brain, heart and muscle health (while keto is linked to heart disease)