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Fat For Runners: Why Healthy Fats Matter For Running
Fat often receives less attention than carbohydrates and protein in running nutrition. Carbohydrates are closely associated with fuelling exercise, while protein is important for recovery and maintaining muscle. Fat, however, also plays an essential role in a runner's diet.
Dietary fat provides energy, supplies essential fatty acids and helps the body absorb the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. It is also involved in normal cell function and hormone production, making adequate fat intake important for health as well as running.
Your body also stores a large amount of energy as fat and uses some of this during exercise. The contribution from fat varies according to factors including running intensity, duration, training status and carbohydrate availability.
Understanding these different roles can help runners include appropriate amounts of fat without trying to avoid it or assuming that eating more fat will automatically make the body better at using fat for fuel.
Why Do Runners Need Fat?
Fat is one of the three main macronutrients, alongside carbohydrate and protein. Each gram of fat provides around nine calories of energy, compared with around four calories per gram from carbohydrate or protein.
This makes foods containing fat particularly useful for runners with high energy requirements. Nuts, seeds, nut butters, avocado and oils, for example, can increase the energy content of meals and snacks without adding a large volume of food.
Fat also supplies essential fatty acids that the body cannot make in sufficient amounts. These include omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, which therefore need to be obtained through the diet.
Another important function is helping the body absorb vitamins A, D, E and K. These are fat soluble vitamins, meaning the presence of dietary fat helps the body absorb and use them. Vitamin D is particularly relevant to runners because of its role in normal bone and muscle function.
Does Your Body Burn Fat When You Run?
Your body uses a combination of carbohydrate and fat to provide energy during running. The contribution from each changes according to the demands of exercise rather than the body simply switching from one fuel source to another.
At lower exercise intensities, fat generally provides a greater proportion of the energy required. As running intensity increases, carbohydrate becomes increasingly important because it can supply energy more rapidly.
Fat can also make an important contribution during prolonged exercise, particularly when the intensity remains relatively low or moderate. Regular endurance training produces adaptations that can improve the body's ability to use fat during exercise.
This does not mean eating a high fat diet will necessarily improve endurance performance. Carbohydrate remains particularly important for supporting moderate and high intensity running, maintaining training quality and replenishing glycogen stores between demanding sessions.
How Much Fat Do Runners Need?
There is no single amount of fat that is right for every runner. Requirements depend on overall energy needs, training volume, food preferences and the composition of the rest of the diet.
Sports nutrition guidance generally recommends that athletes obtain a moderate proportion of their total energy from fat rather than following an unusually low or high fat diet. As a broad guide, fat commonly accounts for around 20 to 35% of total daily energy intake, although recommendations differ between organisations and countries.
Most runners do not need to calculate their fat intake every day. Eating a varied diet containing sources of unsaturated fat while consuming enough carbohydrate and protein will be a more practical approach for most people.
Runners with high training loads should be particularly cautious about unnecessarily restricting fat. Removing energy dense foods can make it more difficult to consume enough total energy to support training, recovery and normal body functions.
What Are The Different Types Of Fat?
Dietary fats are commonly divided into unsaturated, saturated and trans fats. Most foods contain a mixture of different fats rather than exclusively one type.
Unsaturated fats include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Olive oil, avocados and many nuts are rich in monounsaturated fats, while seeds, walnuts, oily fish and some vegetable oils provide polyunsaturated fats.
Saturated fat is found in foods including butter, fatty meats, some dairy products, coconut oil and many processed foods. It does not need to be eliminated completely, but health guidance generally recommends replacing some saturated fat with unsaturated alternatives.
Industrially produced trans fats should be kept as low as possible because of their effect on cardiovascular health. Their presence in the food supply varies considerably around the world as a result of differences in regulations and manufacturing practices.
Why Are Omega 3 Fats Important For Runners?
Omega 3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat. The main forms commonly discussed in nutrition are ALA, EPA and DHA.
ALA is found in plant foods including flaxseed, chia seeds and walnuts. EPA and DHA are found particularly in oily fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel and trout, while algae provides a non fish source.
Omega 3 fats contribute to normal cardiovascular and cell function. They have also attracted interest in sports nutrition because researchers have investigated whether they may influence inflammation, muscle function and recovery following exercise.
This does not mean consuming large amounts of omega 3 will produce faster recovery or better running performance. Research into some of these potential sporting benefits is still developing, while adequate energy intake, carbohydrate, protein, hydration, sleep and appropriate training remain the foundations of recovery.
What Are The Best Sources Of Healthy Fat For Runners?
Runners do not need specialist sports foods to obtain healthy fats. Plenty of everyday foods provide unsaturated fats and can easily be included in meals and snacks.
Nuts, seeds and nut butters can be added to porridge, cereal and yoghurt or eaten with toast and fruit. Olive oil, olives and avocado provide predominantly unsaturated fats and can be incorporated into a wide range of meals.
Oily fish provides protein as well as the omega 3 fats EPA and DHA. Runners who do not eat fish can obtain ALA from foods such as walnuts, chia seeds and ground flaxseed, while algae based products can provide DHA and EPA.
Runners following a plant based diet can still obtain appropriate dietary fats from nuts, seeds, avocado, vegetable oils and other plant foods. Those who include fish have additional options through oily fish and other seafood.
The aim is not to identify one ideal source of fat. Including a variety of foods makes it easier to obtain essential fatty acids alongside the other nutrients those foods provide.
Should You Eat Fat Before Running?
Fat is digested more slowly than carbohydrate, so a large high fat meal shortly before running may leave some people feeling heavy or uncomfortable. It can also slow gastric emptying, potentially increasing the likelihood of gastrointestinal problems during exercise.
That does not mean every pre run meal needs to be low in fat. If you are eating several hours before running, a normal meal containing some fat may be perfectly comfortable.
As you get closer to a long run, race or demanding training session, easily digested carbohydrate generally becomes the priority. Limiting large amounts of fat and fibre close to the start can make food easier to tolerate while ensuring carbohydrate remains the main focus.
Individual tolerance varies considerably, so use training to find out which foods and timings work for you rather than experimenting with an unfamiliar meal on race day.
Do You Need Fat During A Run?
Although your body may use substantial amounts of stored fat during prolonged running, this does not mean you need to replace that fat by eating it while you run.
The body stores far more energy as fat than it does as carbohydrate. During most endurance running, the nutritional priority is therefore supplying carbohydrate rather than attempting to replace the fat being used for energy.
This is why conventional running fuels such as energy gels, chews and sports drinks contain mainly carbohydrate and little or no fat. Fat is also digested relatively slowly, making high fat foods less useful when rapid carbohydrate delivery and gastrointestinal comfort are priorities.
Very long endurance and ultra events can be different because runners may need to eat for many hours and often consume a wider variety of foods. Some of those foods may contain fat, but this is a different nutritional situation from most training runs, half marathons and marathons.
What About Fat After Running?
There is usually no need to deliberately avoid fat after running. Following a demanding session, carbohydrate is important for replenishing glycogen while protein supports muscle repair and adaptation.
A normal recovery meal can therefore contain fat alongside carbohydrate and protein. Rice with vegetables and salmon, yoghurt with fruit and nuts, or eggs with toast and avocado are examples of meals containing several nutrients rather than focusing on one macronutrient.
If another demanding training session is approaching quickly, carbohydrate intake becomes particularly important because glycogen needs to be restored. For most recreational runners, however, there is no reason to make every post run meal very low in fat.
Can A Low Fat Diet Be A Problem For Runners?
Very low fat diets can make it more difficult to consume sufficient energy and essential fatty acids. They may also reduce dietary variety and make it harder to obtain and absorb adequate amounts of some nutrients.
This can become particularly relevant as training volume increases. Running raises daily energy expenditure, and consistently consuming too little energy to support exercise and normal physiological functions can eventually affect health, recovery and performance.
Rather than trying to minimise fat intake, runners should consider whether their overall diet provides enough energy and nutrients for their level of activity. Fat can make a useful contribution to meeting those requirements, particularly when training volumes are high.
Does Eating Fat Make You Gain Weight?
Eating fat does not automatically cause an increase in body fat. Changes in body weight are influenced by overall energy intake and expenditure over time rather than by one individual macronutrient.
Fat is more energy dense than carbohydrate or protein, so relatively small portions can provide substantial amounts of energy. This can be useful for runners who struggle to eat enough during periods of heavy training, while portion sizes may become more relevant when someone is intentionally reducing energy intake.
Runners trying to lose weight should be cautious about aggressive dietary restriction, particularly during periods of demanding training. Reducing energy intake too far can compromise fuelling and recovery and, when sustained, may have wider consequences for health.
Do Runners Need Fat Supplements?
Most runners can obtain the fats they need from food and do not require a general fat supplement.
Omega 3 supplements are sometimes considered by people who consume little or no oily fish. Fish oil and algae based products can provide EPA and DHA, although both the amount and composition vary between supplements.
Supplements should not be viewed as a replacement for a varied diet. Anyone considering supplementation because of a medical condition, medication, pregnancy or a suspected nutritional deficiency should seek appropriate professional advice.
Competitive athletes should also take particular care when choosing supplements because contaminated products can contain substances prohibited in sport. Choosing products that have been independently batch tested can reduce, although not completely eliminate, this risk.
Fat, Carbohydrate And Protein Work Together
Carbohydrate, protein and fat should not be viewed as competing parts of a runner's diet. Each performs different functions, and all three have a place in supporting training and general health.
Carbohydrate is particularly important for fuelling moderate and high intensity exercise and replenishing glycogen. Protein supports muscle repair and adaptation, while fat provides energy, essential fatty acids and helps with the absorption of fat soluble vitamins.
The balance can change according to training demands. A runner may increase carbohydrate intake before a marathon, for example, without needing to dramatically reduce fat throughout the rest of their training. Looking at the overall pattern of eating is generally more useful than trying to optimise one nutrient in isolation.
Final Thoughts
Fat is an important part of nutrition for runners. It provides a concentrated source of energy, supplies essential fatty acids and helps the body absorb several important vitamins.
Your body also uses stored fat as fuel during running, particularly during lower intensity and prolonged exercise. This should not be confused with needing to eat more fat to fuel a run, as carbohydrate becomes increasingly important as exercise intensity rises.
Including a variety of unsaturated fat sources alongside sufficient carbohydrate, protein and overall energy provides a practical approach to supporting training, recovery and long term health.
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