Low carbohydrate diets and performance

Athletes are continually searching for means to optimize their performance. Within the past 20 years, athletes and scientists have reported and/or observed that consuming a carbohydrate restricted diet may improve performance. The original theories explaining the purported benefits centered on the fact that fat oxidation increases, thereby "sparing" muscle glycogen. More recent concepts that explain the plausibility of the ergogenicity of low carbohydrate, or high fat, diets on exercise performance pertain to an effect similar to altitude training. We and others have observed that, while fat oxidation may be increased, the ability to maintain high intensity exercise (e.g., above the lactate threshold) seems to be compromised or at least indifferent compared to when more carbohydrate was consumed. That said, clinical studies clearly demonstrate that ad-libitum low carbohydrate diets elicit greater decreases in body weight and fat than energy equivalent low fat diets, especially over a short duration. Thus, while low carbohydrate and high fat diets appear detrimental or indifferent relative to performance, they may be a faster means to achieve a more competitive body composition

Evaluating the Pedagogical Effectiveness of Study Preregistration in the Undergraduate Dissertation

Research shows that questionable research practices (QRPs) are present in undergraduate finalyear dissertation projects. One entry-level Open Science practice proposed to mitigate QRPs is ‘study preregistration’, through which researchers outline their research questions, design, method and analysis plans prior to data collection and/or analysis. In this study, we aimed to empirically test the effectiveness of preregistration as a pedagogic tool in undergraduate dissertations using a quasi-experimental design. A total of 89 UK psychology students were recruited, including students who preregistered their empirical quantitative dissertation (n = 52; experimental group) and those who did not (n = 37; control group). Attitudes towards statistics, acceptance of QRPs, and perceived understanding of Open Science were measured both pre- and post-dissertation. Exploratory measures included capability, opportunity and motivation (COM-B) to engage with preregistration, measured at Time 1 only. This study was conducted as a Registered Report; Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/9hjbw (date of in-principle acceptance: 21/09/2021). Contrary to hypotheses, study preregistration did not significantly impact attitudes towards statistics or acceptance of QRPs. However, students who preregistered reported greater perceived understanding of Open Science concepts from Time 1 to Time 2, compared with students who did not preregister. Exploratory analyses indicated that students who preregistered reported significantly greater capability, opportunity, and motivation to preregister. Qualitative responses revealed that preregistration was perceived to improve clarity and organisation of the dissertation, prevent QRPs, and promote rigour. Disadvantages and barriers included time, perceived rigidity, and need for training. These results contribute to timely discussions surrounding the utility of embedding Open Science principles into research training