Refeed Protocols: What the Research Supports (and What It Doesn't)
Carbohydrate loading for performance has strong evidence. Refeeds as a treatment for RED-S do not. Here's what the research actually supports, and what remains experimental.
Carbohydrate loading for performance has strong evidence. Refeeds as a treatment for RED-S do not. Here's what the research actually supports, and what remains experimental.
The physiological signatures of low energy availability show up in HRV, resting heart rate, sleep, body mass, and menstrual function. Each signal is real and each has significant limits.
Energy availability looks like a simple subtraction, but each input (intake, exercise expenditure, fat-free mass) has 10–30 percent measurement error. Here's what that means.
Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) explained in plain language — the body systems it affects, who is at risk, what diagnosis actually involves, and why wearables cannot detect it.
Energy availability, RED-S risk factors, biomarker signatures of underfueling, and the confounders that mimic them — plus where data stops and clinical assessment begins.