Dr. Andrew Koutnik Ocala Evening lecture

For more than a century, we’ve been told that carbohydrates are essential for performance and endurance, that athletes “hit the wall” because their muscles run out of glycogen, and that the fix is ever-bigger doses of carbohydrates. Yet when Olympic-level cyclists, weekend marathoners, or special-operations soldiers finally slow down, muscle ATP is still plentiful. What fails first is the brain. Conducting the largest synthesis of data on carbohydrates on exercise metabolism and physical performance shows that changes in circulating glucose — not empty muscles — may be the real governor of human performance.

In this talk, we will trace how preventing a dip of blood glucose can extend effort by hours; why high-CHO “sports drinks” often work mainly by rescuing the liver, not refilling muscles; and how athletes consuming very little carbohydrates can sustain max effort and prolonged exercise performance.

Whether you’re a coach, clinician, or curious weekend warrior, you’ll leave with practical insights on how protecting the brain, strategic nutrient dosing, and rewriting the rules on exercise nutrition can unlock metabolic health and performance.

Dr. Andrew P. Koutnik, Ph.D., is an award-winning research scientist whose work sits at the crossroads of nutrition, metabolism, and human performance. Convinced that optimizing physiology can simultaneously reverse chronic disease and elevate daily vitality, he translates rigorous science into actionable strategies for health and performance. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and/or international presentations, co-authored the first international clinical guidelines on therapeutic carbohydrate reduction for juvenile diabetes.

His scholarship has earned three USF Research Awards, a Presidential Fellowship, induction into the USF Academy of Inventors, and honors from the Physiologic Society, Health Equity Action Network, and Endocrine Society. Yet his perspective is equally shaped by lived experience. He overcame childhood obesity and successfully has managed type 1 diabetes for 17 years.

Central to Koutnik’s approach is leveraging metabolic flexibility to unlock peak performance. His research shows that targeted nutritional and lifestyle interventions enhance metabolism and performance across sport, military, and everyday life, while combating conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and chronic disease.

Committed to translating science to action, Koutnik partners with elite athletes, clinicians, and researchers, and co-hosts In-Range, a podcast he launched with NHL star and fellow type 1 diabetic Max Domi.

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