@biolayne: Carbs don’t build muscle… Follow @biolayne for more no BS info A new systematic review and meta-analysis on carbohydrate intake and hypertrophy found that when protein is matched, higher carb intake does NOT lead to more muscle growth (PMID: 41712097). Across studies using DEXA, MRI, and ultrasound, the result was the same:No meaningful advantage of higher carbs for building muscle. Now that said, they did measure muscle mass in very different ways. Ultrasound for example is a much more direct measure of muscle thickness than DEXA which only measures all non-fat tissues but not muscle directly. I will say that while the overall effect was not significant, the studies pointed in the direction of no effect or a positive effect on muscle mass. So carbs certainly do not hurt muscle growth and if you find you can train harder on a higher carb intake, then they may indirectly be better for hypertrophy. So what actually matters nutritionally for direct muscle growth? Total protein intake Total calories Those are your big levers for hypertrophy. Carbs can absolutely help performance. They can help you train harder, recover better, and feel better in the gym. But directly building muscle? The evidence just isn’t there (at least when protein and calories are controlled). Same goes for fats. There’s no good evidence they directly increase muscle mass either. In fact, studies on hypertrophy for low carb diets tend to show a neutral or negative effect on muscle hypertrophy with the overall effect being not significant. So whether you prefer low-carb, high-carb, or somewhere in between… Pick the approach you can stick to. Because adherence > macros wars. End of story. If you’re not sure how to set your macros to actually support your training, check out my app Carbon Diet Coach. It takes the guesswork out and adjusts your calories and macros based on your goals, metabolism, and progress. It’s basically like having me in your pocket at a fraction of the price. Link in bio

Layne Norton, PhD

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Wednesday 15 April 2026 15:50:29 GMT