Pre-exercise chickpea milk consumption supports glycemic stability during endurance exercise in female runners.
Hiruncharoen P, Nokkaew N. · Physical activity and nutrition · 2026
Purpose: This study investigated the effects of pre-exercise chickpea milk consumption on glycemic stability and physiological responses during endurance exercise in trained female runners.
Methods: Fourteen eumenorrheic female half-marathon runners (25-35 years) completed a randomized, double-blind, counterbalanced crossover trial. Participants consumed 250 mL of chickpea milk or soy milk or a maltodextrin placebo 30 min before exercise, with each trial conducted during the follicular phase and separated by a washout period of at least one week. The exercise protocol consisted of treadmill running at 60% of maximal heart rate for 60 min, followed by running at 80% of maximal heart rate until volitional exhaustion. Blood glucose, blood lactate, free fatty acids, creatine kinase, respiratory exchange ratio, rating of perceived exertion, and time to exhaustion were assessed.
Results: Blood glucose concentrations differed significantly between the beverage conditions (p 0.05).
Conclusion: Pre-exercise chickpea milk consumption supported glycemic stability during prolonged endurance exercise in trained female runners, but did not improve exercise performance or other physiological outcomes. Larger, adequately powered studies are warranted to determine whether this metabolic response translates into meaningful improvements in endurance performance.