Carb Loading: The Science Behind Pasta Parties

By Matthew Rinaldi, 2028

Published 9/24/2025

If you play a sport, chances are you have attended a pasta dinner before a game or meet– but why? Although the Italian dish is very tasty, it isn’t a coincidence that this high-carb meal is a popular pre-sporting event meal. Carbohydrates, found in pasta, as well as other foods like bread, rice, and potatoes, helps give us quick energy, which makes it perfect for events where performance matters. Pasta parties and the practice of carb loading have strong scientific roots that are the key to powering up your athletic performance. 

To put it simply, when carbs are consumed, they are broken down into glucose, which is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen. When doing physical activity, such as running long distances or other endurance sports, your body uses glycogen as a primary source of energy. Thus, consuming a lot of carbohydrates before a sporting event can help ensure that you have enough energy throughout your event and don’t burn out throughout a game.

Although many other foods have high carbohydrate contents, pasta is commonly chosen as a staple pre-game meal, because it is a complex carb. Complex carbs take longer to digest, but also contain more carbs. Pasta dinners are held the night before events to ensure that they are properly digested and processed by the body before being relied on during your event. In contrast, simple carbs, like bananas and oranges, are eaten closer to your game or event, because they can be digested faster and are less fibrous. 

Carb-loading pasta parties also serve as an opportunity for teams to bond and rally up excitement for their event the following day, while also consuming foods that will help them with their performance. So, next time you have a team pasta dinner, don’t question why you are there. Although stuffing your face with tons of food right before a meet or game may seem undesirable, with proper digestion, you will be fueled properly to last your whole game without running out of gas. At the very least, take time at your pasta party to talk to teammates you’ve never interacted with before and help tighten your team bond. After all, a bonded team often performs better than a divided one. If you have an upcoming sports event, start boiling some water: it’s time to make some pasta!