FWIW. Saw a small article in a past issue of "SHAPE" to throw into the ring. Don't normally read the articles because I get side tracked looking at the pictures. Bye-bye protein bars, hello salmon? Eating foods high in healthy fats (like cold-water fish) may help athletes avoid stress fractures and tendonitis, found a study at the State University of New York, Buffalo. Runners who ate a lowfat diet were more than twice as likely to suffer a training-related injury. "Skimping on fat lowers your intake of omega-3 fatty acids and calories," says Kristen Gerlach, Ph.D., the study's lead author. "Both of these factors make it tougher for your body to repair tissue after workouts, so you're more susceptible to injury." Get 30 percent of your daily calories from healthy fats and you'll stay off the sidelines.

What is SHAPE?

A popular fitness magazine geared towards women.

I recall seeing something similar in Runner's World several months ago, but dont recall what kind of "study" it was.

Here is the study: Gerlach KE, Burton HW, Dorn JM, Leddy JJ, Horvath PJ. Fat intake and injury in female runners. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2008 Jan 3;5:1. Abstract Background Our purpose was to determine the relationship between energy intake, energy availability, dietary fat and lower extremity injury in adult female runners. We hypothesized that runners who develop overuse running-related injuries have lower energy intakes, lower energy availability and lower fat intake compared to non-injured runners. Methods Eighty-six female subjects, running a minimum of 20 miles/week, completed a food frequency questionnaire and informed us about injury incidence over the next year. Results Injured runners had significantly lower intakes of total fat (63 ± 20 vs. 80 ± 50 g/d) and percentage of kilocalories from fat (27 ± 5 vs. 30 ± 8 %) compared with non-injured runners. A logistic regression analysis found that fat intake was the best dietary predictor, correctly identifying 64% of future injuries. Lower energy intake and lower energy availability approached, but did not reach, a significant association with overuse injury in this study. Conclusion Fat intake is likely associated with injury risk in female runners. By documenting these associations, better strategies can be developed to reduce running injuries in women. --small sample, self-reported data, wide standard deviation...hard to draw generalizable conclusions from this single study.

Personally I think this study is completely valid. Totally. Genius. Of course more fat reduces injury, gotta lube the joints and tendons and all that jazz. I am totally in favor of all nutrition studies that tell me that I need to eat more of the foods I like to eat and less of the foods I dont. Seriously, I function better on a not terribly lowfat diet, but that is me and my particular dietary issues.

Seriously, I function better on a not terribly lowfat diet, but that is me and my particular dietary issues.

I don't think you are alone on this.

I'm devastated. I thought all I had to do was burn more calories than I consumed.

You are absolutely correct. However, some people (runners included) eat more than they burn.