Metabolic effects of carbon-plated running shoes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

TL;DR

Carbon-plated running shoes reduce metabolic demand during running by about 2% to 3%, according to a review of 14 studies.

Contribution

This study provides the first meta-analysis quantifying the metabolic benefits of carbon plates in running shoes.

Findings

Carbon-plated shoes reduced running economy by 5.34 mL·kg−1·km−1 compared to non-plated shoes.

Metabolic demand was lowered by approximately 2.75% on average with carbon-plated footwear.

Evidence certainty was moderate for most outcomes but low for energetic cost of transport.

Abstract

Advanced footwear technology (AFT) commonly combines compliant, resilient foams with a full-length carbon fiber plate that increases longitudinal bending stiffness (LBS). Whether the plate itself yields metabolic benefits remains debated.

This study aimed to quantify the effect of carbon plates on metabolic demand during running.

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of crossover trials comparing plated vs. non-plated running shoes in healthy adults. Databases (MEDLINE, Scopus, LILACS, Embase) were searched in September 2025. Outcomes were running economy (RE) (mL·kg−1·km−1), metabolic cost (W·kg−1), oxygen consumption (mL·kg−1·min−1), and energetic cost of transport (ECOT) (J·kg−1·m−1). Random-effects models were used to estimate mean differences (MD).

Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Pooled analyses showed statistically significant reductions favoring plated shoes for RE (MD −5.34 mL·kg−1·km−1; 95% CI: −8.48 to −2.20), metabolic cost (MD −0.38 W·kg−1; 95% CI: −0.59 to −0.16), oxygen consumption (MD −1.23 mL·kg−1·min−1; 95% CI: −1.82 to −0.63), and ECOT (standardized mean differences −0.37 J·kg−1·m−1; 95% CI: −0.71 to −0.03). Expressed as percentage change, plated footwear lowered metabolic demand by ∼2%–3% across outcomes (mean −2.75%; range −0.99% to −4.47%). Certainty of evidence was moderate for RE, metabolic cost, and oxygen consumption and low for ECOT (downgraded for indirectness and, for ECOT, imprecision).

In adults, carbon-plated footwear reduces metabolic demand during submaximal running by ≈2%–3%. While concurrent AFT features likely contribute, the pooled evidence supports an association between carbon-plated footwear and reduced metabolic demand, although causality cannot be attributed to the plate alone. Future trials that orthogonally manipulate plate presence and foam properties, while matching mass, stack, and outsole, are needed to isolate plate-specific effects and define plate design parameters that optimize energy transfer across runner body mass.

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024520736, PROSPERO CRD42024520736.

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