ReviewFrontiers in sports and active living2025
Metabolic effects of carbon-plated running shoes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Review in Frontiers in sports and active living, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Investigation of lower limb stress fractures in university long-distance runners: characteristics of pelvic and femoral stress fractures.International orthopaedics · 2026Article
- Carbon plates in running shoes biomechanics: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: 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. Objective: This study aimed to quantify the effect of carbon plates on metabolic demand during running. Methods: 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 Results: Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Pooled analyses showed statistically significant reductions favoring plated shoes for RE (MD -5.34 mL·kg Conclusions: 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. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024520736, PROSPERO CRD42024520736.
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Registered trials
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