gmd wrote:
Quick primer on "sugar": Sucrose (table sugar) = glucose + fructose
Maltodextrin = a long chain (between 3 and 17) of glucose molcules
Dextrose = glucose
So the main benefit of maltodextrin is that you can add calories to a drink without it becoming overly sweet, compared to if you were to add table sugar or dextrose.
That is one of the minor benefits to malto.
Hammer gives a very good and easy to understand summary of how short chain (simple sugars) & longer chain (maltodextrin) work once it is ingested. Yes, Hammer is selling you a product, but the basic information that is contained in this article can be easily verified. http://www.hammernutrition.com/hnt/1275/
I'm not trying to pick a fight or insult anyone, but it is obvious by some of the statements made in this thread, that a lot of folks don't understand or care what happens when "energy drinks" go down their pie hole. If you are interested, investigate beyond the article. If not, you can choose to just keep throwing simple sugars into your body, then complain that you didn't have your nutrition "nailed down" for the IM that you spent 8 months training for. Your choice, not mine.