I don't know, but the same thing happens to me. Just can't use it.

Answer: The Gatorade Endurance.

...Instead: Use Infinit, if going long, use a gel flask with powder & put carry extra powder & add water. If in an Ironman race, reload in your special needs bags.

Sugar

It's the total osmolality(osmolarity?) of the solution that's causing your issues. Gatorade/Gatorade Endurance is a very high concentration solution (everything in total- sugar, sodium, other electrolytes, etc.) that requires your body to either move water into the gut to dilute it or to try to get it out of the system as quickly as possible (vomit, diarrhea). A lower concentration solution such as Nuun, Skratch, Tailwind, etc., exist in a narrow spectrum (3-6% solution) that is almost entirely passively absorbed without the body needing to make any adusjtments for absorption. For some individuals, yeah, a single ingredient such as maltodextrin can be the culprit regardless of the concentration of the solution, but usually it isn't that

I can't use it either.

I can use powdered Gatorade mixed normal or strong with no issues at all. If I drink Gatorade Endurance during a race I'll feel bloated and sick to my stomach.

Fructose.

Not uncommon for folks to have GI distress due to fructose in spite of many companies combining it with dextrose and maltodextrin to increase exogenous CHO absorption rates.

By adding the maltodextrin you are effectively diluting the ratio of fructose vs. maltodextrin (as this is already present in the ingredients) making the CHO "cocktail" more tolerable for your gut.

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David T-D
http://www.tilburydavis.com

I think fructose nails it. Looking at the ingredients list, Endurance Gatorade has fructose while regular Gatorade doesn’t. Thanks!

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Zen and the Art of Triathlon. Strava Workout Log
Interviews with Chris McCormack, Helle Frederikson, Angela Naeth, and many more.
http://www.zentriathlon.com

Thanks for posting this. I usually mix maltodextrin with Powerade and don't have issues. Gatorade Endurance always tastes weird to me. It created a major GI issue at my last IM and will never use it again.

I switched to Nuun a few years ago and it has worked for me, no issues at all. I had similar problems the few times I tried Gatorade Endurance where it did not sit well, and switched away from Gatorade altogether given the sugars in it. Also, its easy to carry the Nuun containers in a bike jersey pocket.

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"You can never win or lose if you don't run the race." - Richard Butler

I was going to suggest the same thing as David TD.

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Brandon Marsh - Website | @BrandonMarshTX | RokaSports | 1stEndurance | ATC Bikeshop |

No problem! This fructose issue explains a lot of why I have some hit or miss races and training days. I was beginning to suspect it, but was actually mistaken thinking Endurance didn't have fructose and Regular did have it. I assumed that since it's a known problem, they wouldn't put that crap in the higher end product.

My issue wasn't related to the osmolality of the electrolytes. When I would use Endurance to test it against Regular, I was using only half as much to keep the electrolyte amounts equal since Endurance has about double.

My biggest symptom would be incredibly sharp gut pain after stopping a workout or race and drinking plain water. Like something had been indigestible and stuck and angry, and now with that things had relaxed, it could start unleashing furious revenge on my guts. That would then be followed by constant gas for the rest of the day, probably from the poor digestion of the fructose that was finally getting processed. I've had drives home from races where I'm in the passenger seat in pretty significant gut pain for quite a while my wife drives because I can't sit up straight.

The reason most sports drinks have a mixture of sugars is that having more than 1 type of sugar has been shown to increase absorption/utilization/whatever you want to call it vs a single source like malto.

Gatorade may have a difference mix because of cost, but for most of the more botique or specialty brands it's because of the above. I also read, maybe the Gatorade Endurance is different, that once upon a time Gatorade simply broke down their HFCS into 2 different sweeteners in the ingredient list so it didn't say HFCS.

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Brandon Marsh - Website | @BrandonMarshTX | RokaSports | 1stEndurance | ATC Bikeshop |

Regular gatorade absolutely has fructose in the form of sucrose which is a 1:1 ratio of glucose:fructose. The body can process ~25-35g of fructose(and ~60g of glucose/maltodextrin) an hour without GI issues so calculate how much you are consuming in that time period and test to see if you can stomach that. People can vary slightly so figure out your number and dilute accordingly

Not entirely true. People with fructose malabsorbtion can absorb sucrose (regular gatorade) just fine. It's when there's additional fructose added (like in gatorade endurance) then they have a problem.

https://www.livestrong.com/...ctose-malabsorption/


"Fructose is absorbed well in the presence of an equal amount of glucose (which is sucrose, like you said). Only foods that contain more fructose than glucose cause symptoms if you have fructose malabsorption. Avoid foods with excess fructose"

Gatorade Endurance specifically has extra fructose added. Says so on the label.

It is not the Gatorade at all.

It is the butter you put into your coffee!

I am only half joking. Your body is a lab for your podcast. Which is cool. I like hearing first hand about the things you try. But how sure are you is gatorade that is causing the problems. Shoot man, weren't you carb-free just a few weeks ago?

There is not more fructose in endurance, the first two ingredients are sugar(sucrose) and maltodextrin(glucose). Nutrition labels are listed in order of quantity

Naw, it's not like that. You probably heard a short carb-fast to improve metabolism. Not related to a specific sugar like fructose. I've noticed fructose problems my whole life - never liked it and it gives me stomach aches in high doses. Makes sense that gatorade endurance would give me problems since they add extra.

I have a chemical engineering PhD with a background in biochemistry/immunology and currently study type 1 diabetes, please explain to me in detail how the metabolism of glucose, fructose, and maltodextrin work

Incorrect. I'm looking at the containers for the powdered gatorades in my hands right now in my own pantry. Regular gatorade has no added fructose. Gatorade endurance does.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/...NEixU4L._SL1500_.jpg


"Sugar, maltodextrin, FRUCTOSE,..."


Third ingredient.

EXACTLY. its the third ingredient, sugar is 50:50 glucose:fructose, maltodextrin is 100 % glucose, and fructose is 100% fructose, so if you sum them up in the order based on their quantity then there is more glucose than fructose

I have a bachelors and masters science degrees and my wife HAS type 1 diabetes for the past 20 years. Come over to our house and I can show you how sugars work right up your butt. lol.

If you've got issues with fructose malabsorbtion, take it up with the scientists publishing about it. I'm not your problem. Good luck!

Sounds like someone is mad they can't do simple math, or doesn't understand how nutrition labels work.

Free fructose hits the stomach faster than fructose bound to glucose in sucrose and maltodextrin has to break down first to turn to glucose, so it's not exactly the same, especially to somebody that's sensitive to it.

If it was the same, they wouldn't be adding it as a free-agent extra ingredient to take advantage of it.

I gotta run. PM me if you want to talk more.

Fructose isn't absorbed in the stomach, its absorbed in the small intestine, after both sucrose and maltodextrin are broken down into monosacharides as uptake is limited by the glut and sglt transporters, just look at the GI index. The reason why gatorade and other sports nutrition companies use additional fructose is to balance out the ratio with glucose often in the form of maltodextrin to take advantage of the efficient 2:1 ratio of glucose:fructose to maximize parallel absorption pathways