Has anyone had any experience with both complex carb drinks/gels (i.e. Hammer using maltodextrin) and simple carb drinks/gels (i.e. Accellerade using fructose), to comment on the claimed benefits of complex? The main benefit I’ve read is that simple carbs are digested at ~?6% dilution ratio, where complex is something like 15%, so you can get more carbs in during an event. A secondary benefit is that you aren’t as likely to face the GI problems resulting in not enough dilution. There was something else about the glycemic index being lower, which does something or other to your insulin, which does something else… Okay, too much, any thoughts?
I am definitely not an expert, but I found this very helpful. It gives guidelines on how much hydration and calories you should take in per hour, which you were kind of referring to, with complex versus simple and dilution ratio. Your GI needs for regular meals and training are completely different. Any refined/processed food (ie BAD) has a high GI (100 is the max). Whole grains, beans, etc (not processed) typically has a low GI and is considered healthy. High GI hit your system quickly (spikes your insulin), which is why it good when you are working out. My impression is that all of the workout gels and drinks are on the High GI side. I believe that the supplements for workouts over 2 hours may have slightly lower GI and protein. This is supposed to provide a more even delivery of energy, which you would need for longer workouts/races. Hope that helps
Remember that Hammer is in the business of selling products, and while their guides are definitely helpful, they are also designed to promote Hammer products. Kind of like those “advertorials” in magazines. You’ll notice that Faris rides with one water bottle, and just picks up a regular bottle of Gatorade at the aid station. This is in sharp contrast to a lot of guys who hold fast to the carbo-pro/maltodextrin school of thought (which is what Hammer prescribes). For myself, I’ve always done well on regular Gatorade, Gatorade Endurance, Cytomax, and that stuff. A lot of the research on Google Scholar points to oxidation rates being identical for Fructose and Maltodextrin. Diesel (that’s his ST name) has a friend who is a nutritionist, who said (to paraphrase) “carbohydrate chain length is not really that important.”
Same thing that “research” on adding protein to sports drinks. The “research” was not done with calorically equivalent mixtures. So they took 8% CHO solution and 8% CHO + protein, and big surprise, the one with protein, which had about 25% more calories or so, gave better results.
Be wary of the hype. At the end of the day, you basically need carbs. And you need them to sit easily. For some people, that might be maltodextrin, for others it might be glucose, for others it might be something with a touch of protein. It is totally individual. There is no magic bullet. If you can digest it, that is what matters. On hot days, I really like to get an ice-cream bar halfway through my long rides. Or sometimes a cookie. Variety also goes a long way towards making big mileage tolerable…
I wasn’t pushing Hammer stuff I like the guide because it provide targets for the amount of calories and hydration to take it. I’m an engineer, I like numbers. It also does a good job of explaining why one shouldn’t make any sports drink overconcentrated etc. I use a Gatorade (because most courses have it), Cytomax and some Hammer stuff. My favorite new calorie source is the Clifshot blocks, they are awesome and easy on the stomach. I’m not sure if the fuzzy stuff from my gloves that sticks to them adds any nutritional value!
Oh, I didn’t mean to imply that YOU were pushing Hammer stuff, just that their guides can be a bit product-intensive. Like their Xobaline stuff, explain to me why I need 20,000% of my daily allotment of Vitamin B (which is water soluble)?! But the guides are a great resource considering they are free and that if you replace phrases like “Sustained Energy” with “carbohydrate drink,” you actually have something really useful.
Hammer products are excellent, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think you need as many (especially the eCaps) as the guides say, and the whole complex vs. simple (Hammer definitely buys into complex) is not as clear cut as it might seem.
Be wary of the hype. At the end of the day, you basically need carbs.
You’ve just gotten to the crux of my question that I didn’t word very well. Has anyone had experience to show that the ‘must use maltodextrin fuel’ info is more hype than good info? I’ve had a couple tests in my ongoing experiment, but haven’t noticed any differences.
I read the same book, and also that it was useful. Yes, part advertorial, but also very informative for someone like me who is trying to learn the role of nutrition.
goto google scholar and search for maltodextrin
Wow, learn something new every day. That is about the coolest way to search for research.
