Sounds pretty definitive. No benefit other than maybe placebo effect for some (which can be real).
Sounds pretty definitive. No benefit other than maybe placebo effect for some (which can be real).
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32575069/
There is also no benefit to Maurten over standard gels (other than placebo). That is not stopping people from paying double (or whatever premium they charge).
The science of hydrogels in endurance sports with Andy King, PhD | EP#333 (scientifictriathlon.com)
So non-scientific conclusion (sample is too small): if you put enough dollars in marketing, social media and pro sponsorships people will buy your product.
Wikipedia has a whole page devoted to such things…
A fool and his money are soon parted
.
but maurten gels taste so much better than other gels! except the caff, which is weirdly bitter, anyway. still, the cost is absurd, no way to train with them at that $px!
I switched to Maurten not because of any scientific reason that it’s a better product. I made the change because I don’t need water with it (although I prefer to chase it with water), it doesn’t taste as sweet, and it has more calories per gel pack than other gels I’ve tried.
But it is crazy expensive. I only use it for long training sessions, and then on race day courtesy of IM aid stations.
They tried years ago to change the sales pitch from performance gains to reduced muscle soreness and improved recovery. But the finding that little-to-no sodium bicarbonate actually makes it into the bloodstream is problematic given that was supposed to be the active ingredient.
I don’t know if Lance Armstrong is still a major investor in AMP, but I found it deeply ironic that he made money using stuff that does work, and tried to keep it a secret. And then made money selling stuff that doesn’t work, and pitched it continuously on his podcasts and social media.
Sounds pretty definitive. No benefit other than maybe placebo effect for some (which can be real).
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32575069/
There is also no benefit to Maurten over standard gels (other than placebo). That is not stopping people from paying double (or whatever premium they charge).
The science of hydrogels in endurance sports with Andy King, PhD | EP#333 (scientifictriathlon.com)
So non-scientific conclusion (sample is too small): if you put enough dollars in marketing, social media and pro sponsorships people will buy your product.
Not to be too picky, but the conclusions on hydrogels were not nearly as cut and dried as you’re making it seem. More nuance, some potential benefits, more study needed.
Nothing to make me switch from homemade sugar water sports drink, but potentially some benefits for some folks in some situations.
I took the bait with this stuff and it did f-all. This Cam Wurf video was the reason I tried it out. A real Taren-style snakeoil sales job. Lesson learned!
The science on transdermal absorption is spotty at best. Literally billions of people have observed that epsom salt baths relieve swelling and soreness, but it’s nearly impossible to measure concentration of ions in live tissue so there’s no scientific evidence.
I thought Maurtens were popular because of the specific mix of the complexity of the sugars not just the “hydrogel†consistency?
I know it gives me a lot more sustained energy than a Gu or something that seems like it’s just sucrose.
Never tried PR Cream, probably never will, so I bow out on that one.
Sounds pretty definitive. No benefit other than maybe placebo effect for some (which can be real).
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32575069/
There is also no benefit to Maurten over standard gels (other than placebo). That is not stopping people from paying double (or whatever premium they charge).
The science of hydrogels in endurance sports with Andy King, PhD | EP#333 (scientifictriathlon.com)
So non-scientific conclusion (sample is too small): if you put enough dollars in marketing, social media and pro sponsorships people will buy your product.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34334720/
I see your study and I raise you another study that does suggest a benefit. 7.6% benefit over placebo (no CHO ingestion, and 2% better for hydrogels over regular CHO delivery method). 2% for elites would be huge; for the rest of us, perhaps not, but it’s certainly a valid choice to make. Again, this study is also small but points in the other direction that hydrogels could work.
Marketing certainly does play a role in all science reporting, in particular the Andy King post you refer to that is sponsored by a sports nutrition company that just happens to NOT offer a hydrogel product, posted on social media, and also sponsors pro athletes, so I’m not sure how any of that helps the conclusion you have drawn from it.
As stated, the scientific question about hydrogels is yet to be resolved, and there are plenty of valid reasons for someone to prefer one food product over another and even more so with gels eaten when the body is under stress where individual taste preferences alone could be the difference between eating the gel and not eating it.
Don’t let the podcast sponsors fool you - the interview is mostly dry, boring science about the various studies. The host generally does a very good job having these nuanced conversations. Worth a listen on a Z2 run (but it would be a vibe kill on an intensity day!)
just wondering if there are large enough differences between lacti-go and amp pr such that lacti go maybe has some benefits? just like Lance A. i think lacti go has some famous folk testimonials…
Sounds pretty definitive. No benefit other than maybe placebo effect for some (which can be real).
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32575069/
There is also no benefit to Maurten over standard gels (other than placebo). That is not stopping people from paying double (or whatever premium they charge).
The science of hydrogels in endurance sports with Andy King, PhD | EP#333 (scientifictriathlon.com)
So non-scientific conclusion (sample is too small): if you put enough dollars in marketing, social media and pro sponsorships people will buy your product.
Not to be too picky, but the conclusions on hydrogels were not nearly as cut and dried as you’re making it seem. More nuance, some potential benefits, more study needed.
Nothing to make me switch from homemade sugar water sports drink, but potentially some benefits for some folks in some situations.
Perhaps I was too harsh, but I did not say its snake oil, just that its like any other brand.
If you go to any sports-drink website, you will find anecdotal evidence from praising customers who swear by it, and it changed their life.
The meta research is saying the same about Maurten - some people may have better results than others, but it is not statistically significant. You can say this about any sports drink, yet they market it as the best thing since sliced bread (and price accordingly). That is the thing that irks me.
And I’m with you with homemade drink. Its super simple (there are plenty of threads about it here) and massively cheaper than any brand which basically gets you the same thing.
Yeah, my takeaway was that really fast folks with much larger energy needs than me might get a little quicker/ lower Gi cost absorption, but that Dr. Alex Harrison mix is plenty for a mediocrity like myself.
Wikipedia has a whole page devoted to such things…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_oil
I never understood how snake oil was made?
Are the snakes pressed, like olive oil? Is it an infusion of snakes in a neutral medium, like truffle oil? Is the oil extruded from snake fat, like whale oil?
Wikipedia has a whole page devoted to such things…
Snake Oil is processed in exactly the same way the Baby Oil and Mink Oil … I do feel bad for the poor minks.