palookabutt

Can you be more specific and point me to some corresponding research (regarding the "crash" effect)?

BloomBikeShop

Maltodextrin powder makes a great complex-carb base for gels, and you could also add it to drink powders. Although I've tried just mixing it in to liquid sports drinks and it kind of ruins the taste...

dark13star

Just look up " glycemic index" and "insulin induced hypoglycemia." You will find a ton. It basically has to do with how fast the sugar goes from your food into your blood in the form of glucose. Some people, me included, get a crash when my glucose level goes up too fast. This is because the body releases a lot of insulin to break down the sugar, but since the sugar is not necessarily a constant stream, blood sugar then goes very low (hypoglycemia) because of too much insulin in the blood.

Complex sugars and starches are polymers chains of glucose that take some time to be broken down into basic glucose, the sugar that feeds your cells. They also don't promote tooth decay because the bacteria in your mouth can't digest them (you do have and enzyme called maltase in your saliva that begins to convert them to sugar in your mouth though).

There is loads of info on the net on these topics; try wikipedia to start.

TurboTurtle

You need to start pedaling. It's hard to get a 'sugar spike' when your burning it faster than it can cross the intestine lining into the blood stream. - TF

dark13star

That would be true, assuming that my blood sugar is already low when starting to drink the sugar, but I like to start taking in more complex sugars at the beginning of the ride and keeping it consistent, so I don't spike. I pedal between 90-100 RPM and do rides with 10,000' of elevation gain, so I am definitely burning sugar.

Even for people who don't spike, I would think the dental issues would be good reason to avoid simple sugars. I ride 5 or more times per week. I just don't want to rot my teeth. However, some people drink soda. I don't...

Carbonfiberboy 

Read the thread:
What are you favorite or must have supplements
on this forum. People who experience low blood sugar while riding with drinks containing simple sugars have this problem because the sugar has too low a GI and doesn't cross the intestinal wall fast enough, not the reverse. That's why "complex sugars" work better for you. You are absolutely right about the tooth decay.

During the mountain 400 this Saturday, I will consume almost exclusively maltodextrin and soy protein. I'll probably supplement with a ham and cheese sandwich and a 750 cal fruit pie somewhere. And coffee! Looking forward to it.

Dead Nerve

I found an article about making homemade gels on active.com/outdoors heres the link. It talks alot about what most of you said already but one nice thing it did talk about is the usda.gov website that list all the nutrition facts of foods. Its really interesting how easy it is to make your own and not waste so much money on store bought ones.

Now what do most of you put these concoctions in for the road?

dark13star

Hammer Nutrition makes a nice gel squeeze bottle with measurements on the side. I like the fact that it measures upside down and upright.

palookabutt

This is more what I was after: what happens when you're out riding. I thought I had read that simple sugars were best for high-intensity efforts, while complex sugars took too long to absorb. I'll go ahead and google glycemic index in the sports medicine journals.

As I said, I don't recall experiencing a sugar crash, but anything that's better for my overall health is an improvement.

dark13star

You may never experience it. We are all different. I also just subscribe to the "refined sugars are bad" school, but I can't necessarily prove that.

cheers

TurboTurtle

"People who experience low blood sugar while riding with drinks containing simple sugars have this problem because the sugar has too low a GI and doesn't cross the intestinal wall fast enough"

What?? The GI index is based on glucose=100 (or potato starch= 100). How can it be too low?

The rest of the sentence is also wrong. The latest evidence suggests that a ratio of glucose/fructose at the correct concentration is the fastest. You know that the maltodextrine breaks down into sugar in the intestine before it crosses into the blood, don't you?

TF

TurboTurtle

No, it doesn't matter what your blood sugar concentration is. If you are burning it faster than you are able to digest it, you cannot sugar spike. - TF

zowie

What do y'all think about using Polycose?
https://www.amazon.com/Polycose-Gluco...899285&sr=8-12

TurboTurtle

They don't say what it really is (deal breaker for me), but it looks like expensive maltodextrin. - TF

zowie

"Glucose Polymers derived from controlled hydrolysis of cornstarch"

https://abbottnutrition.com/products/...s.aspx?pid=276

TurboTurtle

A maltodextrin. - TF

palookabutt

"Mmmm, glucose polymers derived from controlled hydrolysis of cornstarch, arglarglargl..."



(Punchy I guess, couldn't resist)