Originally Posted by
ticktockpedal
the more i research this the more it cornfuses me. so basically this breaks down to be available quickly for energy as well as for the long term. usually you see other types of sugars mixed in with maltodextrin (gel packs e.g.) i thought that was to get a balanced short-term/long-term energy needs effect.
There have been a few scientific studies with small sample sizes that have suggested sugar blends help, but there is almost no evidence in practical terms of people losing races, even really close ones, because they didn't have the right glucose/malto blend and they also haven't been widely replicated.
Those gel packs you see? Those are usually close to 100% malto.
You don't have to over-think it - it's not an exact science; your gut is obviously capable of absorbing and digesting a wide array of sugars, and glucose/malto/dextrose are all fairly similar in energy content. (They do differ a lot in sweetness levels.) Pure malto happens to be one of the easiest/cheapest liquid nutrition sources out there. If you want to add dextrose or glucose, go crazy. (Gatorade is actually based on dextrose, I think - it's not malto,but also doesn't have a lot of calories.)
Practice helps - you don't want to be downing liters of the stuff for the first time on race day.