GravelMN

Milk will not "rot your teeth very quickly", teething babies should not be allowed to fall asleep with any food product in a bottle. Having small amounts of food in continuous contact with the newly forming teeth creates a breeding ground for bacteria which produce acids that corrode the very thin enamel of a baby's teeth. Fruit juices, formula, breast milk, cow/goat milk, any product subject to bacterial growth will have the same effect. It has nothing to do with any inherent quality of milk.

As far as lactic acid in milk; fresh milk has very little lactic acid with a pH of 6.7 to 6.9 for fresh cow's milk. As milk ages bacteria convert lactose into lactic acid which is why milk goes sour. In controlled conditions this can be used to create yogurt, kifer and some cheeses. Again, none of these milk products, even fermented, will "rot your teeth very quickly" unless they are held in continuous contact with the tooth enamel for extended periods. Even minimal oral hygiene will negate any effect on teeth from milk products and there are many, many other foods and drinks that are much more hazardous to your teeth.

Many energy gels on the other hand, especially fruit flavors, have added citric, maltic, fumaric and ascorbic acids added to give them a tart taste making them far more acidic than milk. Add that to the fact that even the "quality" ones like Gu and Hammer are primarily a mixture of maltodextrin and sugars like glucose, dextrose, and fructose. Much worse for your teeth than any dairy product.

Maltodextrin is an interesting ingredient as it is nothing more than a string of sugar (glucose) molecules held together by very weak bonds. Technically a complex carbohydrate, the polysaccharide has a glycemic index as high or higher than many sugars at 95 to 105. Maltodextrins are classified by dextrose equivalend (DE) and have a DE between 3 to 20. The higher the DE value, the shorter the glucose chains, the higher the sweetness, the higher the solubility and the lower heat resistance. Above DE 20, the European Union's CN Code calls it glucose syrup. The glycosidic bonds between the sugar molecules are so weak that the amylase in your saliva breaks much of it down into simple sugars before it even hits your stomach. Another interesting tidbit is that labeling requirements in the USA only require a manufacturer to list the ingredients as they exist when added to a product. Maltodextrin can be broken down by exposure to moisture and heat as well as by contact with enzymes or acids. The result is that it may have been maltodextrin when it went into the batch, but by the time it hits the store shelves, its just more sugar. So far manufacturers have been able to get around listing this sugar on the label because it went into the mix as a complex carbohydrate. So when you see maltodextrin on the label, for all practical physiological purposes, its just more sugar, no matter what the hypesters and spin doctors in the sports nutrition industry want you to believe.

So basically, the majority of sports gels, including some of the way over-priced popular ones, are really nothing more than acidic, naturally and/or artificially flavored blobs of sugar and/or soon to be sugar maltodextrin with maybe a pixie dusting of vitamins and electrolytes, and possibly some caffeine or other stimulant.

Ingredients Found in Energy Gels
Carbohydrate Types in Energy Gels

The nutrition label for Gu Jet Blackberry



Jet Blackberry

INGREDIENTS: Maltodextrin, Water, Fructose, Natural Flavors, Leucine, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Green Tea (Leaf) Extract (Contains Caffeine), Potassium Citrate, Calcium Carbonate, Valine, Sea Salt, Malic Acid, Gellan Gum, Isoleucine, Sunflower Oil, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Potassium Sorbate (Preservative).

Here is a link to the other Gu products nutrition labels and ingredients: https://guenergy.com/shop/energy-gel

And just to be fair, here's the nutrition info for Hammer Gel Tropical

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1.7 tablespoons (33g)
Amount Per Serving % Daily Value*
Calories 90
Calories from fat 0
Total Fat 0g 0%
Sodium 40mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 22g 7%
Sugars 2g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 2%
Not a significant source of calories from fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, vitamin A, calcium, or iron.
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Ingredients: Maltodextrin, Water, Pineapple Concentrate, Energy SmartŪ (Grape Juice, Rice Dextrin), Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Salt, Potassium Sorbate (as a preservative), Caffeine, Amino Acids (L-Leucine, L-Alanine, L-Valine, L-Isoleucine), Potassium Chloride.
This product is processed in a facility that also processes Dairy & Soy products.

And the link to their nutrition page: Hammer Gel - Carbohydrate Energy Gel | Hammer Nutrition

Virtually no nutrition other than a load of simple carbohydrate and a small amount of sodium and potassium. Useful for quick energy but hardly a health food. How do you consider milk "less nutritious" than these gels? I'm not saying milk is a good drink for quick energy when riding hard, just saying that gels are no miracle performance food, just a shot of concentrated carbs. A packet of honey is probably just as good and you wouldn't be paying for 30 second TV spots and product placement at major cycling events and full page ads in cycling magazines (you sure aren't paying for the product itself, keep reading).

What should really upset athletes is that they are paying $1 to $1.50 for about two tablespoons of flavored maltodextrin and fructose (with a dribble of water) either of which retail for about $1 a pound in a 50 pound bag and are available wholesale in bulk to manufacturers for a small fraction of that price. So for the price of 100 tiny gel packets, you could have 100# of the same raw materials (a 93% savings). Just mix them with some fruit juice to make a gel or add more water to make a sports drink, add a pinch of Morton Lite Salt (half sodium chloride, half potassium chloride) and you're ready to go without buying 100s of little foil pouches to litter the trails with.

Try this one:

1/2 cup pineapple, orange, lemon or lime juice (or blend of your choice)
2 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp maltodextrin (30g)
2 tbsp fructose or table sugar (30g)
Pinch of Morton Lite Salt

This makes 24 ounces of sports drink with the energy equivalent (similar grams of carbohydrate and GI) to about three Gu or Hammer gels with a similar amount of sodium and potassium. 330 kCal all in high GI carbohydrate. No wasteful, sticky packaging to carry around empty in a jersey pocket or litter the trail with and a cost of less than 50 cents (83% savings). Save $2.50 x three rides per week for five years = $1,950 the cost of a Specialized Tarmac Sport.