Difference between revisions of "The Science of Energy Gels"
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Revision as of 12:06, 14 May 2011
A sport fuel is most easily absorbed when it is isotonic[1]. The word isotonic means that there is the same concentration of molecules in the fuel as in the blood.
Most Gels are made from maltodextrin (sometime called maltodextrose), which is a long molecule made up of linked glucose. Because maltodextrin has larger molecules, you can have a lot of it in an isotonic solution. Most Gels are close to isotonic without any significant dilution. Maltodextrin is isotonic at 150g (600 Calories)/16 oz or 9g/oz[2]. Gels are typically 25g/1oz, requiring only an equal quantity of liquid to dilute. This can be achieved using by mixing the gel with saliva as it is consumed.
This makes gels very easily digested. A metric for how easily carbohydrates are digested is the Glycemic Index, which is how much the blood sugar rises when a food is digested compared with glucose. Maltodextrin has a glycemic index >100.
Note that there are some Gels that are not maltodextrin based, such as Clif Shots use brown rice syrup.
References
- ↑ http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/85/5/1941 Hypertonic solutions are less easily absorbed
- ↑ http://www.arniebakercycling.com/pubs/Free/Nutrition%20Maltodextrin%20SS.pdf
