8,153
edits
Changes
m
no edit summary
==Maltodextrin and Sugar==
A sport fuel is most easily absorbed when it is isotonic<ref> http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/85/5/1941 Hypertonic solutions are less easily absorbed</ref>. 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 [[Maltodextrin]] (sometime called maltodextrose), which is a long molecule made up of linked glucose. Because maltodextrin [[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<ref name="malto"/>. 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 [[Maltodextrin]] based, such as the old formula Clif Shots use brown rice syrup.
==Caffeine in Gels==
Caffeine not only improves performance, it also increases the absorption of sugar from the gut, so it will make Gels quicker acting.