Vespa Gel

Vespa Gels claims to improve endurance performance by improving fat burning rather than providing fuel like other gels. However the science does not seem to back this up, with no human studies that show improved endurance. The few animal studies that exist generally use vastly higher doses, the equivalent of 100-500 packets of Vespa gel. So why does Vespa seem so popular with top ultra-endurance athletes?

1 Background

At 2 inches (50mm) long, the Asian giant hornet is the largest of the hornets and is able to fly long distances. These giant hornets consume only a liquid diet of 43% carbohydrate and 57% amino acids. The amino acid mixture that these hornets consume is often referred to as VAAM (Vespa Amino Acid Mixture) and marketed as two products:

• Vespa gel contains 100mg VAAM per gel.
• Hornet Juice is a drink powder that contains 3,700mg VAAM per serving.

2 Scientific Studies

The science behind VAAM is rather limited, with no studies that show an improvement in human endurance performance. Here is a brief summary of the studies that are available.

• When untrained, fasted mice were put in a pool and forced to swim to avoid drowning, VAAM improved swimming times over water, glucose or casein (a milk protein). This is the only study that shows improved endurance. The VAAM given was equivalent to 500 packets of Vespa Gel (700mg/Kg or 52.5g for a 150Lb/75Kg human).
• A second similar study again used untrained, fasted mice that swam to avoid drowning. Here VAAM showed increased fat metabolism and increased ketogenesis compared with casein.
• Taking 10.8g of VAAM with 38g of sugar increased markers of ketogenesis during 45 minutes of exercise in humans compared with 48.8g sugar. This is the equivalent of 108 packs of Vespa Gel.
• Taking VAAM (3g/day) & exercise or placebo & exercise for 12 weeks in previously sedentary elderly women produced a slightly greater improvement in fitness and body fat. This is the equivalent of 30 packs of Vespa Gel per day.
• An unpublished study (available as an abstract only) showed that 10g/70Kg of VAAM produces a slight reduction in heart rate during 30 minutes of exercise compared with casein protein. This is the equivalent of 100 packs of Vespa Gel.
• VAAM given to rats prevented a rise in blood lactate and increased markers of ketosis compared with a milk protein control.
• In untrained subjects, VAAM reduced the [[Rating of Perceived Exertion|RPE] but no other measures during 60 minutes of cycling compared with a non-calorie control.

3 Explanations for Anecdotal Support

There are a large number of highly publicized endorsements of Vespa Gel, including a number of top athletes. There are a number of explanations for this.

• There's an old saying that "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." It is possible that Vespa Gel does improve endurance performance, but the supporting scientific studies have not yet been performed. While this is possible, this seems unlikely to me given the studies that have been published.
• The benefit of Vespa may be due to the placebo effect, especially given the high cost which generally improves the effectiveness of a placebo.
• The way Vespa is used may result in indirect performance improvements. Vespa recommends a much lower level of calorie intake when using the Vespa gels than is common in ultra-endurance events. It may be that athletes that use Vespa gels may consume a more effective level of fueling that promotes better performance.

4 Recommendations

It's hard to recommend taking Vespa gel given it costs $6.75 per packet ($69 for 12) and has little scientific support. To get the amount that improved performance in untrained mice would require eating 500 gels and cost $2,875! On the other hand, there is little in the Vespa Gel that could cause a problem, so other than the cost it should be low risk. Using Hornet Juice is cheaper at $3 per serving and each serving provides 37 times more VAAM than Vespa Gels. I tried Hornet Juice a number of times on long (24-30 mile) training runs and noticed no difference.