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From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
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Based on [[Nutrient Timing]], it's better to have a quickly absorbed carbohydrate during and immediately after exercise. For most people, the Maltodextrin will not cause a sharp rise in blood sugar during exercise as the muscles will absorb and use the extra carbohydrate. However, when you're not exercising or immediately after exercise you generally want to have slower carbohydrates (those with a lower Glycemic Index). Because Pasta generally has a low Glycemic Index, it has a well-earned reputation for being a good way of restocking your carbohydrate reserves ([[Glycogen]]).
=Vitargo=
Vitargo is claimed by the maker to be "The best carbohydrate in the world"<ref name="vitargo.com"/>, but there is not the evidence to support this claim. Vitargo is similar to Maltodextrin, but has a longer chain length and is made from potatoes. The science behind Vitargo is rather limited and I don't find it particularly compelling. There are three published studies that compare Vitargo with "Glucidex IT 38", a mixture 15% glucose, 13% sugar and 72% Maltodextrin. The comparison with Glucidex seems rather strange, as comparison with Maltodextrin or a sport drink would be rather more appropriate.
* '''Improved stomach emptying'''<ref name="Leiper-2000"/>. This study shows faster stomach emptying with Vitargo than Glucidex. Over an hour, that's 486ml rather than 369ml, or a 32% improvement, and the first 10 minutes showed more than double the emptying rate. However, there was no difference in blood glucose or insulin levels. The difference in emptying rate could be down to the additional sugars in the Glucidex.
* '''Glycogen resynthesis'''<ref name="Piehl Aulin-2000"/>. This study showed that glycogen replenishment is faster in the first 2 hours, then slower in the subsequent 2 hours. Total glycogen replenishment over the full four hours was greater for Vitargo, though not statistically significant. The protocol used 300 calories every 30 minutes for a total of 1,200 calories, more than I suspect athletes would normally consume. The exercise consisted of 60 minutes running, 60 minutes cycling, and then cycling sprints to exhaustion.
<ref name="malto">Nutrition of Maltodextrin (pdf of slides) http://www.arniebakercycling.com/pubs/Free/Nutrition%20Maltodextrin%20SS.pdf</ref>
<ref name="Leiper-2000"> JB. Leiper, KP. Aulin, K. Söderlund, Improved gastric emptying rate in humans of a unique glucose polymer with gel-forming properties., Scand J Gastroenterol, volume 35, issue 11, pages 1143-9, Nov 2000, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11145284 11145284]</ref>
<ref name="vitargo.com"> Vitargo - The best carbohydrate in the world, http://www.vitargo.com/, Accessed on 14 March 2014</ref>
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