We’ve learned this lesson for the second time recently, it’s worth paying attention to and one we won’t forget again.
Not all energy gels are created equal. 100 calories of this product, is not the same as 100 calories as that product…at least as far as your body’s ability to absorb and digest those calories is concerned. The carbohydrates are still there, but your body may reject that particular type of sugar so having more than one option could save your day. We have had much better success with carbohydrate products that have multiple types of sugar.
For example, some gels have only Long Chain Maltodextrin. Great if your body wants it, but not too helpful if it doesn’t. Other sugars to look for in gel products are; Ribose, Dextrose, Trehalose, and Fructose. Some types of sugar i.e. fructose have anecdotal evidence showing that they cause digestive upset, but everyone’s stomach seems to respond differently (especially with the stress and intensity of a race situation). We’ve had bad bonks, and bad GI issues with single sugar gels.
Popular gel contents:
PowerBar Gel: Maltodextrin, Fructose
Hammer Gel: Maltodextrin
Carbo Pro 1200: Ribose, Dextrose, Trehalose, Maltodextrin
Gu: Maltodextrin, Fructose
CarbBoom: Maltodextrin, fruit puree
Clif Shot: Brown Rice Syrup, some flavors have fruit puree
Another option to look at are the gels that avoid processed sugars entirely. One that’s come to our attention recently is Chocolate Agave #9 (Ingredients: Organic Agave, Cocoa). One of our main criteria for a good gel is the viscosity of the product – it needs to be easy to swallow and this one is.
Do you have any insight on what are the best sugars? I’ve heard from multiple people that there should be multiple sources of carbohydrates in your drink or gel (most notably heard this from Joel Friel from one of my questions). Maltodextrin seems to be a staple for long-course athletes but the other sugars are usually passed up.
I agree with you. It all depends on what works for you and what you’ve trained with.
Hi Jared,
It is very much an individual thing. Maltodextrin is the carbohydrate of choice for many of the gel companies out there, but having the addition of one or two other source is certainly beneficial in our opinion. Even carrying two different types of gel with you is a good option if you can’t find one product that you like. We know a couple athletes that buy maltodextrin in bulk from U-Brew locations and mix it directly with another sport drink. Can’t say as we’ve tried that, though.
Ensure+ is another good option for early in your workout or long course race(works for some, but others can’t stand it). Ensure+ doesn’t work so well at higher heart rates, but it’s great for the long steady stuff if your stomach can get used to it. Often hard to use in hot weather, though.
It’s also worth trying some of the natural sugars like Agave or Honey. These often take longer to hit your system, but once there you won’t hit the wall or bonk quite as quickly as you can from the manufactured stuff.
Hopefully you can put in a couple race simulation rides and test out all the options before race day. But, sometimes it does come down to figuring it out while racing.
Thanks for the question, hope that helps.
My first half-iron distance triathlon is where I found out I can’t do fructose and other stuff found in Gatorade and the like – even though I trained with it. I finally found Hammer Nutrition products after a couple of years and now don’t have any gastro-intestinal problems or cramps. Of course the flavor takes a little getting used to since it uses Stevia in many of it’s products, but I’m a total convert. That being said, it is an individual thing, and others I know do just fine with Fructose. Unfortunately, trial and error seems to be the way to discover what works best.
This was great, quick and to the point. A bit bummed that our EFS liquid shot did not make it into the article, but it was a new product in 2009, so maybe not enough people knew about it. What I liked about this article is that it follows our exact philosophy regarding carbohydrate metabolism and precisely why the EFS liquid shot has maltodextrin, sucrose and glucose. Three carbohydrate sources, no slow sugars (fructose).
We hope to be doing a bit more work with Ironman Triathlon Tips in the coming year since it looks like our philosophies and detail to research match nicely.