Carbohydrate concentrate
A carbohydrate concentrate is a high -carbohydrate dietary supplement for competitive athletes . Due to its energy content, it should serve to avoid an emptying of the muscular glycogen stores and the threatened performance drop (" man with the hammer ") during intense endurance exercise such as a marathon run . The dosage form is usually a gel (so-called carbohydrate gels , energy gels or energy gels ). However, there are different products such as bars, gummy bears , smoothies and others. It is recommended to only consume energy gels as part of a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
composition
Carbohydrate concentrates contain different types of sugar that the body absorbs differently. These are usually glucose , fructose , trehalose or maltodextrin . Products intended to be consumed after exercise contain isomaltose or amylopectin . Some gels also contain branched chain amino acids like leucine , isoleucine, and valine, as well as other protein components and vitamins like vitamin B2 and vitamin B6 .
Typical nutritional values, each per 100 g
- Energy: 250-370 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 60-90 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Fat: 0 g
Depending on the variety, other additives such as caffeine and taurine are included.
Basic idea and intake
To as quickly as possible energy and hydration through the small intestine to reach a must sports drink as isotonic drink available. The basic idea of the carbohydrate concentrates is to be able to "produce" such a carbohydrate-containing drink directly on site at competitions and in other situations in which only water is provided as a drink or is available. To do this, the concentrate you have brought with you is consumed and “rinsed” with the amount of water recommended by the manufacturer. This achieves a short stomach retention time and rapid absorption into the bloodstream. However, if the recommended amount of water is not exceeded, absorption is slowed down because of the hypertonicity that then occurs . Therefore, a lack of information on fluid intake meets with criticism.
A welcome side effect is that the number of servings consumed provides an overview of the carbohydrate intake during exercise. This is particularly important for long-term endurance exercise such as road cycling or triathlon , where an even supply of energy is sought over hours and pure water is also used for external cooling.
history
In 1987, the doctor, sports scientist and marathon runner Tim Noakes from South Africa and his team developed a gel that should provide enough energy for one hour in a 25-gram pack. The South African company Leppin Sport took over the production under the Squeezy brand , and the use of these gels by a triathlete at Ironman Europe in Roth in 1993 aroused the interest of the then importer of Principia triathlon bikes. He acquired the recipe and the worldwide distribution rights and launched it in Germany in 1994. Since then it has been copied by many other manufacturers; In 2019 Squeezy introduced a set of refillable bottles.
effect
Carbohydrate concentrates are very rich in energy and thus make it easier, especially for competitive athletes in long, high-intensity endurance sports, to optimally fill the carbohydrate stores before the competition, to refill the stores during the competition and to regenerate afterwards. In principle, however, the same effect can also be achieved with normal foods such as bread, pasta, rice or bananas. Sometimes the addition of caffeine is supposed to increase performance, but can lead to side effects such as nervousness, dizziness or headache.
Frequent consumption of carbohydrate concentrates can lead to overeating and obesity without corresponding energy consumption . Depending on the amount and individual tolerance, gels or bars with sugar substitutes can lead to abdominal pain; some products have a high proportion of fructose, so that just two sachets of gel can cause the usually tolerated amount of fructose to be exceeded.
Typical bars provide around 400 to 500 kcal, gels per 100 grams depending on the water content 150 to 250 kcal. The typical pack size of the gels is between 30 and 60 grams; a sachet provides around 100 kcal from carbohydrates, which is the same as a banana.
Web links
- Article about carbohydrate concentrates on the consumer association website
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e “Carbohydrate Power” or just liquid sugar? , verbrauchzentrale.de of April 29, 2014, accessed on August 21, 2019.
- ↑ Gunda Backes: Carbohydrates for Athletes , website of the Barmer Ersatzkasse dated June 8, 2017, accessed on August 21, 2019.
- ↑ Energy gels in sport. Retrieved August 21, 2019 .
- ↑ Tearing, squeezing, pressing down: energy gels in the test. Retrieved August 21, 2019 .
- ↑ Exercise Performance as a Function of Semi-Solid and Liquid Carbohydrate Feedings during Prolonged Exercise , International Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol. 16 (2), pp. 105-113, 1995.
- ↑ Klaus Arendt: 13 Gels at a Glance. In: tritime - passion connects. May 2, 2010, accessed August 21, 2019 .
- ↑ Energy from the package - power gel and energy bar , March 30, 2009, accessed on September 27, 2019.
- ↑ Taking Carbohydrates in the Marathon , November 19, 2018, accessed September 27, 2019.
- ↑ Stephan Goldmann: Energy gels and drinks: What's in it, what's on it? May 12, 2012, accessed August 21, 2019 .
- ↑ Squeezy story. The world's first energy gel. at squeezy.de, accessed on August 21, 2019.
- ↑ Klaus Arendt: Roger Milenk: For 19 years in the service of endurance sports , tritime 2/2010, accessed on August 21, 2019.
- ↑ Squeezy: New, environmentally friendly gel alternative on radsport-news.com, January 29, 2019, accessed on August 21, 2019.