56. GLUCOSE-FRUCTOSE RATIO: CHECK WHAT YOU BUY!

Photo by Munbaik Cycling Clothing on Unsplash

In the previous KisW research notes, we saw that:

• Carbohydrates ingestion during exercise improves performance in long races (generally above 2 hrs).

• The responsible physiological mechanism seems to be glycogen (endogenous carbs, which is a very limited resource in the body) sparing,

Read more here about the above points.

However, we also saw that there is no linear dose-response for the amount of carbs ingested and performance. So, no higher the carbs ingested, better the performance (read more here).

Why?

While some factors like body size, diet and gut training can influence this number (1), glucose gut transporters get generally saturated at 60 grams per hour (g/h). When going over this threshold, there is an increase in the risk of gastrointestinal distress without any additional positive benefit on performance.

The good news is that