Sugars as Energy
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 7:45AM If it ends in "ose", it's a sugar. The problem is, your body handles each kind of sugar differently. Maltose, dextrose, sucrose... there's a bunch.
For example, fructose is fruit sugar, and glucose is another one that is the end result of carbohydrate digestion. Excess glucose is converted to glycogen and is stored in the liver and muscles as energy ready to use.
I'm not a nutritionist, but I've learned to be observant of the different types of sugars in my fuels. Everybody is different, and people digest the different sugars as endurance fuels with a lot of variation. When you start using a fuel, it's important to look at the sugar source and be aware of how it's different than what you're used to.
As an example, I showed in the last video that I was using agave nectar as a sugar source. People demonize high fructose corn syrup (55% fructose) as bad for you when agave nectar is 90% fructose itself. What? So is agave nectar good for you or the worst thing ever made?
I'm not going to tell you which sugars to use, but just wanted to encourage you to do your research. Look up the different "ose"es you use on the internet and read about how they work. Some are notorious for being harder to digest when exercising than others, causing stomach distress. I experience the "Gatorade Gut Bomb" if I drink only gatorade as fuel for long events. Some people are fine with it.
If you are looking to optimize and improve your long distance performance, know the types of sugars you are taking in and start looking at some other options. One of my favorite sugars to use as an example is honey. It has a wide array of different types of "ose" in it:
| Levulose(%) |
38.19 |
| Dextrose(%) |
31.28 |
| Sucrose(%) |
1.31 |
| Maltose(%) |
7.31 |
Levulose? What is that? Levulose is the raw sugar from fruit before being stripped of enzymes and minerals and turned into fructose by man. Wow, this gets weirder by the minute!
If you'd like to really geek out on this topic, here is an interesting read.
Some people have strong opinions on sugars and I encourage you to share them in the comments. Enjoy, and be sweet!
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