Issue 092
September 2012
Old-school convenience store carb drinks had better watch out, highly branched cluster dextrin is the performance super carb of the future
Daniel Pierce, Nutrition Expert
Dan is VP of brand strategy and product development at Gaspari Nutrition. He also studies BJJ at Codella Academy, Team Renzo Gracie.
We’ve all fallen victim to it. You’re in a rush, desperately thirsty, and you head over to the closest vending machine or convenience store to shell out a few dollars for a synthetically colored sports drink to quench your thirst. It happens to the best of us, and while it may seem a good idea at the time, the bad habit can actually compromise your performance potential.
If you take your training seriously, you know you need a sound nutritional plan to make sure you are always performing the best you can through all your rigorous training sessions. You also understand how important carbohydrates are to keep yourself fueled and now it’s time to learn how to separate the good from the bad. Fortunately for you, highly branched cluster dextrin (HBCD) may be just what you’re looking for to close the convenience gap.
ULTRA-FAST GASTRIC EMPTYING
There is nothing worse than cramping when you’re in the middle of drilling or sparring. However, getting dehydrated and running out of energy can be just as bad so identifying the happy medium between too much fluid intake and too little is something all fighters should explore. This is where HBCD truly shines.
Due to its unique helix structure consisting of numerous glucosyl chains which result in a high molecular weight (on average 400,000Da) and low osmolarity when mixed in water, it clears from the stomach faster than common carbohydrates found in sports drinks such as maltodextrin, dextrose, etc.
In turn, this means there will be less chance of abdominal pain from cramping even when consuming 50–100g of carbohydrates before, during, or after your workout.
Unfortunately, most of the carb’ sources you commonly find out there aren’t capable of this and certainly aren’t validated in real clinical research to prove they have quick gastric clearance to get the fuel in while avoiding cramping.
BOOSTING PERFORMANCE WHILE LIMITING FAT GAIN
These days it seems fighters are finally getting the respect they deserve when it comes to being elite athletes. Some great fighters known for outstanding endurance, like Nick Diaz and Frankie Edgar, incorporate aquatic training into their workout mix. It offers both hypoxic and resistance scenarios which can mimic fatigue and low oxygen environments.
HBCD has actually been studied in Olympic-level swimmers. Researchers gave the swimmers 1.5g/kg 20 minutes before having to complete 10 five-minute laps at 75% max effort followed by 90% max effort until they were completely exhausted. That’s the equivalent of 127.5g of carbs based on the size of an average man.
What the results showed is that HBCD increased endurance and time to exhaustion 44% greater than glucose and 39% greater than water blowing its competitors out of the water. Since swimming mimics some of the fatigue and hypoxic states experienced in combat sports, there is little doubt the HBCD can help any fighter stay fueled for long-lasting power and endurance.
One other advantage it has over your typical convenience store sports drinks is that it doesn’t spike insulin levels. Old-school thinking used to support increasing insulin levels post workout, but the reality is keeping them in check at all times is actually optimal for a combat athlete. The reason being, high insulin levels can promote inflammation and inhibit fat burning.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Very few products contain HBCD and only one product on the market contains it in its pure form. Gaspari Nutrition’s Glycofuse utilizes 100% HBCD along with hefty doses of electrolytes to keep you well hydrated and fueled for whatever you decided to put your body through on any
given day.
It was tested on some of the best mixed martial artists in the world and is destined to become a staple for any combat athlete who understands that a well-planned nutritional strategy is almost as important as a methodically planned training regimen.
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