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Characteristics of carbo supplement
Carbo-type carbohydrate supplements are eagerly used by people practicing endurance sports , in which the training time is usually much longer than one hour, and by enthusiasts of strength and speed-strength sports, whose training sessions are often very intensive, and therefore require high energy availability during the effort. Carbo-type supplements, as their name suggests, consist mainly of carbohydrates , the absolute basis of which are maltodextrins, i.e. complex sugars obtained from starch in the process of its partial hydrolysis. Due to their characteristics and physicochemical, functional, technological and nutritional properties, maltodextrins are widely used in functional food and beverages, as well as in clinical nutrition, nutrition of athletes and physically active people and nutrition of infants. First of all, they are rapidly decomposed into glucose in the digestive tract and in this form are absorbed in the small intestine, and then used by the body for various purposes, mainly energy purposes. In addition to maltodextrin, the composition of a carbo-type carbohydrate supplement usually also includes vitamins, minerals, dyes, sweeteners, flavours and sometimes amino acids such as taurine or glutamine, but their overall share in the product is symbolic.
When to use carbo?
It seems that the best possible period for optimal use of the potential of carbohydrate supplements such as carbo is the period around training, especially during physical activity and shortly after its completion. Recommendations for carbohydrate consumption during exercise undoubtedly depend on the duration of the exercise, its intensity, and the characteristics of the given sports discipline. Consumed carbohydrates are a source of energy for working muscles, and thus support the internal resources of the body, which is why additional supply is recommended during endurance exercises and in start-stop disciplines (e.g. football), the duration of which exceeds 60 minutes (30-60 g/h for up to 150 minutes and up to 90 g/h in exercises lasting more than 150-180 minutes). Maltodextrin contained in carbo-type supplements is a low-sweet glucose polymer that is digested very quickly and therefore behaves identically to glucose, hence it is an important element of the composition of various functional drinks dedicated to athletes and physically active people in order to continuously replenish muscle glycogen resources and improve exercise capacity, and therefore the results obtained during training or sports competitions.
Literature:
- Hofman DL, van Buul VJ, Brouns FJPH: Nutrition, Health, and Regulatory Aspects of Digestible Maltodextrins. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2016 Sep 9; 56(12): 2091–2100. doi: 1080/10408398.2014.940415.
- Jekuendrup A.: A Step Towards Personalized Sports Nutrition: Carbohydrate Intake During Exercise. SportsMed. 2014; 44(Suppl 1): 25–33. doi: 10.1007/s40279-014-0148-z.
- ACSM, D.C., AND. Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: March 2016;48(3):543–568.
Mateusz Durbas
Clinical and sports dietitian, author of numerous articles on nutrition and supplementation.
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