Glycaemic peak and glycaemic index.
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We often hear about the glycaemic peak and glycaemic index. What are they?
During prolonged exertion, such as endurance (aerobic) sports, energy needs to be replenished through carbohydrates, as we have already written. The most suitable of these is certainly maltodextrin, as it is the best tolerated by the body, with an osmolarity (concentration of sugar in the blood) 5 times lower than dextrose. This means the body needs less water to absorb the product, with a lower risk of intestinal problems.
The glycaemic peak refers to the speed at which a given substance is absorbed: glucose has a high glycaemic peak.
If taken before a race it can have a negative effect, as the glycaemic peak may occur at the start of the race, before you are under exertion; this leads to an equally rapid drop in the body’s glucose concentration, with the risk of reaching a blood concentration slightly below the body’s normal resting level. In this case the brain, the main user of carbohydrates, immediately senses the change and you risk feeling exhausted. Glucose could be taken during the race, but it is absorbed less well than maltodextrin, which has the same energy effect but without the glycaemic peak.
The glycaemic index commonly indicates the concentration of glucose over a two-hour interval (energy).
The area for glucose and for maltodextrins (chains of glucose) is the same; only the duration within this interval changes.
Maltodextrin has no flavour, which is why it is not used on its own.
We often hear about the glycaemic peak and glycaemic index. What are they?
During prolonged exertion, such as endurance (aerobic) sports, energy needs to be replenished through carbohydrates, as we have already written. The most suitable of these is certainly maltodextrin, as it is the best tolerated by the body, with an osmolarity (concentration of sugar in the blood) 5 times lower than dextrose. This means the body needs less water to absorb the product, with a lower risk of intestinal problems.
The glycaemic peak refers to the speed at which a given substance is absorbed: glucose has a high glycaemic peak.
If taken before a race it can have a negative effect, as the glycaemic peak may occur at the start of the race, before you are under exertion; this leads to an equally rapid drop in the body’s glucose concentration, with the risk of reaching a blood concentration slightly below the body’s normal resting level. In this case the brain, the main user of carbohydrates, immediately senses the change and you risk feeling exhausted. Glucose could be taken during the race, but it is absorbed less well than maltodextrin, which has the same energy effect but without the glycaemic peak.
The glycaemic index commonly indicates the concentration of glucose over a two-hour interval (energy).
The area for glucose and for maltodextrins (chains of glucose) is the same; only the duration within this interval changes.
Maltodextrin has no flavour, which is why it is not used on its own.
