GlycoSource, billed as ‘a breakthrough in endurance and recovery nutrition for elite and professional endurance athletes’ has now been launched as part of a new brand called Science Fitness. It was unveiled for the first time at the London Triathlon last weekend.
Science Fitness heads north this weekend where it will continue to celebrate the launch of GlycoSource at Tri Liverpool (9-10 August, Expo Area Stand 9). There will the opportunity to taste GlycoSource as well as benefit from exclusive event-only discounts.
Science Fitness has also teamed up with The Triathlon Coach, three times winners of the 220 Triathlon Coach of the Year Award and the current coaches to the Brownlee brothers, to offer competitors and visitors the chance to win a personalised triathlon/multisport coaching plan.
GlycoSource powdered drink mix is the first product in the new Science Fitness range and is available in Mandarin Zest, Very Berry and Caribbean Crush flavours in 750g pouches or handy 25g single-serve sachets. All are now available to order online at www.sciencefitness.co.uk.
Science Fitness GlycoSource is positioned as the first and only commercially available endurance supplement with a formulation that is ‘clinically proven to increase glycogen in both the muscles and the liver’ – an internal process that is vital to performance and especially to recovery after exhaustive exercise.
Science Fitness notes that glycogen is the body’s most important short term and immediately accessible energy reserve. It is how carbohydrate is stored in the liver and muscles and provides vital fuel during exercise. However, its quantity is limited.
As athletes train or compete they naturally deplete their reserves of glycogen. When it is almost used up it is no longer possible to produce energy at the same rate and athletes risk hitting the dreaded ‘wall’.
Science Fitness points out that many other products that claim to top up glycogen are based on the generic principle of ingesting carbohydrate at regular intervals, or ‘carb-loading’, and may lack clinical evidence of their efficacy. ‘It has also been proven that there is a limit to the amount of assistance carbohydrate alone can provide.’
The unique Science Fitness GlycoSource formula has been developed in partnership with the Institute of Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure at Leeds Metropolitan University. The Institute is world-renowned for its expertise in sports nutrition, and provides training and performance analysis facilities to many of the UK’s most decorated endurance athletes.
The scientists developed a hypothesis for what they believed would be the most effective combination of nutrients for replenishing glycogen. Roderick King, Carnegie Professor of Sport and Exercise Biochemistry at Leeds Metropolitan University, led the research. He explained, “The production of glycogen is dependent on several key factors: the amount already stored in the body; the dose and type of carbohydrates supplied by nutrition and diet; the effect of other nutrients such as protein and crucially, the timing of intake in relation to exercise.”
King added, “Typically, the body cannot absorb and utilise more than 50-70g of carbohydrate per hour. If athletes take in more than this amount the excess sits in the GI tract rather than absorbing into the bloodstream, which can cause uncomfortable bloating and stitches during performance.”
The Science Fitness GlycoSource formula uses 44% less carbohydrate than other leading energy drinks, gels and bars. GlycoSource combines two forms of carbohydrate (maltodextrin and galactose) with whey protein and amino acids (leucine).
The scientists put this formula to the test and compared it to those used by other products in a series of clinical trials involving endurance-trained cyclists.
The results from the clinical trials proved that regular use of the GlycoSource formulation throughout all stages of recovery replenishes glycogen more efficiently than pure carbohydrate loading, increasing glycogen by 30-40% and providing 35% more endurance capacity. Science Fitness notes that this enables athletes to be at their very best with minimum time between training and competing.
Fiona Lazenby, Managing Director of Principle Healthcare, the company behind the Science Fitness brand, said “GlycoSource is different to anything else on the market because its formula has not only been developed by scientific research, but it is the only product proven with clinical trials involving elite and well trained endurance athletes.”
“It has been an exciting and fascinating development utilising experts at Leeds Metropolitan University, and after many years in the making, we are delighted to bring these important discoveries to market with our game-changing product.”
