Science in Sport (SiS) claims that it is… ‘about to change the future of sports nutrition with a bold new scientific study.’
Science in Sport’s Beta Fuel range was the focus of the study, which looked specifically at carb intake. (Beta Fuel reportedly helped to power Chris Froome’s 80km solo ride on Stage 19 of the 2018 Giro D’Italia – widely recognised as one of the rider’s greatest ever feats on a bike.)
The new study from Science in Sport is published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. It set out to test carbohydrate oxidation, gastrointestinal discomfort, and exercise capacity when taking on carbohydrates in liquid (drink), semi-solid (gel), and solid (jelly chew) forms as well as a combination of the three.
Researchers tested a feeding strategy where athletes consumed 120g of carbohydrate per hour, significantly higher than a recommended intake of 90g per hour.
Stephen Moon, CEO of Science in Sport PLC, said “This study changes everything we thought we knew about high carbohydrate and endurance nutrition and how to fuel winning performances. Born out of elite need, Science in Sport has delivered a superior product with world-leading science.
“We can now educate endurance athletes on how much carbohydrate intake they should really be aiming for, which completely changes the game for performance potential in endurance racing and redefines limits in an unprecedented way. This is the future of endurance fuelling.”
The study found that athletes can tolerate 120g carbohydrate per hour to promote high carbohydrate availability during exercise and that this can be achieved through liquid, solid, semi-solid ingestion or co-ingestion as a mixture.
When measuring the amount of carbohydrate consumed that was being used for energy, the athletes in the study were using over 1.5g of carbohydrate per minute. Even after three hours of sustained effort, 50% of energy used was from the Science in Sport Beta Fuel, with no cross-over from carbohydrate to fat usage taking place.
None of the athletes tested reported a stomach upset… ‘and individuals displayed some of the highest rates of carbohydrate oxidation ever reported in scientific literature.’
Professor James Morton, Director of Performance Solutions at Science in Sport, said “We are hugely excited by the results provided by Science in Sport Beta Fuel.
“Our data suggest that endurance cyclists can consume up to 120g of carbohydrates per hour with no reported symptoms of gastrointestinal discomfort. Considering that we observed no differences in carbohydrate oxidation between liquid, gel, chew or a combined approach, the SiS Beta Fuel range can be tailored to an athlete’s individual fuelling preferences.
“There is no doubt that this highly flexible and functional fuelling strategy will lead to improved performances for all endurance athletes.”
www.scienceinsport.com/betafuel
