Maltodextrin – The superior carbohydrate for endurance athletes
Setting the record straight on this oft-maligned athletic fuel source
By Steve Born
The benefits of maltodextrin over simple sugars (glucose, sucrose, fructose)
- Rapid energy (GI rating of 90-95). During exercise and immediately after, that is EXACTLY what you want.
- Longer-lasting energy (no “flash and crash,” “peak and valley” effect)
- More calories can be efficiently digested from complex carbs than from simple sugar
- Less potential for stomach distress
- “Sugar” is defined as 1- or 2-chain molecules (monosaccharides or disaccharides), and anything that ends in “ose”—glucose, sucrose, fructose, etc.—is classified as sugar, or more appropriately, simple sugar.
- Molecules that contain many sugar units weakly linked together are called polysaccharides, known familiarly as complex carbs and starches, with maltodextrin—which we use in our fuels—being one of them.
- A high-Glycemic Index (GI) carbohydrate, ranging from 90-95—the same as glucose and higher than sucrose (table sugar at 65-72)—or higher. This means that maltodextrin can cause a sharp increase, or spike, in people's blood sugar shortly after they eat foods that contain it.
- It can lead to gut inflammation and possibly affect microbiome diversity.
While we do not disagree with either of these, our explanation of both will not only take the “fear factor” out of maltodextrin, but it will also show why it is vastly superior to any short-chain simple sugar for the purpose of fueling the body during exercise and immediately afterward.
Low Dextrose Equivalent (DE), High Glycemic Index (GI) – The tapioca maltodextrin used in Hammer Nutrition fuels has a Dextrose Equivalent of ~10.0 to 13.0, which is lower than the corn-derived maltodextrin we once used. A lower DE means less short-chain sugar content, and a much higher percentage of polysaccharide (complex carb) content—in essence, a more “complex” complex carbohydrate—for even longer-lasting energy and endurance. While a lower DE also slightly lowers the GI of the maltodextrin, at around 90 – 95, it is still considered to be a high-GI carb, slightly lower than glucose, but higher than sucrose (65), and significantly higher than fructose (19-25).
A high GI carbohydrate goes to work fast, which is a good thing because when you’re exercising/training/racing, you want that energy as quickly as possible, and that’s what tapioca maltodextrin does. It will increase energy levels similar to glucose and faster than any other simple sugar.
Inflammation/Negative impact to the gut – In every single article we’ve ever written about maltodextrin, we have NEVER recommended consuming it aside from during exercise (to produce energy) and immediately following exercise (for glycogen restoration). At all other times, we recommend the consumption of low-to-medium GI carbohydrates. Now, if one is sedentary, then no, we absolutely do not recommend the consumption of any of the Hammer Nutrition fuels for the sake of covering one’s eating requirements. But during exercise, when energy turnover is high and maltodextrin’s rapid digestion is experienced (more on that in a minute), any potential issue for gut inflammation and potential negative impact on gut microbiome is nil. Ditto for post-exercise refueling.
Another way to look at it is this: There are 168 hours in one week. If you’re training a total of 15 hours a week (which is a lot!), you’re only consuming a maltodextrin-based fuel during a fractional portion of the entire week. Therefore, along with how rapidly maltodextrin works during exercise, any possible issues associated with maltodextrin will not occur. The real issues will happen when you indiscriminately consume lots of maltodextrin (or other high-GI carbohydrates) in your diet and aside from during exercise and immediately following. As maltodextrin is a fairly ubiquitous ingredient found in many processed/packaged foods—used to add texture, enhance flavor, and extend shelf life—you’ll want to severely limit your consumption of those foods, keeping maltodextrin intake for use ONLY during and immediately following exercise.
Maltodextrin’s other superior benefits
Longer-lasting energy. Because maltodextrin is comprised of hundreds of saccharide molecules all weakly bonded together, it will provide a much more consistent, sustained release, longer-lasting energy than glucose or any other short-chain simple sugar, and without that undesirable “peak and valley”, “flash and crash” energy that is typical with simple sugars.
More calories for energy with no stomach distress. One of the very best features of maltodextrin is that you can digest/absorb greater amounts of calories from maltodextrin than from any short-chain sugar… as one nutritional scientist states, “maltodextrin allows one to swallow more energy in less volume.” With maltodextrin, you get the full amount of calories that you need for energy production, and with no delay in exiting the GI tract.
Fuels containing simple sugars must be mixed with very calorically weak solutions to be digested with any efficiency, so your body won’t be getting the right amount of calories it needs. However, when athletes try to make a “double-strength” mix of a simple sugar fuel, that too-high sugar mixture does not match body fluid osmolality parameters (280-303 mOsm), which means it just sits in the stomach undigested for a lengthy period of time… and that means severe stomach distress. You won’t have that issue with maltodextrin.
But won’t there be an insulin spike with maltodextrin?
Because of maltodextrin’s high Glycemic Index (GI), some ask about the insulin release that occurs. The answer to that is that, yes, maltodextrin does elevate blood sugar levels very rapidly and will cause an insulin release. This is not an issue during exercise, however, as Dr. Bill Misner explains: "During exercise, insulin release is inhibited because sympathetic nervous system hormones are also released and, concurrently, exercise augments muscle uptake of glucose from exogenous intake accompanied by lower insulin levels and effects." Basically, what Dr. Misner is saying is that because energy turnover is very high, and with the release of specific central nervous system hormones, the body is able to deliver glucose to the muscles with very minimal (if any) insulin… insulin release is not a factor at all during exercise.
Maltodextrin after exercise? Absolutely!
Dr. Erik A. Richter writes, “Following exercise, there is a need for refilling the fuel depots mobilized during exercise, particularly the glycogen stores in muscle. This process is facilitated by an increase in insulin sensitivity of the muscles previously engaged in physical activity, which directs glucose to glycogen resynthesis.” Maltodextrin’s high GI and its ability to deliver more calories to the body compared to simple sugars make it the ideal ASAP post-exercise carbohydrate.
Recoverite(https://hammernutrition.com/collections/fuels/products/recoverite) and
Vegan Recoverite (https://hammernutrition.com/collections/fuels/products/vegan-recoverite)
are PERFECT fuels for maximizing recovery.
One not-so-small thing
The reason I bring this up is because so many energy gels and drinks are comprised of fructose. The article “Fructose—The Worst of the Worst”
(https://hammernutrition.com/blogs/endurance-news-weekly/fructose-the-worst-of-the-worst)
discusses why this simple sugar is the poorest carbohydrate energy source of them all, and why it’s a health hazard when consumed as a separate entity—fruit juice, fructose in sports fuels, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in processed foods—instead of in whole fruits and vegetables.
And guess what? Fructose—not maltodextrin, but fructose—is one of the chief culprits for uric acid production and, in the words of Dr. French, “its caldron of metabolic and performance-suffering effects.”
Note: Again, when we are talking about the health issues associated with sugar (glucose, sucrose, fructose), we are NOT referring to the sugar that naturally occurs in whole fruits and vegetables. When that sugar is “part of the whole,” as it is in whole fruits and vegetables, the body responds favorably, courtesy of the fibers, enzymes, and phytonutrients in whole fruits and vegetables. Instead, the issues involved with sugar intake occur when these “ose” sugars—especially fructose—are consumed as a separate entity (e.g., fruit juice, fructose-containing sports fuels, HFCS-containing processed foods).
But there’s more! And it doesn’t get any better.
It doesn’t stop there. New research shows that high fructose intake damages the intestinal barrier, leading to a condition known as Leaky Gut. Dr. Marcelo Campos explains: “Inside our bellies, we have an extensive intestinal lining covering more than 4,000 square feet of surface area. When working properly, it forms a tight barrier that controls what gets absorbed into the bloodstream. An unhealthy gut lining may have large cracks or holes, allowing partially digested food, toxins, and bugs to penetrate the tissues beneath it. This may trigger inflammation and changes in the gut flora (normal bacteria) that could lead to problems within the digestive tract and beyond. The research world is booming today with studies showing that modifications in the intestinal bacteria and inflammation may play a role in the development of several common chronic diseases.”
Reference: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/leaky-gut-what-is-it-and-what-does-it-mean-for-you-2017092212451
Dr. Bayne French writes, “Sugar, particularly fructose, is particularly damaging to this thin lining. Lambertz et al. (Front Immunol. 2017) discuss in great detail, ‘fructose induced alterations of the tight junction proteins affecting the gut permeability, leading to the translocation of bacteria and bacterial endotoxins into the blood circulation.’ Sugar is directly toxic to these proteins, creating an intestinal barrier that is leaky. Fructose also damages our gut flora and leads to pro-inflammatory microbiota that release toxins. There are many toxins, one of which is lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which then further damages the intestinal barrier.”
Summary
Maltodextrin will never get “awesome for overall health so consume it all the time” status; it’s not a perfect carbohydrate… nothing is. But it is, without question, the superior form of carbohydrate to consume during exercise and immediately after—far better than any simple sugar: glucose, sucrose, or fructose, especially the latter. When you limit maltodextrin consumption to those times only, you will NOT experience any issues at all, but you WILL enjoy superior endurance and recovery. We’ve been guaranteeing this for 38+ years, and we will keep.
