difference between "fast" carbs

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fervorviolinist

New Member
I hear that many bb'ers use carbs such as dextrose, maltodextrin, and vitargo for their post-workout shakes in order to rapidly restore muscle glycogen and increase the body's protein intake/utilization through insulin elevation. But I don't know why people fear "sugars" so much and recommend the fastest carbs, especially when all carbohydrates are "sugars"...

What is the difference between dextrose, maltodextrin, and vitargo? All 3 types of carbs should have the same glycemic index (GI=100), so one would think they're the one and the same; and yet different people advocate one over the other (or varying combinations). For instance, refer to the section "My Experience with Different Carbs" at:

http://www.fitnessforoneandall.com/powerli....one.htm

Thank you all.
 
Ive always read that maltodextrin + dextrose was the best combination, havent read much on vitargo.

"Maltodextrin is a glucose polymer (a string of glucose units put together, similar to the protein peptide). It is therefore, by definition, a complex carbohydrate. However it's more complex nature does NOT slow digestion. Therefore, the GI and II remain high. Maltodextrin is the absolute best carbohydrate to consume during exercise for rapidly delivering blood glucose and for muscle glycogen recovery. It's also best for fluid uptake.

Dextrose (glucose) is a simple carbohydrate unit (similar to the amino acid). While it's good for exercise situations (malto is better), you're probably better off adding some dextrose to your maltodextrin formula. A little bit of dextrose may enhance the already excellent fluid uptake that occurs with maltodextrin during exercise."

"To take advantage of their similarities as well as their differences, the ideal post-workout carbohydrate source should be a 50-50 combo of the two. You see, maltodextrin is less likely to cause GI distress due to the low osmolarity (the amount of free glucose units in a given amount of liquid). This property also means that it will be more quickly absorbed. The more free glucose molecules in solution, the slower the GI absorption times. So since malto has less free units per quantity of liquid, it is more rapidly absorbed. Finally malto seems to replenish glycogen stores better than other carbohydrates. So it's a must for the post workout drink. However, don't sell out dextrose just yet. Since free glucose units can actually facilitate fluid uptake and absorption in the GI due to an active coupled glucose-sodium transporter, dextrose is a good addition to the drink as well.

More on it here aswell:
http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/magazine03/dextrose.htm
 
For a set concentration in water, maltodextrin will have a lower osmolarity than glucose, and vitargo will have a lower osmolarity than maltodextrin.

For the most part this does not matter at all.
 
If you read Bryans workout nutrition article a conclusion is amount of carbs consumed is important, the type of carbs is not.
 
The type of carb can be important, for somebody who is performing multiple depleting bouts per day (like some athletic sports), or in some cases its useful for during the event, if the person needs to maximise carbohydrate intake without consuming masses of liquids (lower osmolarity of the carb means you can squeeze more carbohydrate into a given quantity of fluid without causing GI issues etc)

But for somebody not performing multiple boutsper day, or long endurance events, then it doesnt really matter
 
I have been following the notion of eating a low glycemic diet to keep my body in fat burning mode and only eating the high glycemic carbs after a workout to promote growth. Is there something to this or just a myth? I eat every couple of hours and each meal contains a high quality protein, good fats and some type of slow carb. The exception is my after workout recovery shake and meal.

Keystone
 
I have been following the notion of eating a low glycemic diet to keep my body in fat burning mode and only eating the high glycemic carbs after a workout to promote growth. Is there something to this or just a myth? I eat every couple of hours and each meal contains a high quality protein, good fats and some type of slow carb. The exception is my after workout recovery shake and meal.

Keystone
 
I don't believe it will make a difference when it comes to burning fat. What makes a difference when it comes to burning fat is whether or not you have a calorie deficit.
 
What I have been reading about it says your body reacts different when different types of carbs are eaten. Again, maybe there is nothing to and maybe I tend to believe too much of what I read.
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It went something like this.

If you eat a high glycemic meal or carbs, the fast carbs cause a rise in your blood sugar and insulin levels. They were saying that when this happens your body goes into fat storing mode instead of fat burning mode.

On the flip side, if you eat slow carbs or a low glycemic load for a meal that your blood sugar doesn't spike, keeping insulin levels in check and keeping your body in fat burning mode.

Again, this was aimed at all meals except for the post workout meal.

The theory there was that the fast carbs were good because the spike in blood sugar and insulin levels helps kick off the growth phase and those carbs were escorted to your glycogen stores instead of being stored as fat.

It then went on to say that you could even eat maintain and still lose fat by just changing how you ate and when you ate your carbs.

I think I read it in Men's Health?

Again, just what I read and at the time I bought into it and I don' t know if there is really something to it or just a way to fill the space in the magazine. That's why I brought it up to the experts here.
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Keystone
 
Ok there may be no difference between the types of carbs eaten in terms of glycogen replenishment, but surely high glycemic carbs create a bigger insulin spike & so increase protein synthesis.
 
Your body isn't ever in fat burning mode really, if you are eating carbs. It is almost always in carb burning mode, regardless of whether carbs are high or low GI, unless you aren't eating carbs, or limit your carbs quite a lot. Yeah, it's an oversimplification, but it's foolish to tell people that you will burn fat by eating only complex carbs, when that isn't the truth. You will only lose fat by having a calorie deficit.
 
<div>
(Razien99 @ Apr. 06 2006,11:50)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Ok there may be no difference between the types of carbs eaten in terms of glycogen replenishment, but surely high glycemic carbs create a bigger insulin spike &amp; so increase protein synthesis.</div>
carbs have minimal effect on protein synthesis (more of that insulin has a permissive role) by themselves.

they will influence protein breakdown to a greater degree
 
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