Ironman Perform
Last week, Ironman sent athletes signed up for certain events a case of new Powerbar product called Ironman Perform. They are intending to serve it at several events and wanted athletes to have the opportunity to train with it ahead of time. I really appreciated their foresight with this. After years of struggling with stomach issues, new product is a source of fear that I would rather not deal with.
Because my stomach has been so finicky, my attitude has been less than great about this. Passive-aggressive misspelling of the product to just complete irritation is pretty much where I was at. But really, I do appreciate having the product ahead of time.
So, what about the product? Well, it brags to be their proprietary C2MAX. C2MAX is a combo of maltodextrin, fructose and dextrose. Biochemistry was never my thing, but a multi-path energy source is obviously a valuable thing. Remember good old Krebs?
Your body is dependent on nutrients such as carbohydrate, fat, and protein contribute to the fuel supply needed by the body to perform exercise. These nutrients get converted to energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate or ATP. It is from the energy released by the breakdown of ATP that allows muscle cells to contract. However, each nutrient has unique properties that determine how it gets converted to ATP. Hey, wake up. I’m just getting started.
ATP is pretty difficult to store and is used up very quickly. It must be made on the fly, while you are exercising. Carbohydrates are most easily utilized for endurance events, although fats and proteins are also burned. ATP is being made through the aerobic pathways. As exercise intensity increases, carbohydrate metabolism takes over. It is more efficient than fat metabolism, but has limited energy stores. This stored carbohydrate (glycogen) can fuel about 2 hours of moderate to high level exercise. After that, glycogen depletion occurs (stored carbohydrates are used up) and if that fuel isn't replaced athletes may hit the wall or "bonk."
Generally, the idea is to conserve the glycogen. The idea in Perform is three types of carbohydrates entering the system on different pathways and assisting the body with ready access to fuel. Even if one pathway is slower than another, the net carbs crossing over should be greater. In sports drinks, osmolality is a concern. Drinks must be able to be absorbed AND provide hydration. Obviously. Get the wrong combo, and you have a gut full of fluid. Not fun.
In a not so recent study carried out at the University of Iowa, researchers from the department of Exercise Science got together with gastroenterology specialists to look at all these different factors. The major finding was that the drinks containing two transportable substances boosted water flux into the bloodstream more than drinks with just one substance, even when the fluids with combinations of substances were of higher osmolality. The scientists therefore concluded that osmolality is not the most important characteristic governing water absorption in the small intestine when multiply transported substances are present. Now we are talking!
Or, maybe not so much. Maltodextrin solutions might have been expected to perform well because of their low osmolality. However, they did not stimulate as much solute or water transport as equivalent drinks (by weight of carbohydrate) containing two or more transportable substances. In English, your electrolytes and water will not move as efficiently across the intestine as it would with other sugars. This is a concern. Gatorade Endurance came in 24 oz bottles with 150 calories per bottle. The IM Perform comes in 20 oz bottle and contains 175 calories. More sugar and less net H2O absorption all the way around. Keep this in mind in the heat.
In use, it didn’t cause me any harm. I disagree with the label that says “great taste”. Used it on my long bike ride this last week. After several hours of use, I noticed a not so nice after-taste. Same with my long run today. Towards the end of the run, I avoided drinking because it was causing stomach upset. Both times, I noticed a lot of belching. I have a twenty pound bag of maltodextrin in my freezer. Only my husband can use it, because this is what happens when I take maltodextrin in my drinks.
The label also notes there is no high fructose corn syrup. Not sure that matters. The difference between glucose/fructose and corn syrup is??? Ugh. Glucose-fructose syrup. Whatever. Gotta love advertising.
In conclusion; I think Perform will do fine for the bike. I will be sucking high fructose corn syrup (Coke) and drinking broth on the run.
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