QUESTION: There are two schools of thought among fluid replacement company principals as to how many nutrients need to be included in a beverage meant to be used during exercise. One end of the spectrum holds that carbohydrate and a couple of electrolytes are sufficient, while the other that a drink with upwards of 100 nutrients is optimal, since that's what the body will use during exercise. What is your company's approach; if you want you may include any scientific reasoning to support your company's position.

ECAPS: The answer to this question depends on the length of the event for time necessary to transit for depleted/stressed macronutrients and micronutrients. In an endurance event lasting 12 hours or less, fluids, carbohydrate fuels, and specific electrolytes may have performance-limiting effects if not replenished. In events lasting longer than 12 hours, it is required that the athlete replenish depleted macronutrients and micronutrients during the event proportionate to time, rate, and the individual athlete's biochemical makeup to postpone failure.

QUESTION: What type of sugar do you use, and why?

ECAPS: SUSTAINED ENERGY contains no sugar. Sugar is defined as a monosaccharide or a disaccharide. The shorter the chain length a carbohydrate is, the higher it raises the solution osmolality in the stomach. Simple sugars must be mixed in weak 6 percent to 8 percent solutions or they will sit undigested in the stomach and not pass the gastric lining, possibly creating sour stomach, cramps, or flatulence. Maltodextrin is a multiple of sugars hooked together, allowing an 18 percent to 24 percent solution to be immediately in transit to the liver where it is turned back to the energy cycle as muscle glycogen. The amylose-amylopectin content of maltodextrin or potato starch is very similar in chemistry to human stored glycogen. Therefore the "gold standard" carbohydrate source for energy drinks, bars, or gels originates from longer-chain carbohydrates [maltodextrins] because more caloric volume crosses the gastric lining with less distress to the athlete.

As mentioned earlier, human body fluid of 300 mOsm osmolality is a reasonable application for carbohydrate solution absorption. This means that we need to provide a product that has science, logic and reasoning behind it while making it known that alteration can and should be done in training. The "one size fits all" theory has no validity when it comes to proper fueling; a product needs to be experimented with in training so that individual requirements can be fulfilled. When exercise intensity or duration increases and/or when weather becomes hotter, gastric emptying rates are further delayed or decreased. So it’s important that a majority of calories, the most possible under a given situation, are absorbed into the body for use as fuel with as little stomach distress as possible. "The most possible" can only be determined through experimentation in training but at the very least the fuel should allow the maximal amount possible while not upsetting the stomach.

We also believe that simple sugars can upset the body's mineral balance by interfering with the absorption of calcium and magnesium and by also potentially creating a deficiency in chromium and copper. Simple sugars can produce an acidic stomach, which we believe is counterproductive to performance. We believe there are many general health risks in addition to hindered performance that are due to the use of simple sugars, so we do not formulate them in our products. Our belief is that these sugars are used in products solely for flavor enhancement and because of their relative low cost to the manufacturer. Simply put, we believe they offer no benefits for athletes.

QUESTION: Most companies describe the ratio of solute-to-solvent in terms of their beverage's percent solution. Do you feel that this is sufficient for the discussion, or whether the discussion of osmotic pressure is germane? Please add any detail on this subject you feel is needed.
ECAPS: We feel that osmolality is of extreme importance when discussing fuel strategies. This is because far too often athletes complain of stomach problems which we feel can be directly related to the type of carbohydrate used in a fuel mix. If the osmolality of the solution the athlete drinks deviates from body fluid levels of 280-303 mOsm it will be delayed from absorption until gastric organs can either add more fluid or the electrolytes necessary to create osmolality within body fluid or blood serum level. Because a drink mixture containing simple sugar does not match the same osmolality of regular body fluid, unless it is limited to approximately a 5 percent concentration, it will remain in the stomach until sufficiently diluted. This may cause stomach distress that is obviously detrimental to performance and is why discussion of osmotic pressure is very important. We need to remember that there is a limited amount of calories a 5 percent solution will provide. Usually it is no more than 100 calories, far too little on an hourly basis to sustain energy levels.

QUESTION: There has been a lot of talk recently about supplementing salt to one's during-race intake, especially in long, hot races where salt loss is extreme. Can you offer your company's position on this, and perhaps your view on the pros and cons of this?

ECAPS: The human body needs very minute amounts of sodium to function normally. We need only 250 mg of sodium each day, athletes maybe 500 mg., which is easily supplied by natural, unprocessed foods; however, the average American consumes approximately 6,000 to 7,000 mg per day. The average athlete stores at least 8,000 mg of dietary sodium in tissues.

Most athletes perform successfully using from 80-300 mg sodium per hour in prolonged endurance events. Mechanisms regulating sodium excretion in kidneys are very complex and lengthy. Sweat losses generate large losses in sodium and chloride, which are re-circulated by a positive feedback loop monitored closely through hormonal receptors throughout the body. Rapid replacement of sodium neutralizes the body's hormonal defenses, allowing water replenishing to dilute sodium content. A high sodium electrolyte supplement is temporal and contradictory to natural physiological serum electrolyte control. One reason salt tablets were eliminated from professional athletic training kits is that shortly after a sodium-depleted athlete would slug a few salt tablets, stomach cramps would bend them over double. If the athlete overdoes it in regards to sodium intake, he/she will be interfering with normal/natural body mechanics, the hormonal and enzymatic functions. If an athlete starts going heavy on the sodium, replacing it too rapidly, he or she had better stay heavy on it because he or she is over-riding normal body functions.

Salt stains on jerseys and shorts are NOT an indication that the athlete is sodium-depleted. Rather it is the body excreting excess amounts due to an overabundance in the body (which is why dumping more sodium in the system is extremely counterproductive). ENDUROLYTES is a low-sodium approach to electrolyte replacement that emphasizes a balance of essential minerals that cooperatively enhance the body's natural hormone and enzyme mechanics. In essence, we want to work with our body, not against it.

QUESTION: It is customary for a race organizer to offer a variety of food and drink. In particular, one might find bananas on the course, gels such as GU, and defizzed Coke. What is your company's position on these other food and drink sources, and is it in the athlete's best interest to take any of them? If so, which, and when, and under what circumstances?

ECAPS:

ENDURANCE NUTRITION: HOW AND WHAT TO EAT BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER EXERCISE? PRE-EVENT MEAL WARNING [TAKE NO SOONER THAN 3 HOURS BEFORE EXERCISE]

Both maltodextrin and sugar-based foods have corresponding high glycemic indexes which will elevate blood glucose and insulin release at similar rates. The high glycemic index of sugar and maltodextrin ranges between 90-137. High glycemic carbohydrates such as maltodextrins or simple sugars taken 60 MINUTES BEFORE exercise may have the following less-than-optimal or possibly negative effects on performance:

1. Rapid rise in blood sugar raises insulin excess leading to hypoglycemia.
2. High insulin levels inhibit lipid mobilization during aerobic exercise.
3. High insulin-induced blood sugar influx into muscle cells causes a higher rate of carbohydrate metabolism, hence rapid carbohydrate fuel depletion.
4. The pre-event meal hormone insulin-induced blood sugar levels is not affected when ingested 3 hours prior. Hormonal balance is restored 3 hours following a carbohydrate pre-event meal, but is out of metabolic balance if taken within 60 minutes of the start.
5. The metabolic pathway and caloric donation generated from fructose exclude it completely from consideration as an efficient or required carbohydrate in prior to or after energy expense.

Therefore the pre-event meal should consist of 75-100 grams of carbohydrates from complex carbohydrate maltodextrins but should not be taken later than 3 hours prior to an exercise event. Intake of high glycemic carbohydrates between meals may be the No. 1 cause of excessive body weight gain in the off-season, which may be resolved by either lowering the serving size and frequency of high glycemic carbohydrates or choosing below "50" glycemic indexed high fiber carbohydrate foods:

PRE-EVENT MEAL GLYCEMIC INDEX [pre-exercise, in between meals]

• GI of 50-59: Buckwheat, white spaghetti, sweet corn, All-Bran, peas, yam, potato chips.
• GI of 40-49: Wholemeal spaghetti, sweet potato, navy beans, dried peas, oranges, sponge cake
• GI of 30-39: Butterbeans, blackeye peas, apples, milk, yogurt, tomato soup
• GI of 20-29: Kidney beans, lentils, parsnips
• GI of 10-19: Soy beans, peanuts