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.

PROLYTE: We believe that your bodies ability to use nutrients during exercise is limited. Most of your blood is being used to supply the muscles with oxygen, electrolytes and glucose, thus little is left for other functions, including digestion. Also, during exercise, the muscles are being torn down and can't use those nutrients to repair themselves. That is why ProLyte contains only the necessary carbs, electrolytes (sodium and potassium, with magnesium to aid in electrolyte absorption) and b-vitamins (to promote efficient use of the carbohydrates. B-vitamins aid in carb metabolism). The time to replenish the protien and nutrients to help your body repair itself is after exercise, when your body can uptake the nutrients quickly and efficiently and use them for muscle repair, glycogen replenishment and reduction of free radicals.

There are a few drinks that offer many additional nutrients, however it is much cheaper to get these additional nutrients in a multivitamin. In addition, virtually all of drinks we've seen contain synthetic vitamins, which are best absorbed with food. So, chances are, those drinks with all kinds of vitamins and extra goodies aren't getting digested or utilized entirely anyway. Your best bet is to eat a lot of veggies and fruits and grains and use a multivitamin. (I personally take a multivitamin with breakfast, then several different antioxidant pills with dinner).

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

PROLYTE: We use three types of carbs:
- Maltodextrin (long chain glucose polymers): Complex carbs. They are easily broken down without requiring much in the way of digestion. It mixes easily and provides sustained energy. Compare this with some products that use starches and brown rice syrups which require more digestion, causing stomach distress during exercise.
- Glucose: Enters the blood stream immediately requiring no digestion. This provides an immediate source of energy while the maltodextrin breaks down.
- Pure, Crystalline Fructose: Fructose preferentially restores liver glycogen, and it helps to speed fluids through the stomach into the small intestine, where everything is absorbed. It is important to note that a LITTLE fructose helps this, but too much can actually slow gastric emptying and cause fluids to "sit" in your stomach. Fructose is classified as a "Sugar" on FDA labeling even though it has one of the lowest glycemic indexes. Fructose does little to spike your blood sugar levels, rather, it is processed by the liver and stored as glycogen there until you run very, very low on blood and muscle glycogen stores. When this happens, the liver begins trickling its stored glucose into the bloodstream to keep blood sugar levels stable.

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.

PROLYTE: We believe that the % solution is the best way to compare drinks. Osmality means little to the average athlete, myself included, and stating this would offer nothing. Compare this to bodybuilding when whey proteins list their "fractions." It may make the product look more impressive, but ask the average bodybuilder what benefits they offer, and you'll probably get a blank look. Same with stating intake of macro-nutrients in terms of grams/kilogram bodyweight. I have no idea how many Kg I weigh, and prefer to know how much I should eat as a percentage of bodyweight in lbs. (you can find this info on our website). Simply put, most people know that a 6% to 10% solution is ideal for quick absorption.
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?

PROLYTE: Salt intake is a very personal thing. A recent article in one of the triathlon magazines cited research that a person who eats a salt heavy diet probably sweats more salt out than someone who eats a low-sodium diet. Some people are more affected by salt loss than others, and for those people we recommend they try adding a little more salt to their ProLyte in leiu of taking tablets. This way, it is absorbed along with the other nutrients and electrolytes that aid in each other's absorption. It's hard to make a blanket statement on this because everyone's needs are different. Keep in mind that you're sweating out more than just salt!

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?

PROLYTE: Let me state for the record that soda, especially Colas, are a TERRIBLE choice for pre-, during and post exercise fueling. Not only are they very acidic, but they are loaded with high fructose corn syrup (not to be confused with pure fructose, very different), which can spike blood sugar levels, then cause an insulin rush and the resulting bonk.

Having said that, here's what we feel is a good way to fuel for races:
FOOD: Try eating Oatmeal cooked with apple juice instead of water and adding whey or soy protein powder to it for breakfast. You'll be surprised at how far this will take you through the day. Eggs (mostly whites) with some oatmeal are very good too, you want to make sure to get some protein to slow digestion. Be sure not to load your oatmeal with sugar and don't use the instant packets, they're high in sugar. You want the complex carbs from the oats.

The reason I mention that is so that you can minimize the desire to eat while exercising. During exercise, your gut has very little blood to work with for performing its functions. Thus, digestion is really asking a lot of your body while working out. Your best bet is to use GU (which is basically the same as ProLyte, except its caffeine is from an herbal source and it has citric acid), water and ProLyte. One thing we tell our athletes to do during longer races, and I do it myself, is to get pure maltodextrin (complex carbs) and add it to your sports drink. If you look at Extran, it's predominantly complex carbs from maltodextrin, but little else in the way of electrolytes, vitamins, etc., and it's very, very expensive. (look at the comparison chart) The better thing to do is get ProLyte (which has one of the lowest cost per servings available) and add maltodextrin for longer races. I've loaded up a water bottle with two scoops of ProLyte (60g carbs) and added another 100g of maltodextrin. This gives me approximately 126g complex carbs, 10g Fructose and 24g glucose, plus all the electrolytes, b-vitamins, vitamin C and Pure Caffeine. And it's still cheaper than Extran! (This would provide 640 calories in one water bottle)

If you must eat something, eat fruits such as bananas and apples. Steer clear of citrus fruits because of the high acidity. Apples are also relatively low glycemic, so they will provide a more sustained energy source. Bananas are high in Potassium, which will help prevent cramps. Some other things you should avoid during exercise and racing are fiber, meats and fats. All these things slow down digestion considerably, and just sit in your stomach. If you think fats will provide you with more energy, you're right. But by the time you're done digesting them, you could have burned many times that amount in energy from taking in a steady supply of carbs.
QUESTION: We may not have asked a question you feel is important. Please feel free to expand and expound on anything we've missed on the topic in general, or with regard to your brand in particular.

PROLYTE: In summary, ProLyte is the only sports drink with Pure Caffeine and NO Citric Acid. It's over 1/3 complex carbs for sustained energy. ProLyte contains 5 B-vitamins for real, usable energy, plus all the electrolytes, choline, Vitamin C and more!