Comments On Long Chain or "Slow Burn" Carb Fueling

Presenting long chain or "slow burn" carbohydrates for athletic fueling has been a great marketing story, but is of no value to the exercising athlete who is ingesting carbs and other foods during an event. In fact, in a prolonged event, such advice will lead you to one place – bonking! “Fast burn” carbs, also called high glycemic index carbs, include dextrose, the principal carb found in Eload(TM). “Slow burn” carbs, also called low glycemic index carbs, include fructose. Interestingly, many companies advocating use of “slow burn carbs” are referring to maltodextrin, amylopectin starches and glucose polymers, which are all fast burn or high glycemic carbs! The question is: When do you need your carbohydrate, now, or later? If you are working even moderately hard for prolonged periods, you better believe it, you need it now! If you are out for a family stroll in the park, then eat all the slow burning carbs that you want – you won’t need them anyway at such a low level of activity!

Lets look at it another way. If you are burning carbs at a rate of 60 grams/hour, then you need to be absorbing these at the same rate, otherwise you are headed for eventual bonking. What good is a bunch of carbohydrate sitting in your gut for long periods of time, as all slow burn carbs do, when your muscles, heart, brain, liver and kidneys are all crying for carb now, this second! The truth of the matter is that the more rapid the carbohydrate release during exercise, the more your body is readily supplied with glucose – NOW, WHICH MEANS NO BONKING!