Gone with the winds
Endurance athletes usually consume carbohydrate gels to improve their performance and endurance during a competition. Tests carried out on trained cyclists showed that a standard dish, mashed potatoes, was just as effective.
A comparative study carried out on three groups of cyclists - the first on water only, the second on mashed potatoes and the third on commercial gel containing the same amount of carbohydrates as the mashed potatoes - showed that the performance of the second group was just as good as that of the third.th, commercial gel containing the same amount of carbohydrates as the mashed potatoes - showed that the performance of the second group was just as good as that of the third.
However, there was one clear difference: the puree group suffered more bloating than the gel and water groups. It is assumed that these symptoms stem from the need for more mashed potato to obtain the same proportion of carbohydrate from the gels.
"In summary, potato and gel consumption equally promoted blood glucose concentration and performance," explains Nicolas A. Burd, head of the study at the University of Illinois, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. "Our aim is to expand refuelling options for athletes in competition and compensate for gustatory boredom," he adds.
The potato
The study involved twelve healthy cyclists with several years of training who were asked to cycle a weekly distance of 267 kilometres. The average age was 31. The staff randomly divided the participants into three groups: the 'mashed potato' group, the 'carbohydrate gel' group and the 'water' group. All three took part in a two-hour bike race and a time trial, with the respective fuel.
In this crossover study design, where each participant received the three fuels consecutively, the researchers standardised the cyclists'cyclists' food intake for 24 hours prior to the experiment and monitored their heart rate, body temperature, training intensity and gastric emptying. Blood samples were taken from the cyclists during the tests.
Measurements showed that heart rate, blood glucose levels and lactate levels - a by-product of muscle metabolism and a marker of training intensity - in the blood were also higher.training - in the blood were also higher in the 'gels' and 'potatoes' groups than in the 'water' group. What's more, time trial performance was the same - or even better - in the gel and mashed potato groups than in the water group.
The researchers summarise the experiment as follows:
"Overall, our study is a proof of concept demonstrating that athletes can use whole starches instead of commercial products to diversify menus in endurance sports.
Potatoes are natural, cheap and tastier than artificial gels, while having the same effect as the latter. For that alone, I'd be willing to put up with a bit of bloating. Click "Follow Author" in my author profile for articles that help you fart your way to health.
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