# Health issues with high calorie energy gels/drinks?



## Banjo (21 Feb 2013)

The general advice seem,s to be to keep your blood sugar on an even line with no massive spikes or lows replacing calories used with foods that release energy gradually . 

Feeling the bonk coming then downing a massive energy hit to keep going flies in the face of that.

Is there any evidence of long term harm being done?


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (21 Feb 2013)

<surmising>
If you're working hard enough that eating true solids isn't an option (or are taking an emergency gel) the GI is important, but only because it will be high - thus rapid energy release ASAP/when you need it. Otherwise the point of a gel is kinda lost<surmise>

Never heard or seen any evidence. Teeth may well take a battering though.

EDIT: Interestingly low GI gels exist http://www.chocolateenergygel.com/


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## Upstream (21 Feb 2013)

From my understanding (and I'm certainly no expert) the books I've read all seem to say that once you feel the bonk coming on, it's too late to do anything about it and taking a gel or food at that point won't help. They say that the key is ensuring that you take adequate food and drink throughout the activity and definately before you feel any negative effects.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (21 Feb 2013)

Upstream said:


> From my understanding (and I'm certainly no expert) the books I've read all seem to say that once you feel the bonk coming on, it's too late to do anything about it and taking a gel or food at that point won't help. They say that the key is ensuring that you take adequate food and drink throughout the activity and definately before you feel any negative effects.


People recover from bonking all of the time. But yes, consume to prevent.


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## ColinJ (21 Feb 2013)

Upstream said:


> From my understanding (and I'm certainly no expert) the books I've read all seem to say that once you feel the bonk coming on, it's too late to do anything about it and taking a gel or food at that point won't help. They say that the key is ensuring that you take adequate food and drink throughout the activity and definately before you feel any negative effects.


Prevention is better than a cure, but the cure is possible.

I bonked on one ride when I was coming to a crossroads. In about 50 metres of cycling, I went from feeling okay to being unable to even work out how to cross the junction safely. I was with a riding partner and we were very close to a supermarket so he went in and bought a sandwich and a can of Coke for me. The Coke got my blood sugar back up pretty quickly but I still felt wobbly so I ate the sandwich and stood and chatted for 10 minutes or so. After that, I felt well enough to continue, but It took 60 - 75 minutes before I really felt back to normal.


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## Licramite (26 Feb 2013)

well red bull really does give you wings - several deaths related to red bull recently. - it carries an ingredient that makes the blood sticky. - if your about to do high energy activity the body can process it , but lots of people drink it like pop. - and climb the walls afterwards - my daughter who is a primary school teacher has just got the local shop to agree to not sell it to her kids - 7-9 year olds before school. her first lesson of the day was PE as the kids were all hyper.

I always carry food (mars bars) with me as I had a few occasions after work were with 10-15miles to go I bonked big time. - fainting at one point. - It is really hard when you suddenly run out of fuel. as colin said - your brain stops working.
It's particulary dangerous if its wet and cold as you can go down with hyperheria very quickly. - people have died in mild conditions within an hour from it,


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## Rob3rt (26 Feb 2013)

Upstream said:


> From my understanding (and I'm certainly no expert) the books I've read all seem to say that once you feel the bonk coming on, it's too late to do anything about it and taking a gel or food at that point won't help. They say that the key is ensuring that you take adequate food and drink throughout the activity and definately before you feel any negative effects.


 
You most likely won't stop it in its tracks by necking a gel, but you will get over it quicker than if you don't suck a gel down.


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## Ningishzidda (26 Feb 2013)

Remember. Only put in your stomach as much as you NEED. Any extra will be stored as fat.


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## SquareDaff (26 Feb 2013)

Anything longer than an hour then work out the calories you'll be consuming and eat continually over the timeframe. Putting in as many calories (or slighly less) as you'll use will stop "bonking" occuring!


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## Linford (26 Feb 2013)

Licramite said:


> well red bull really does give you wings - several deaths related to red bull recently. -* it carries an ingredient that makes the blood sticky*. - if your about to do high energy activity the body can process it , but lots of people drink it like pop. - and climb the walls afterwards - my daughter who is a primary school teacher has just got the local shop to agree to not sell it to her kids - 7-9 year olds before school. her first lesson of the day was PE as the kids were all hyper.
> 
> I always carry food (mars bars) with me as I had a few occasions after work were with 10-15miles to go I bonked big time. - fainting at one point. - It is really hard when you suddenly run out of fuel. as colin said - your brain stops working.
> It's particulary dangerous if its wet and cold as you can go down with hyperheria very quickly. - people have died in mild conditions within an hour from it,


 
A colleague of mine (was 42 at the time), not particularly overweight, but had a real thing for minstrels.
He sat down to watch a video, and managed to consume 2 family sized bags of these sweets.
1 hour later, he was having a heart attack...which was brought on by it.

He was an undiagnosed T2 diabetic, and they put him straight onto insulin which saved his life.
He subesquently had a triple bypass op to repair the damage. He is now on pills, to control it, and seems to have better sugar control than I do ATM

When people refer to 'The Bonk', they are actually refering to Hypoglycaemia...or low blood sugar (below 4.0 on the meter), and anyone can go down with this if exercising hard enough...diabetics have much poorer control, and are more at risk of it though..
Better to carry a flapjack than gel drinks as high sugars can be as damaging as low if the person is an undiagnosed diabetic. There is nothing to back up that big hit in a gel drink, and the body struggles to absorb it into the tissue, so the risk of bonking is again fairly high if not backed up with food. If I want to ride 20 miles, I have to eat properly beforehand with lower GI foods or risk going hypo within 10 miles.


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## Licramite (26 Feb 2013)

This thread has been quite good, it's made me go on line and check out energy drinks/food recommendations - some things I've been doing right and some wrong.

It's recommended you drink energy drinks over water but to check out which agrees with you before commiting it to a ride. - I don't I only take water, so may be orange squash might be worth taking. - all the high energy sportive drinks i've tried are disgusting and leave a strange aftertaste. - and dont quench your thirst. - Oh and you absorb it quicker if its cold so stick an ice cube in it. (not needed right now)
Food, I've got right I take yogute covered flap jacks, nice and moist and just the right stuff - mars bars are ok but when your dehydrated can be a bit cloying to eat.
My big mistake is I don't stop to eat/drink often enough , every 20-30minutes is recommended to keep topped up, I tend to battle on till hungry or thirsty and its to late by then.


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## Linford (26 Feb 2013)

Licramite said:


> This thread has been quite good, it's made me go on line and check out energy drinks/food recommendations - some things I've been doing right and some wrong.
> 
> It's recommended you drink energy drinks over water but to check out which agrees with you before commiting it to a ride. - I don't I only take water, so may be orange squash might be worth taking. - all the high energy sportive drinks i've tried are disgusting and leave a strange aftertaste. - and dont quench your thirst. - Oh and you absorb it quicker if its cold so stick an ice cube in it. (not needed right now)
> Food, I've got right I take yogute covered flap jacks, nice and moist and just the right stuff - mars bars are ok but when your dehydrated can be a bit cloying to eat.
> My big mistake is I don't stop to eat/drink often enough , every 20-30minutes is recommended to keep topped up, I tend to battle on till hungry or thirsty and its to late by then.


 
I went to Florida a couple of years ago at the beginning of July. Dehydration was a real issue in the theme parks. The first day out we just bought drinks as and when, and all got very dehydrated, blinding headaches, very dark wee etc.
The next park we did, we used Gatorade,. It was just as hot, and the drink wasn't that nice, but it did work very well. It isn't just about the water, it is also about the salts you need to replace (electrolytes)

Dehydration also increases blood sugar levels as well BTW.


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## fossyant (26 Feb 2013)

I would avoid using gels and energy drinks too often - save them for longer rides or 'events' where stopping to eat isn't on the cards. More for your teeth than anything.


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## ayceejay (26 Feb 2013)

The most efficient way to recover from 'the bonk' or hypoglycemia is simple carbohydrate (sugar) in the form of glucose tablets (and a tube fits in the pocket nicely) orange juice also works but the source is fructose and not glucose (but is easy to get down). At this time you should NOT take any complex carbohydrate (or any other food source) as this will slow the absorption of the sugar, when you start to feel better (20 minutes maybe) then reload with complex carbohydrates.


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## Licramite (26 Feb 2013)

when I did the welsh 3000 - many many years ago, we lived on them, (and jam sandwiches) the really good bit is they foam in your mouth and as we were normally out of water and dry as hell we could get them down.
It would have been that really hot summer of 78? - lots of reservoirs dried up.


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## tadpole (26 Feb 2013)

Licramite said:


> when I did the welsh 3000 - many many years ago, we lived on them, (and jam sandwiches) the really good bit is they foam in your mouth and as we were normally out of water and dry as hell we could get them down.
> It would have been that really hot summer of 78? - lots of reservoirs dried up.


76


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## Licramite (26 Feb 2013)

yes, - a younger sleaker version of me with a fully working heart if I remember right.


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## Lee_M (26 Feb 2013)

how do you lot manage to carry mars bars and jam sandwiches etc.

Don't they just end up in a sweaty melted mass in your pocket?

I carry gels as they're easy to carry, then stop for proper food somewhere


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## beastie (26 Feb 2013)

Soreen Malt loaf, Cut into bite size pieces, and a couple of gels on standby. I like a bit of savoury like a sandwich sometimes.


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## Flossyrockstar (27 Feb 2013)

Lee_M said:


> how do you lot manage to carry mars bars and jam sandwiches etc.
> 
> Don't they just end up in a sweaty melted mass in your pocket?
> 
> I carry gels as they're easy to carry, then stop for proper food somewhere



I carry my supplies in a rucksack, along with spare tubes, tools etc.


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## Lee_M (27 Feb 2013)

ah, wouldnt want to ride 100k with a rucksack on my back :-)


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## Arsen Gere (27 Feb 2013)

Lee_M said:


> how do you lot manage to carry mars bars and jam sandwiches etc.
> 
> Don't they just end up in a sweaty melted mass in your pocket?
> 
> I carry gels as they're easy to carry, then stop for proper food somewhere


 
I wrap jam sandwiches and tea cakes in kitchen foil and put them in my back pocket. I never use gels for normal rides just races.
Foil is easier to get in to when you are moving.


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## Rob3rt (27 Feb 2013)

Lee_M said:


> how do you lot manage to carry mars bars and jam sandwiches etc.
> 
> Don't they just end up in a sweaty melted mass in your pocket?
> 
> I carry gels as they're easy to carry, then stop for proper food somewhere


 
Cling film or kitchen foil?


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## Herzog (27 Feb 2013)

Rob3rt said:


> Cling film or kitchen foil?


 
Foil for me! Much easier to rip open on the go (and the resulting metal ball can be thrown if people don't hold their line in corners).


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## Ningishzidda (27 Feb 2013)

I was riding along and a silver coloured spherical object flew across my path. I told everyone at the end of the ride I’d seen a UFO.


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## ColinJ (27 Feb 2013)

Herzog said:


> Foil for me! Much easier to rip open on the go (and the resulting metal ball can be thrown if people don't hold their line in corners).


It's very handy for that. The problem is having to chase back on after stopping to pick it up ...


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## Rob3rt (27 Feb 2013)

I wasn't actually asking what people prefer, I was responding to Lee, with a rhetorical question, i.e. never heard of cling film or foil? hehe.

But on the subject of preference, I prefer cling film, because I tend to shove the litter up my short leg (so I don't have to fumble through a load of litter to find stuff in my pockets and end up dropping it) and foil is scratchy, cling film scrunches down very small too.


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## Lee_M (27 Feb 2013)

Rob3rt said:


> I wasn't actually asking what people prefer, I was responding to Lee, with a rhetorical question, i.e. never heard of cling film or foil? hehe.
> 
> But on the subject of preference, I prefer cling film, because I tend to shove the litter up my short leg (so I don't have to fumble through a load of litter to find stuff in my pockets and end up dropping it) and foil is scratchy, cling film scrunches down very small too.


 
Ive heard of it, but it doesn't seem to stop my food ending up a mangled sweaty mess!

Maybe I just have a higher level of hygeine standard that I dont want to eat something thats been bathed in my sweat for a couple of hours


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## Ningishzidda (27 Feb 2013)

Rob3rt said:


> I wasn't actually asking what people prefer, I was responding to Lee, with a rhetorical question, i.e. never heard of cling film or foil? hehe.
> 
> But on the subject of preference, I prefer cling film, because I tend to shove the litter up my short leg (so I don't have to fumble through a load of litter to find stuff in my pockets and end up dropping it) and foil is scratchy, cling film scrunches down very small too.


 
You mean you have room up your shorst legs.
I stuff litter down the waistband of my shorts cus there's only leg muscle up my shorts legs, and no room for anything else


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## dan_bo (27 Feb 2013)

ayceejay said:


> The most efficient way to recover from 'the bonk' or hypoglycemia is simple carbohydrate (sugar) in the form of glucose tablets (and a tube fits in the pocket nicely) orange juice also works but the source is fructose and not glucose (but is easy to get down). At this time you should NOT take any complex carbohydrate (or any other food source) as this will slow the absorption of the sugar, when you start to feel better (20 minutes maybe) then reload with complex carbohydrates.


 

Yep. take care of dem teef.


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## Rob3rt (27 Feb 2013)

Lee_M said:


> Ive heard of it, but it doesn't seem to stop my food ending up a mangled sweaty mess!
> 
> Maybe I just have a higher level of hygeine standard that I dont want to eat something thats been bathed in my sweat for a couple of hours


 
Then you needs to wrap it better I think. The wrapping may end up sweaty or wet etc but my food is always good to eat.


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## Rob3rt (27 Feb 2013)

Ningishzidda said:


> You mean you have room up your shorst legs.
> I stuff litter down the waistband of my shorts cus there's only leg muscle up my shorts legs, and no room for anything else


 
So I have puny legs but you have a small penis? Is that what you are getting at?


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## Ningishzidda (27 Feb 2013)

Rob3rt said:


> So I have puny legs but you have a small penis? Is that what you are getting at?


 Down the back, cus I've a slender arse.


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## Licramite (27 Feb 2013)

for rides of upto 3 hours I tend to carry stuff in my pockets or on the bike (neat little bag under the cross bar) but for all day rides I carry a rucksack. - mate of mine has a really neat one that is semi-framed so it site off your back with a gap for airflow, - so no sweaty back (flash git).


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## Ningishzidda (27 Feb 2013)

When organising one's self an Audax DIY, it is recommended to acquire a 'proof' every 25km or so. At newsagents, garages, grocers stores, coffee houses, cafes etc.

Why carry food and drink?


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## Flossyrockstar (27 Feb 2013)

Lee_M said:


> ah, wouldnt want to ride 100k with a rucksack on my back :-)


I don't even notice it now to be honest.


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## Peteaud (27 Feb 2013)

On longer rides i will take a gel (Torq) and always have a pack of Zipvit chews about (love them as sweets). Tend to use High 5 drink but more due to habit and i bought a great big tub.

Cant stand red bull, monster, etc drinks, they are vile.


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## Licramite (28 Feb 2013)

well red bull has been banned in several countries. - I haven't seen health warnings on other high energy / hi caffine drinks - yet.
It's odd people don't assiociate the food they eat with thier body - as in the case of the guy who ate 2 big bags of M&Ms and kealed over. - food is a drug - certain drugs have certain predictable effects, its the same with food.


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## Licramite (4 Mar 2013)

Talking to a medic friend about drinks on rides and he said - why don't you drink Dyralite - it's used for dyhdration patients - it contains sugar and salts and comes in a couple of flavours.

I shall give it a go.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (4 Mar 2013)

Wow. 3.5g of sugar

Someone call the cops.


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## Rohloff_Brompton_Rider (4 Mar 2013)

Hmm, the wife bought some bottles of coke, I use these on longer rides, according to the info list...600 kcals and easier to get down than gels.

Or is coke too simple?


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## Licramite (5 Mar 2013)

It doesn't help with dehydration much. sugar and water but no electrolits or salts.
plus its really bad for your teeth.


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## Rob3rt (5 Mar 2013)

Coke is good to some degree, have you never seen the pro's chug a small can of coke at the end of a race or from their musettes at the feed station?


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## Rohloff_Brompton_Rider (5 Mar 2013)

Seems to work for me at the moment. It wouldn't normally be my ride drink of choice, but wife got them thinking she was helping out.

The way I see it, no different to eating jelly babies on long rides, just easier for the body to metabolise, but I'm no expert at all and that may be total tosh.

Good point about the dehydration thing, I do take water as well.


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## MattHB (5 Mar 2013)

I carry gels as an emergency pick me up. A mental one of nothing else,the caffeine ones are really amazing for that. 

In ride ill take granola bars, although its almost impossible to eat them while riding (for me anyway). Then I use a carby drink for the rest.


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## Hont (5 Mar 2013)

bromptonfb said:


> Or is coke too simple?


 Coke is fine, the caffeine can give you a boost along with the sugar. It's better if it's flat though as needing to belch can be problem when you're breathing hard. There are other drinks that will keep you hydrated better, but dehydration tends to be overstated as an issue when exercising in non-extreme environments.

It's best to obtain most of your ride calories from solid food that you chew. That way the digestive process begins before it hits your stomach - which is why some people don't get on with gels. Someone mentioned Malt-loaf, which is very good (and relatively cheap), as are sandwiches and bananas. Individually wrapped fruit bars/cereal bars are less messy though.


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