Speed of Glucose Absorption During Exercise

The Need for Speed: Comparing the Speed of Glucose Absorption During Repeated Sprint Cycling

The purpose of this study is to look at how fast commercially available supplements containing carbohydrates can get into the bloodstream during repeated sprint cycles. This will build from a pervious study where the investigators tested these supplements on healthy participants during a resting oral glucose tolerance trial. The investigators will be testing three supplements, namely Voom Pocket Rocket, SIS Go Isotonic Energy Gel, and Maurten Gel 160. Each participant will complete all three conditions, consuming one of each supplement at random per condition. The study requires participation from male and female runners, cyclists and triathletes who are aged between 18-40.

Each visit will take approximately 1 hour, and three experimental visits per participant. The study will involve frequent blood sampling and the continuous monitoring of gas exchange (oxygen/carbon dioxide). Blood sampling via cannulation will be used to analyse the lactate, glucose, and electrolyte content of the blood. Gas exchange will measure the oxygen breathed in and carbon dioxide breathed out throughout the exercise.

The investigators plan to carry out the study on 10 participants who will be a mix of male and female runners, cyclists and triathletes.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged between 18-40 years
• Male or female
• Tier 2 athletes - local level representation, training ~ 3 times per week, training with a purpose to compete, identify with a specific sport, limited skill development (McKay et al., 2021)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Allergies to any listed ingredients on any supplements.
• Diabetes (type 1 or 2)
• Any medical conditions
• Smokers
• Any injury that would prevent them from exercising
• Anyone using drugs or medication (not including contraception)
• Anyone consuming alcohol within 24 hours of the study
• Exercise must be restricted within 24 hours of the study
• Caffeine must not be consumed within 24 hours of testing as it can significantly enhance carbohydrate oxidation rates (Yeo et al., 2005)
• Diets including high-carbohydrate-low-fat (HCLF), low-carbohydrate-high-fat (LCHF), ketogenic, and/or glycogen manipulation diets (Rauch et al., 2022)