Carbohydrate supplements vs sweets

[Bueno84]

What are the advantages of using carb supps such as Dextrose, Maltodextrin, Waxy Maize Starch, etc. over simply eating your favourite high sugar low fat sweets with your protein after a workout?

I suppose avoiding the fructose in the sucrose is one (as it doesn't contribute much to insulin secretion, and in large quantities contributes to health problems), but if for example the sweets were made with glucose syrup instead of sugar, is there any reason not to indulge in a product that you deprive yourself of at other times of the week?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[NU_nutrition_TS]

You allude to an interesting aspect of 'cognitive dissonance'. Most people who profess to follow or aspire to a healthy life-style (including 'working out' regularly) would probably admit that 'sweets' (even those predominantly made from glucose syrup) are an unhealthy choice. Yet they would probably consume pure glucose (dextrose) as a PWO supplement. But really, there is little to no difference between them, aside from a tiny smattering of artificial flavours and colours! So consuming one, because it may come advertised as a fitness supplement and sold in a health food outlet, is OK but not the other because it is sold in a sweet shop and considered a confectionery item?

Anyway, with that mini-rant over, to answer your question - yes, a small handful of boiled sweets made from glucose syrup is probably going to serve the same function as 30g or so of pure dextrose!

[Bueno84]

Thanks Nu,

I take it from your sig that you follow a high fat diet - do you restrict carbs at all times or do you eat low fat post-workout-nutrition in order to benefit from insulin production in terms of hypertrophy?

If your answer to the second question is yes, I am interested in how long do you try to keep your insulin levels elevated post-workout? If one were to eat sweets with a protein shake, would it be important to eat them all at once in order to get the carbs in and out of the system as quickly as possible, or would it be advantageous (or at least, not disadvantageous) to snack at them over an our or more?

I imagine that even if 30-60g of sugar were ingested immediately, blood glucose and insulin levels would be elevated for at least an hour or more, so would enjoying the sugar over a period of time (as opposed to wolfing it down) be detrimental to the anabolic environment you're trying to create?

As a secondary question along the same lines, would a second high-carb-low-fat meal 3 hours or so post-workout be beneficial at all in terms of causing a second insulin "spike" to further encourage hypertrophy? Or would any additional benefit be outweighed by the negative impact on the overall LCHF diet?

[NU_nutrition_TS]

As a new member you are probably not aware that I no longer work out. As a non-trainer, I cannot answer your training-related questions from current personal experience. What I will say is that I keep dietary carbs to an absolute minimum all of the time and have done so for most of the last several years. If I were to take up weight-training again, I do not think that I would even contemplate 'spiking insulin' by taking PWO carbs (especially refined sugars) - I just do not think it is necessary.

[Bueno84]

Ok, sorry for the misunderstanding, and thanks for your help.

Could you just give me a brief outline of why the insulin spike is unnecessary, in the context of the 'conventional wisdom' of protein+carbs post-workout? (I write that as someone who loves to go against the conventional wisdom)

[Bueno84]

Nevermind, I found one of your old posts from 5 years ago.

Recovery & Growth: What you need to know!

[NU_nutrition_TS]

Interesting reading through that old thread. There are some statements I made there that I no longer stand behind but on the whole I think the first post sums up my position. Another thread you may find informative is this one: Against Glycogen Repletion...

Basically, an 'insulin spike' is not required PWO to 'drive glucose into muscle cells' because the GLUT4 transporters, required to pass glucose across the cell membrane, are translocated to the cell's surface independently of insulin action and in direct response to stimuli initiated by the exercise itself.

Also, studies have shown that, given sufficient free amino acids in the circulation during the post workout period, further increasing insulin does not increase muscle protein synthesis.

Additionally, several studies have shown that glycogen replenishment is greater (super-compensation) if you delay carbohydrate intake - even by days - rather than take them immediately PWO!

[Bueno84]

So in your opinion, would a post workout meal consist of proteins and fats or as few fats as possible? (after a strength workout, with hypertrophy in mind)

[NU_nutrition_TS]

If you eat protein sources as whole foods in their natural state, then I think some fats are bound to be present. When you seek to limit fats, for the most part, you are not eating whole, natural foods. To be honest, people over-think PWO nutrition; as long as you are eating good sources of complete protein, fats and essential micronutrients you can't go too far wrong.

[Bueno84]

Fair enough, but if you're using whey as a post-workout meal, you have to decide whether or not you're adding fats to it.