Energy gels are
The nutritional complement preferred by cyclists and triathletes To ingest during a bike outlet, training or competition.
When a background physical activate is performed for a long time it is necessary
Replace nutrients and liquids periodically to avoid the dreaded birds and face the following kilometers with fuel reserves at a good level.
Correct nutrition in the race has a direct incidence in our performance. And among the different options that exist in the market, energy gels are preferred by both fans and professional cyclists.
But ... what if instead of getting gels in the jersey pocket when you go by bicycle you take
An roasted potato?
However strange the question sounds, the truth is that a recent scientific study has revealed that
Potatoes are as effective as carbohydrate gels as fuel for cyclists.
The researchers conducted the study analyzed the performance of 12 cyclists. The twelve had been practicing cycling for several years
an average greater than the weekly 260 kilometers cycling.
The participants were separated into 3 groups. Each group would consume a type of nutritional complement during a performance test: only water, a carbohydrate gel of a commercial brand or
potato puree with an amount of carbohydrates equivalent to gel.
The test consisted of subjecting cyclists to a continuous exercise to reach a specific aerobic level. Subsequently they should complete
120 minutes by bicycle and a counterreloj.
After analyzing the results, the research team
He found no differences between the performance of cyclists who consumed potatoes and those who consumed the gels.
On the other hand, they did detected a significant increase in the performance of both groups with respect to cyclists who had only ingested only water.
For Nicholas Burd, research director, "it is shown that ingesting energy gels during prolonged physical activity facilitates the availability of carbohydrates during exercise and improves performance. Our goal with this study was
Diversifying career options for cyclists".
In this sense, "
potatoes are a very promising alternative For cyclists because they represent a profitable source of carbohydrates, rich in nutrients and, in addition, they are a different taste option to the high sweetness of the gels. "
In conclusion,
potato puree and energy gels provide the same effect on blood glucose concentrations and performance above the bicycle.
Do we take a roasted potato to the jersey pocket in the next cycling march?
You can access the study from
this link.
