Potato ingestion is as effective as carbohydrate gels to support prolonged cycling performance

Abstract

Carbohydrate (CHO) ingestion is an established strategy to improve endurance performance. Race fuels should not only sustain performance but also be readily digested and absorbed. Potatoes are a whole-food-based option that fulfills these criteria, yet their impact on performance remains unexamined. We investigated the effects of potato purée ingestion during prolonged cycling on subsequent performance vs. commercial CHO gel or a water-only condition. Twelve cyclists (70.7 ± 7.7 kg, 173 ± 8 cm, 31 ± 9 yr, 22 ± 5.1% body fat; means ± SD) with average peak oxygen consumption (V̇o2peak) of 60.7 ± 9.0 mL·kg−1·min−1 performed a 2-h cycling challenge (60–85% V̇o2peak) followed by a time trial (TT; 6 kJ/kg body mass) while consuming potato, gel, or water in a randomized-crossover design. The race fuels were administered with [U-13C6]glucose for an indirect estimate of gastric emptying rate. Blood samples were collected throughout the trials. Blood glucose concentrations were higher ( P < 0.001) in potato and gel conditions compared with water condition. Blood lactate concentrations were higher ( P = 0.001) after the TT completion in both CHO conditions compared with water condition. TT performance was improved ( P = 0.032) in both potato (33.0 ± 4.5 min) and gel (33.0 ± 4.2 min) conditions compared with water condition (39.5 ± 7.9 min). Moreover, no difference was observed in TT performance between CHO conditions ( P = 1.00). In conclusion, potato and gel ingestion equally sustained blood glucose concentrations and TT performance. Our results support the effective use of potatoes to support race performance for trained cyclists. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The ingestion of concentrated carbohydrate gels during prolonged exercise has been shown to promote carbohydrate availability and improve exercise performance. Our study aim was to expand and diversify race fueling menus for athletes by providing an evidence-based whole-food alternative to the routine ingestion of gels during training and competition. Our work shows that russet potato ingestion during prolonged cycling is as effective as carbohydrate gels to support exercise performance in trained athletes.

Low-Carbohydrate Diets in the Management of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes: A Review from Clinicians Using the Approach in Practice

“…What if the type of food ingested affects appetite and so also "calories in"? Put another way, what if the calories acquired from eating, for example, potatoes (which have a higher glycemic index [46] and act in an equivalent way to glucose gels used by elite athletes [47], but which feature prominently in healthy eating guidelines) produce a different physiological effect on dietary behaviors than, say, the same amount of calories from an avocado? If an individual is hungrier in the hours after the former compared to the latter, then the isocaloric substitution approach may nullify potentially important differences between the effects on appetite, satiety, and eating behavior of different macronutrients.…”

The Gastrointestinal Exertional Heat Stroke Paradigm: Pathophysiology, Assessment, Severity, Aetiology and Nutritional Countermeasures

“…Formulations of single-and multi-transportable CHO mixtures (i.e., 1.8 g•min −1 glucose; 1.2 and 0.6 g•min −1 glucose plus fructose; 0.6 and 1.2 g•min −1 glucose plus sucrose) all tended to (interaction effect p = 0.10) reduce I-FABP concentrations (area under the curve at 30 min intervals) to a similar extent relative to water during three hours of low-intensity cycling (50% Watt max ) [139]. Similarly, ingestion of 60 g•h −1 of either potato flesh puree or carbohydrate gel (2:1 maltodextrin/fructose) were able to completely attenuate the rise in I-FABP observed throughout a 2.5 h mixed-intensity cycle (2 h 60% VO 2max then a 20 km time trial in temperate conditions) [149]. To date, only one study has reported an adverse effect of CHO ingestion during exercise (1 h 70% VO 2max running in 35 • C and 12-20% RH) on GI barrier integrity, with ingestion of a multi-transportable CHO gel (18 g maltodextrin and 9 g fructose) 20-min into exercise shown to increase GI barrier integrity (I-FABP and endotoxin) loss relative to a placebo [213].…”

“…The volume, tonicity and osmolality of CHO is equally influential. In healthy resting humans, ingestion of a single CHO-rich meal (55-70% of total kilo-calories) evokes equivocal (endotoxin [199][200][201] or slightly improved (I-FABP; [148,149]) GI barrier integrity postprandially. However, rodent experimental models of acute GI distress indicate that oral ingestion of maltodextrin [202] or sucrose [203] favorably influence GI barrier integrity.…”

Nutritional considerations to counteract gastrointestinal permeability during exertional heat stress

“…Further, I-FABP was not significantly different from baseline overtime, which may have been due to the exercise intensity or T env (110). During more intense cycling in ambient temperature (20 km TT, 60%-85% V _ O 2peak ), both potato flesh puree and carbohydrate gel (2:1 maltodextrin/fructose) ingestion (60 g/h) attenuated rises in I-FABP observed when only water was provided (111). When administered immediately before and every 20 min during 2 h of running (60% V _ O 2max ), both glucose and whey protein isolate ameliorated increases in I-FABP and the lactulose/rhamnose ratio (60% V _ O 2max ) in T env of 30 C, 27% RH (107).…”