Do you think these are a little low on sodium relative to Maurten… and Gatorade endurance? I like the taste, and like that each one is 40 grams of carbs… Just wondering if I need to take additional salt tabs or base salt, given these are pretty low on sodium. Interested to hear your thoughts.
Great question! So actually I wouldn't advise any gels (inclding Maurten or Gatorade) for hydration, so with the bigger picture in mind I don't think the sodium content is a problem at all. None of the gels contain enough sodium (and you would need to pair it with water anyway) to be sufficient for hydration. So if you're worried about your sodium intake/hydration then you should specifically focus on that via fluids or salt tablets. Hope that helps?
@@NutritionTriathlon Hi There. Thanks for responding. I am playing around between beta fuel powder in my drink bottle and the Maurten 320 in my drink bottle...so roughly 80 grams of carbs in there for each of these options. I am a 70 kg age group triathlete. I can comfortably ingest 1 drink bottle per hour (Temperature dependent). I was looking to top of the carbs with possibly one additional gel per hour (Pushing the limits of carb intake I realize). I would say I am preferring the beta fuel in general (Both powder & Gel) over the Maurten range (Taste & Texture)...But my concern is the beta fuel has very little sodium either in the powder or the gel...This appears to be the one downside I can see relative to Maurten. if I go with the beta fuel do you think I should supplement with a frame bottle with 500ml of precision hydration 1500 in it?. I would use this just to get enough electrolytes and sodium in throughout the bike leg. Sipping a little from this over the 5 hr ride. I am targeting a full ironman later in 2022 and trying to put some solid thought into proper fueling. I am a moderately salty sweater...so don't want to underdo or underestimate my salt requirements. interested to hear your thoughts.
Gotcha. So that's some good points to consider there. You're right in that the beta fuel drink doesn't contain much sodium, and with your thought processes for your different options. The way I see it you could a) supplement with something like PH 1500 and sip at that alongside beta fuel drinks, although over 5 hours that still wouldn't be that much sodium b) use maurten products as they contain more sodium (but the Maurten 320 mix is still on the low side with sodium) but that could be fine c) use beta fuel drinks/gels and use something like a salt stick alongside the drink to top up your sodium intake d) add table salt to the beta fuel drinks to make it work for hydration and carbs. I think then it comes down to preference overall - what do you think you would prefer during the race? Each option has its own pros and cons. Then it's worth practicing months in advance to check that it all works ok for you. You can sometimes have a bit of issue change the sodium amounts in carbohydrate drinks because it changes the concentration which can cause tummy upset for some.
@@NutritionTriathlon Thanks so much. All good points. Kinda surprised SIS went with such a low concentration of sodium in betafuel… But I will look to supplement it from other sources. Definitely trying to do some early testing to make sure I don’t have any gastro issues. Loving your channel. Keep up the good work :)
David Armitage I am too. Seems like they were really just focussing on the carb side of things for it and going elsewhere for hydration. You're welcome, glad to hear it! 😊
Thanks you for this video because I'll be running tomorrow a half marathon race, i like the part about your tips in cutting a liitle part of the sachet to ease in opening the sachet. Thank you 🇵🇭
Hey, thanks for the comment! Sure! You can find the actual paper here journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2013/09000/Fructose_Maltodextrin_Ratio_Governs_Exogenous_and.21.aspx You should be able to view it without needing a login
Ah they're a pain right? There is a little tip you can use which will help you to open them which I go through in this video: ua-cam.com/video/9psaaLuk8Tw/v-deo.html But yeah, it's a bit frustrating with these gels
How different did you find the consistency of Beta Fuel vs The Isotonic? Is is a dramatic difference? I'm considering the Beta but wondering if I'll then have to adjust my hydration.
@@NutritionTriathlon Good to know, ya consistency because the GO are so easy to take while even going quite hard BUT at the end of events where it's hardest to digest or ingest is where I don't like anything too thick and that's where GO works well, the carb content of BETA intrigues me though.
Not a stupid question at all. I don't have a definitive answer for you, but these are my thoughts: 1. It's their best known gel, the 'original' isotonic gel. There's an element of branding and reputation attached to it. 2. For lots of people a glucose only gel is still suitable. Glucose absorption is maxed out between 60-90g for a lot of people, so whilst glucose and fructose might be 'better' it doesn't mean that glucose only isn't viable. 3. They can then brand, market and put a higher price on 'performance products'.
Yes… been trying beta fuel both in the gels and powder and comparing how they taste, and sit in my stomach relative to Maurten. Initial impression is I like these gels better than Maurten. Not sure I am a fan of the jelly texture of the Maurten gels.
I just started using them for marathon training. I’ve also been mixing them with maurten during long runs which give me about 65 gr/hr. They sit really well in the stomach. My only qualms: too sticky sweet and no sodium!!!
Definitely agree about the stickiness! And that's also my big issue with the beta fuel range in general, especially the drink powder - no sodium. I'm sure there is a reason behind it, perhaps because they are trying to control the osmolarity of it, but still. Not ideal in my eyes
@@NutritionTriathlon likely there a good reason behind it. At the end of the day, I take lytes/Na in my hydration bottle and the gel performs well sitting great in the stomach during training runs. As for race day, I’ll take SaltSticks caps to take down with water at water stations. Packing in only gels!
Do you think these are a little low on sodium relative to Maurten… and Gatorade endurance? I like the taste, and like that each one is 40 grams of carbs… Just wondering if I need to take additional salt tabs or base salt, given these are pretty low on sodium. Interested to hear your thoughts.
Great question! So actually I wouldn't advise any gels (inclding Maurten or Gatorade) for hydration, so with the bigger picture in mind I don't think the sodium content is a problem at all. None of the gels contain enough sodium (and you would need to pair it with water anyway) to be sufficient for hydration. So if you're worried about your sodium intake/hydration then you should specifically focus on that via fluids or salt tablets. Hope that helps?
@@NutritionTriathlon Hi There. Thanks for responding. I am playing around between beta fuel powder in my drink bottle and the Maurten 320 in my drink bottle...so roughly 80 grams of carbs in there for each of these options. I am a 70 kg age group triathlete. I can comfortably ingest 1 drink bottle per hour (Temperature dependent). I was looking to top of the carbs with possibly one additional gel per hour (Pushing the limits of carb intake I realize). I would say I am preferring the beta fuel in general (Both powder & Gel) over the Maurten range (Taste & Texture)...But my concern is the beta fuel has very little sodium either in the powder or the gel...This appears to be the one downside I can see relative to Maurten. if I go with the beta fuel do you think I should supplement with a frame bottle with 500ml of precision hydration 1500 in it?. I would use this just to get enough electrolytes and sodium in throughout the bike leg. Sipping a little from this over the 5 hr ride. I am targeting a full ironman later in 2022 and trying to put some solid thought into proper fueling. I am a moderately salty sweater...so don't want to underdo or underestimate my salt requirements. interested to hear your thoughts.
Gotcha. So that's some good points to consider there. You're right in that the beta fuel drink doesn't contain much sodium, and with your thought processes for your different options. The way I see it you could a) supplement with something like PH 1500 and sip at that alongside beta fuel drinks, although over 5 hours that still wouldn't be that much sodium b) use maurten products as they contain more sodium (but the Maurten 320 mix is still on the low side with sodium) but that could be fine c) use beta fuel drinks/gels and use something like a salt stick alongside the drink to top up your sodium intake d) add table salt to the beta fuel drinks to make it work for hydration and carbs.
I think then it comes down to preference overall - what do you think you would prefer during the race? Each option has its own pros and cons.
Then it's worth practicing months in advance to check that it all works ok for you. You can sometimes have a bit of issue change the sodium amounts in carbohydrate drinks because it changes the concentration which can cause tummy upset for some.
@@NutritionTriathlon Thanks so much. All good points. Kinda surprised SIS went with such a low concentration of sodium in betafuel… But I will look to supplement it from other sources. Definitely trying to do some early testing to make sure I don’t have any gastro issues. Loving your channel. Keep up the good work :)
David Armitage I am too. Seems like they were really just focussing on the carb side of things for it and going elsewhere for hydration.
You're welcome, glad to hear it! 😊
Thanks you for this video because I'll be running tomorrow a half marathon race, i like the part about your tips in cutting a liitle part of the sachet to ease in opening the sachet. Thank you 🇵🇭
You're welcome! 🙂 hope your half marathon went well 💪
I used the beta fuel gel in a bike race 2 weeks ago... worked an absolute miracle
Great to hear! I think SIS have done well with it, bar the packaging 😉
Yeah the only issue I had was exactly what you mentioned... took me a fair amount of time to open it, struggled quite a bit
Yep not the easiest ones to open!
Can you share the research about the glucose fructose ratio ? Thanks and excellent content
Hey, thanks for the comment!
Sure! You can find the actual paper here journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2013/09000/Fructose_Maltodextrin_Ratio_Governs_Exogenous_and.21.aspx
You should be able to view it without needing a login
I love these gels, but almost impossible to open on an ultra…
Ah they're a pain right? There is a little tip you can use which will help you to open them which I go through in this video:
ua-cam.com/video/9psaaLuk8Tw/v-deo.html
But yeah, it's a bit frustrating with these gels
How different did you find the consistency of Beta Fuel vs The Isotonic? Is is a dramatic difference? I'm considering the Beta but wondering if I'll then have to adjust my hydration.
We're talking consistency of the gels, right? Not really any different, no. But the beta fuel gels are definitely sweeter!
@@NutritionTriathlon Good to know, ya consistency because the GO are so easy to take while even going quite hard BUT at the end of events where it's hardest to digest or ingest is where I don't like anything too thick and that's where GO works well, the carb content of BETA intrigues me though.
Maybe a stupid question but why do the standard sis gels not have fructose ?
Not a stupid question at all. I don't have a definitive answer for you, but these are my thoughts:
1. It's their best known gel, the 'original' isotonic gel. There's an element of branding and reputation attached to it.
2. For lots of people a glucose only gel is still suitable. Glucose absorption is maxed out between 60-90g for a lot of people, so whilst glucose and fructose might be 'better' it doesn't mean that glucose only isn't viable.
3. They can then brand, market and put a higher price on 'performance products'.
Do you use any science in sport products?
Yes… been trying beta fuel both in the gels and powder and comparing how they taste, and sit in my stomach relative to Maurten. Initial impression is I like these gels better than Maurten. Not sure I am a fan of the jelly texture of the Maurten gels.
Oooh interesting. I actually really like the jelly texture of Maurten gels, so that's good to hear a different view on that!
I just started using them for marathon training. I’ve also been mixing them with maurten during long runs which give me about 65 gr/hr. They sit really well in the stomach. My only qualms: too sticky sweet and no sodium!!!
Definitely agree about the stickiness! And that's also my big issue with the beta fuel range in general, especially the drink powder - no sodium. I'm sure there is a reason behind it, perhaps because they are trying to control the osmolarity of it, but still. Not ideal in my eyes
@@NutritionTriathlon likely there a good reason behind it. At the end of the day, I take lytes/Na in my hydration bottle and the gel performs well sitting great in the stomach during training runs. As for race day, I’ll take SaltSticks caps to take down with water at water stations. Packing in only gels!