Help With This Past Situation

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worldtraveller321
worldtraveller321 Posts: 150 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello all I have no intention to gross anyone out. but i had an incident just recently while doing a 100 mile Mt Bike race – Lutsen 99er
Here is what happened

I was wondering if anyone has gotten sick from Energy Gels at all? just recently complete a 100 mile mt bike event, lutsen 99er
done it a few times before
so i was doing exact same on bike nutrition.hydration system as i done on long rides

I was using the Energy Gels. GU, Powerbar gels. Also had bottle of perpeteum and then was drinking just HEED from my water bottle and camelback with just water
I had BK about 3 hours before ride and stomach felt fine
so into the race about around the 2 hour mark got stomach problems. Well not to be graphic but stomach empty out and i got several bouts of explosive Diaharria
So had to do a few emergency stops in the bush a few times. After that for rest of ride i was forced to go slow as whole body was cramping, hamstrings, quads, all my legs, arms

i kept up hydration whole time, didn’t overdo it with water etc.
So not sure why this happened
i was having a good ride before it happened was pushing my best time whole time and doing well, till that happened
any suggestions of what i may was doing wrong?

Breakfast was this
what i ate was Eggos. coffee and some orange juice. which i done before without a problem. now my situation happened about 3 hours later in the event.
I will point out the Gels I was using i consumed from both a flask and then later from actual gel packets. would that cause a problem?
The Perpeteum i was using. was my last batch. i had 2 scoops left and topped off my bottle with HEEd, now the Perpeteum i bought was from last year, could that cause a bathroom issue on the trail

Dinner day before was
s I ate pasta – frozen dinner and microwave the evening before, and bread. so really nothing out of the ordinary, chocolate milk, but was cold etc, .
As for the sickness was just the case of the “runs” i had. stomach felt fine, but odd.
still a mystery but i like to figure out so history dosent happen twice

Replies

  • LaceyBirds
    LaceyBirds Posts: 451 Member
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    I looked up your GU Energy Gels. The first ingredient of all of them is Maltodextrin, which is a sugar alcohol. Sugar alcohols are known to cause diarrhea - they are in many "diet" foods. Read this info from the Mayo Clinic website about "runner's diarrhea" - I'm sure it would apply to you:

    mayoclinic.org/runners-diarrhea/expert-answers/faq-20058107

    From that page: "While running, use caution with energy gels and energy bars. In some people, these products can contribute to diarrhea."

    I know all this because I've suffered from IBS for 40 years, and I cannot eat anything with sugar alcohols without it causing a bad attack.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    I run, not bike, but I can tell you that one of the first rules of a race is "never do anything before or during a race that you haven't done while training." It sounds like you're saying that you've used the gus before but have you used that particular combination of things or as much as you did during the race? It may have been the combination and @LaceyBirds has a good point with the sugar alcohols.
  • worldtraveller321
    worldtraveller321 Posts: 150 Member
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    HI there thanks for the link yes i have been using the gels for a while now, and never had a reaction. However being the actual race. I was using abit more then normal out of convenience and easy access to calories
    so perhaps it was the Maltodextrin that caused the problem.
    As it is more unnatural food.
    So with that in mind, does anyone know of any gels that dont have Maltodextrin in them? or what can u suggest for a good calorie dense substance to have next time i do a long event? thanks for your help
    I been going through everything i did on race day and i never tried anything new.
    so still a mystery though
  • coreyreichle
    coreyreichle Posts: 1,039 Member
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    Yes. I stay away from those gels. Gatorade for +1 hour exercise sessions, otherwise, just water. For 2+ hours, I toss in PB&J or nuts and raisins.

    Those gels are basically a sugar dump, and if you're under fluid very much, coupled with higher body temp, your body just wants to dump it all, because it just can't deal with it due to the exercise.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    worldtraveller321 wrote: »
    HI there thanks for the link yes i have been using the gels for a while now, and never had a reaction. However being the actual race. I was using abit more then normal out of convenience and easy access to calories
    so perhaps it was the Maltodextrin that caused the problem.
    As it is more unnatural food.
    So with that in mind, does anyone know of any gels that dont have Maltodextrin in them? or what can u suggest for a good calorie dense substance to have next time i do a long event? thanks for your help
    I been going through everything i did on race day and i never tried anything new.
    so still a mystery though

    I was thinking about this and I haven't looked at the ingredient list of what you tried but I'm a bit confused. When using an energy substance you'd want a sweetener with calories because you're looking for energy. Why would those items be using sugar alcohols at all? It doesn't make much sense. Anyway....

    I don't like gus myself. The texture... bleh... I prefer sport beans. The Jelly Belly brand ones are pretty good. You could probably just hit your local cycle or running store and ask an employee for help picking one or two you think will work. Be sure to give a thorough test, of course. :smile:
  • worldtraveller321
    worldtraveller321 Posts: 150 Member
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    well the event i was in was for about 7hours + the incident happened after 3 hour mark
    i was keeping hydrated
    but i guess your right about my body wanting to dump all that gel crap out. lost lots of fluids over that

    when i was doing research on good gels i was told to look for ones with the Maltodextrin as it supposed to be good for you or at least at some degree.
    but confused now. hmm
  • LaceyBirds
    LaceyBirds Posts: 451 Member
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    Sorry, I was wrong about Maltodextrin being a sugar alcohol. I was reading too many links at a time. :) But it is still known to cause diarrhea. If you Google it and "diarrhea", you will find many hits (including one from a biking forum) that talk about the combo causing diarrhea. A link: whatismaltodextrin.com/maltodextrin-side-effects/

    Sorry to confuse you.
  • worldtraveller321
    worldtraveller321 Posts: 150 Member
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    ok thanks, i read some things about maltodextrin on this issue so far, thanks for the help

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