Waxy Maize

Waxy Maize

Tha Facts on Waxy Maize Supplements and Other Post Workout Carb Supplements Part 2

The Real Deal...

A carb source that has an optimal pre and post workout profile for the resynthesis of glycogen after tough workouts, fast gastric emptying, and improved performance, has a high molecular weight and low osmolality and should spike blood glucose and insulin levels post workout. Studies suggest the best of the bunch for this purpose is a patented carb sold under the name Vitargo. What sellers of WMS have unknowingly (some might suspect knowingly...) done is use the data and claims from Vitargo and applied them to WMS, as if the two were interchangeable, with some getting the impression WMS is just a generic form of Vitagro, which is not the case. For example, sellers of WMS claim it's absorbed rapidly, increases glycogen stores quicker than other carb sources, and improves performance (similar to Vitargo), but the studies that exist do not support that (or show the opposite...) and or simply don't exist to support it as the studies above clearly demonstrate. What does exist, however, are studies showing Vitargo to have these effects. As I said, it appears sellers of WMS have "pirated" the studies actually done on Vitargo as if they were interchangeable carbs sources, when they are not. As already shown, WMS is, at best, about equal to maltodextrin and dextrose, or inferior to those carb sources, depending on which study you read. For example a study just completed -and soon to be published- out of Purdue University, found WMS had a 3 times lower glucose response compared to maltodextrin, and a 3 times lower insulin response, and even 2 times lower than white bread! (3) So even white bread appears to be a superior post workout carb source than WMS if one is looking to spike glucose and insulin levels, which leads to enhanced rates of glycogen storage and anti-catabolism. It's interesting to note that WMS has been shown to have such a slow and steady effect on glucose and insulin levels, scientist now routinely refer to it as "slow digesting" or "low glycemic."

So What Of Vitargo?

Vitargo is an interesting starch carbohydrate with some interesting properties. A study published in 2000 compared Vitargo to maltodextrin plus sugars and their respective effects on glycogen storage after an exhaustive exercise protocol and found Vitargo to be far superior to malto/sugars for rapidly replacing muscle glycogen levels both two and four hours after the exercise sessions (4). By "far superior" I mean 70% better over the 2 hour period, which is no small amount.

A follow up study published in 2008 found similar effects, but with some additional twists in support of Vitargo as a unique carb source. This study found that Vitargo was superior for performance during a subsequent bout of maximal exercise just 2 hours after glycogen-depleting exercise. In a nut shell, on three randomized visits 8 guys were put through an exercise protocol designed to use up a bunch of their stored glycogen (ergo, they were glycogen depleted), and then fed 100g of either Vitargo, malto/sugars, or flavored/artificially sweetened water as control. They waited 2 hours and tested their performance (ability to do "work") via a 15 minute high intensity time trial test on a cycle ergometer and found the group that had been fed the Vitargo right after the prior workout 2 hours before had superior performance for the second high intensity trial. This makes perfect sense; if Vitargo rapidly replaces glycogen levels in muscle and the liver, the person will be able to perform better during their next exercise session, especially if those bouts of exercise are within the same day. If glycogen levels are not boosted back up by the next exercise session, performance will suffer. As the authors of this study summarized well:

"Limiting factors to post-exercise muscle glycogen re-synthesis following carbohydrate feeding include the amount, timing, and form of carbohydrate administered, the rate of gastric emptying and intestinal absorption of the ingested carbohydrate, glucose storage and output by the liver, and muscle glucose transport and oxidation."

Translated, it's not as simple as just the carbohydrate's glycemic rating or whether it's a "simple" or "complex" carb. There are a lot of other factors involved and science has come a long way in understanding what those biological factors are.

Gastric emptying rates are another important issue to athletes as the faster it leaves the stomach the faster it enters the intestines where it is digested and absorbed. Fast gastric emptying and digestion means the faster glucose levels, insulin spikes, and subsequent glycogen storage and enhanced post workout anti-catabolic action, not to mention no one enjoys having a drink sloshing around in their stomach during or after a workout. It's just unpleasant and if it's sloshing around in your gut it's not doing squat for your muscles! A 2000 study compared the gastric emptying rates of Vitargo to a carb source derived from maize starch and found Vitargo "significantly" faster emptying rate from the stomach, which would partly explain why Vitargo appears to replenish depleted glycogen levels so quickly when compared to other carb sources (5).

Conclusions

In the above review, I was trying to keep the science mumbo jumbo to a minimum. So what's the take home on the above?

• For endurance athletes and people following multiple sessions per day in the gym, Vitargo is a no brainer as the pre/post workout carb source of choice. For those focused exclusively on gaining lean body mass (LBM) and strength, doing traditional programs where a single exercise session is done in day lasting an hour or less, it's unclear at this time if Vitargo is going to have additional benefits on body composition above and beyond what malto or dextrose can achieve as this has not been studied. In theory however, faster gastric emptying, higher and faster insulin spikes, and enhanced rates of glycogen resynthesis, etc., should be beneficial to strength athletes following traditional programs, but more data is needed. Bottom line here is if I was looking for the least expensive carb source pre/post workout, I would use malto and or dextrose. If I wanted to use what appears to be the most efficient carb source that data suggests has superior properties for athletes, I would use Vitargo. WMS however is a bust and would not even be in the running between those choices in my view.

• It's easy to see why people are often confused regarding WMS vs. Vitargo, and why sellers of WMS have taken advantage of that fact. Vitargo can be derived from WMS, so they are essentially the same thing right? Wrong. Vitargo can be derived from WMS, potatoes, rice, wheat, and other sources, so even if WMS is used as the starting source, it's a very different starch as the finished product. If one reads the patent on Vitargo***** there is a very interesting statement made which is on testing, "it will be found there have occurred novel types of bonds which do not occur traditionally in native starch." What that means is, it's a starch not normally found in nature and is structurally and functionally different than the starch source it was derived from. A true "designer starch" if you will, which appears to be optimally designed to favor the rapid formation of glycogen.

The Brink Bottom Line: More data is needed in my view on Vitargo to answer some lingering questions, but it's one of the few products out there with more substance than sheer hype (which is more then can be said for WMS...) with Vitargo firmly in the "might be worth a try" category hovering on "definitely worth using" if/when additional studies are done to confirm/support some of my previous comments and questions above.

See you in the gym....

Citations:

(1) Jozsi A.C. et al. The Influence of starch structure on Glycogen Resynthesis and Subsequent Cycling Performance. Int. J. Sports. Med. 17: 373-378. 1996
(2) Goodpaster B.H. et al. The Effects of Pre-Exercise Starch Ingestion on Endurance Performance. Int. J. Sports Med. 17: 366-372. 1996.
(3) Author communication.
(4) Piehl K. et al. Muscle glycogen resynthesis rate in humans after supplementation of drinks containing carbohydrates with low and high molecular masses. Eur. J. Physiol. 81: 346-351. 2000
(5) Leiper J. B. Improved Gastric Emptying Rate in Humans of a Unique Glucose Polymer with Gel-forming Properties. Scan. J. Gastroenterol. 11: 1141-1149. 2000

Notes:

*= Anadrol, the brand name for a powerful oral anabolic steroid.

** = The GI of a carb is not the only factor responsible for the benefits of various post/pre workout carbs.

***= A "resistant starch" is resistant to digestive enzymes that break down starch into glucose for absorption. This study used a resistant starch that was 100% pure amylose.

**** = 60 min cycling at 75% VO2 max followed by 6X 1min sprints at 125% VO2 max with 1 minute rest between sprints.

***** = US Patent # 5,929,052