Sugar in endurance sports

I already discussed issue of carbs in the diet of an endurance athlete, but what about sugar? I admit it openly: I am totally addicted to sugar. But I also know it’s not that good for me. So, in a truly-me fashion, I decided to look into how bad all that chocolate and cookies are for me.

Types of sugar

Sugars are basically sweet-tasting carbs. The most common ones you are likely to encounter are glucose, fructose, lactose (anybody lactose-intolerant out there? Did you realize you were allergic to a type of sugar?) and sucrose.

They are not all made equal, but when they break down, one of the things you will get is glucose. Which is what your muscle uses. And that’s a lot easier on you than burning fat for energy. On the other hand, your body has to produce insulin to regulate sugar levels. Both too much and too little can be harmful. If you tend to overindulge in sweets, your pancreas may stop being able to work its insulin-producing magic, leading to diabetes.

During an endurance race or workout

This is a complex issue and I have discussed it in detail in my post about fueling during an endurance race. The bottom line to this is: sugar is a great source of fast energy, but it’s not enough to keep you going for the extremely long races (think ironman triathlon or an ultra). It can lead to gastric distress (what a nice way of putting it, when reality is rather gross 😉). But still, that is where you will go first for extra fuel.

Sugar outside exercise

I actually had to ask Diana (my coach, aka goddess of all things fitness-related) for her opinion on sugar. My research made me want to abandon this topic all together, as there are clearly to camps (the pro-carb people and the keto people).

Here is one thing all of them agreed on: in blood tests, endurance athletes show results similar to pre-diabetics. Say what??? But diabetes is an illness of obese, lazy people, right??? Yes, it also got my attention. The fat-burning crowd threw these studies around a lot. I thought this article had interesting details regarding science behind the issue without being overly dry and impossible to understand for a ‘mere mortal’.

Here is the thing I learned from further reading: endurance athletes may look like pre-diabetics, but they very rarely actually develop diabetes. It’s possible that their insulin and blood sugar levels are an adaptation to long periods of exercise.

Something we all need to keep in mind though: every person’s body works a bit differently and no answers are perfect for everybody. Also, binge eating sugary stuff and washing it down with soda is not a recipe for success. Be reasonable with your diet. But the good news is that it looks like you don’t have to completely deny yourself that sweet treat after dinner!

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