Perpetuem Solids®

Why do you use maltodextrin instead of sugar in your fuels?

Here are the benefits of maltodextrin, along with information about its effects on insulin during exercise and shortly after it’s been completed.

The Benefits of Maltodextrin

1. You can digest greater amounts of calories from maltodextrin than from any short-chain sugar, aka “simple sugar,” such as glucose, sucrose, and fructose (As one nutritional scientist states, “maltodextrin allows one to swallow more energy in less volume.”) With maltodextrin you get the full amount of calories that you need for energy production, and with no delay in exiting the GI tract. Fuels containing simple sugars much be mixed at very calorically weak solutions in order to be digested with any efficiency, so your body won’t be getting the right amount of calories it needs. However, when athletes try to make a “double-strength” mix of a simple sugar fuel, that too-high sugar mixture does not match body fluid chemistry, which means it just sits in the stomach undigested for a lengthy period of time... and that means severe stomach distress. You won’t have that issue with maltodextrin.


2. Maltodextrin goes to work extremely quickly in producing energy because it’s a high Glycemic Index carbohydrate; in fact, it’s the same as pure glucose (both are 100). That’s a good thing because you want that energy as quickly as possible, and that’s what maltodextrin will do. Another benefit with maltodextrin is that, because it’s comprised of hundreds of saccharide molecules all weakly bonded together, it will provide a much more consistent and longer-lasting energy than glucose or any other simple sugar, and without that undesirable “peak and valley”, “flash and crash” energy that is typical with simple sugars.

Because of maltodextrin’s high Glycemic Index (GI), many people ask about the insulin release that occurs. The answer to that is that, yes, maltodextrin does elevate blood sugar levels very rapidly and will cause an insulin release. This is not an issue immediately prior to exercise, during exercise, however, as Dr. Misner explains: "During exercise, insulin release is inhibited because sympathetic nervous system hormones are also released and, concurrently, exercise augments muscle uptake of glucose from exogenous intake accompanied by lower insulin levels and effects." Basically, what Dr. Misner is saying is that because energy turnover is very high, and with the release of specific central nervous system hormones, the body is able to deliver glucose to the muscles with very minimal insulin… insulin release is not a significant factor during exercise.

After exercise, when the body needs to have its cells restocked with fuel, maltodextrin’s high Glycemic Index is also desirable… Recoverite and Organic Vegan Recoverite are PERFECT fuels for maximizing recovery.

Those are the only three times—immediately prior to exercise, during exercise, and shortly after exercise—when a high-GI carbohydrate such as maltodextrin should be consumed.

Is Sodium Phosphate, found in Race Day Boost and Perpetuem, safe to Consume?

Yes, sodium tribasic phosphate (also referred to simply as sodium phosphate) is remarkably safe, especially in the relatively small amounts found in Race Day Boost and Perpetuem. Sodium phosphate enjoys FDA "GRAS" (Generally Recognized As Safe) status as an emulsifying agent, Nutrients and Dietary Supplement, a sequestrant (a food additive whose role is to improve the quality and stability of the food products), and for miscellaneous use.

The LD50 of orally dosed sodium tribasic phosphate for rats (the amount of an agent that is sufficient to kill 50 percent of the rats) is 7,400 mg/kg. Translated for a 75 kg/165 lb. athlete, that would mean a dose of nearly 555 grams (555,000 mg), an astronomically high amount that no one would even conceive of trying to take. By comparison:

• The LD50 of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) for rats is 4,220 mg/kg
• The LD50 for rats consuming acetic acid (vinegar is a dilute aqueous solution of acetic acid) is 3,310 mg/kg
• The LD50 of sodium chloride (table salt) for rats is 3,000 mg/kg

Do Perpetuem Solids contain caffeine?

Caffe Latte flavor contains 30 mg of caffeine per serving.