The United States has twice as many supplement brands as it does McDonald’s restaurants. That’s a lot of supplements. Of those 30,000 or so, only a handful have robust evidence for efficacy. Prominent among them are carbohydrate supplements—the drinks and gels of concentrated sugar that cyclists, triathletes, and marathon runners chug throughout their races (over 1,500 carb gels were consumed during each stage of the recent Tour de France). Carb gels are ubiquitous in sports because carbohydrates are the body’s primary fuel for intense exercise. Although our bodies retain a stockpile of carbohydrates as glycogen in the muscles, we burn through it during exercise like a steam engine burns through coal. We must refuel on the go to prevent early fatigue. The supplement manufacturers have one task: to deliver the calories and nutrients they promise on the product labels. In this month’s column, I’ll tell the story of one supplement company that failed in this basic duty and the group of athletes who exposed the fact by exercising their critical faculties.

The Skeptic's Guide to Sports Science BOOK: https://www.nbtiller.com

Skeptical Inquirer magazine: https://www.skepticalinquirer.org

Original article & references: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/spring-energy-the-supplement-exposed-by-skeptical-athletes/

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