2009 Studies & Research Blog

With so much attention given to protein and protein supplements, it can be easy to overlook the fact that carbohydrates and fats are also essential components to a healthy diet and the promotion of optimal performance.  In fact, insufficient intake of carbohydrates and fats will effectively render all of your protein supplements useless, as you won’t have the proper nutrition needed to exercise, recover and grow.  And just as there are protein supplements to make hitting protein goals more convenient, there are carbohydrate and fat supplements as well.

One of the most popular carbohydrate supplements is Waxy Maize Starch (WMS).  Waxy Maize Starch is a relative newcomer to the supplement market, and has been widely hailed for its rapid digestion and lack of taste, making it easy to mix in with other foods and beverages you may already be taking.  Additionally, WMS has the unique ability to bypass the stomach, allowing it to be absorbed directly into muscles, shuttling nutrients without the bloating sometimes associated with dextrose or maltodextrin.

While all this sounds great, there is one thing that really matters - does it work?  Despite the relatively short time in the spotlight, numerous studies have investigated the benefits of WMS.  When supplemented before exercise, WMS resulted in an increase of carbohydrate oxidation.  In addition to this, researchers noted that WMS had an ergogenic effect, with athletes showing an ability to perform more work during a performance exercise (1).

But pre-workout isn’t the only time when Waxy Maize Starch has proven effective as an alternative to other, more traditional carbohydrate sources.  As one might expect, the post-workout period, where many place an emphasis on the quickness of nutrient delivery to potentially depleted muscles, is a great window of opportunity for the advantages of WMS.  In one study, researchers compared a variety of types of carbohydrates on their abilities to provide glycogen resynthesis after exercise.  Even when pitted against classic bodybuilding favorites such as maltodextrin and resistant starch, Waxy Maize Starch stole the show.  WMS outperformed both of those alternatives, providing nearly double the muscle gylogen concentration of resistant starch (2).

And thanks to the lack of fat and sugars, Waxy Maize Starch delivers everything you want and nothing you don’t, ensuring that you can create your ideal post-workout recovery nutrition.

SOURCES:

1. Goodpaster, BH, et al. The effects of pre-exercise starch ingestion on endurance performance. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 1996; 17(5):366-72.
2. Jozsi, AC, et al. The influence of starch structure on glycogen resynthesis and subsequent cycling performance. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 1996; 17(5):373-378