Dose Response Oxidation of a Sweet-corn Derived Sugar (PhytoSpherix) During Exercise in Endurance Trained Athletes

University of Western Ontario, Canada

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Hypoglycemia

Treatments: Dietary Supplement: Use of PhytoSpherix at 1 g/min; Dietary Supplement: Use of PhytoSpherix at 2 g/min; Dietary Supplement: Use of PhytoSpherix at 1.5 g/min; Behavioral: Cycling exercise; Dietary Supplement: Use of PhytoSpherix at 0 g/min

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02909881

10014597

Details and patient eligibility

About

PhytoSpherix (Phx) is an all-natural, edible polysaccharide extracted from sweet corn. This carbohydrate is the major muscle fuel for intense exercise and its stores are quite small such that one can run out of it during a single exercise bout. Therefore, Phx should provide significant exercise fuel if consumed during exercise. As a result its intake could enhance intense exercise performance by providing additional fuel. This experiment Will investigate the effects of 4 different dosages of Phx consumed throughout a prolonged exercise bout on carbohydrate and fat utilization as well as its oxidation rate and perception of effort during prolonged intense exercise in trained cyclists. Muscle and liver carbohydrate stores will be examined using a non-invasive ultrasound technique.

Full description

Carbohydrate (CHO) is one of the main substrate oxidized during moderate-to-high intensity, endurance-type exercise. It's been shown that CHO feeding during exercise enhances endurance performance and capacity, attributed mainly to the facilitation of greater rates of exogenous CHO oxidation, prevention of hypoglycaemia and sparing of muscle glycogen. Previous studies based on supplementation of glucose during 180 min. of cycling exercise have reported a maximal rate of exogenous CHO oxidation to be about 1 g/min. Other studies have shown that CHO oxidation rates can reach peak values of about 1.3 g/min when a combination of fructose and glucose is ingested at a rate of 1.8 g/min. The limitation in uptake and oxidation of a single CHO source is attributed to its intestinal transporter saturation such that when multiple CHO source is used the uptake and oxidation rate is increased to a greater extent. Currently there is no information regarding Phx uptake or oxidation rate as a CHO source during exercise. Also, it is important to investigate whether Phx as a CHO sport drink can increase performance by sparing muscle and liver glycogen during exercise. Therefore, the objective of this experiment is to measure dose response of Phx oxidation rate during prolonged cycling exercise and its effect on muscle and liver glycogen levels.

Enrollment: 8 estimated patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18 to 30 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy male endurance trained athletes with >2 y cycling experience; about 2 h/day

Exclusion criteria

• Unhealthy athletes, smokers

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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8 participants in 1 patient group

Endurance trained male cyclists

Experimental group

Description:

8 male endurance trained male cyclist will consume varying amounts (0, 1, 1.5 and 2 g/min) of PhytoSpherix (sweet-corn derived sugar) during a 150 min . cycling exercise

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Use of PhytoSpherix at 2 g/min

Dietary Supplement: Use of PhytoSpherix at 1.5 g/min

Dietary Supplement: Use of PhytoSpherix at 0 g/min

Behavioral: Cycling exercise

Dietary Supplement: Use of PhytoSpherix at 1 g/min