e-Fuel vs. FRS
FRS is widely marketed to athletes, but with one of the highest levels of
simple sugars, extremely low levels of complex carbohydrates and virtually
no electrolytes it just doesn't stack up against the competition.
For a more complete discussion of each ingredient and the differences
between e-Fuel and FRS, click on the ingredient links on the left side
of the table.
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Carbohydrates
Maltodextrin is the preferred carbohydrate source for endurance athletes and
as such it is the primary ingredient in e-Fuel as well as most other good
products on the market. Cytomax is 55% simple sugars. The danger of high sugar content products
such as Cytomax is that they
can elevate your blood sugar level too far too fast which can lead to a
sugar crash (also known as bonking). Higher sugar content also raises the
osmolality of the product which can reduce energy delivery, delay fluid
absorption and promote dehydration.
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Electrolytes
e-Fuel is designed to provide complete and
balanced electrolyte replacement that is critical for proper hydration and
to avoid muscle cramping. The sodium and potassium levels in e-Fuel are
designed to meet the American College of Sports Medicine's recommendation
for electrolyte replacement during intense athletic activity.
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Amino Acids
The amino acids in e-Fuel are designed to reduce lactic acid
build up, maintain muscle protein and aid in recovery.
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Citrates
The Citrates in e-Fuel assist in the carbohydrate to energy conversion process as well as
reduce and slow the build-up of lactic acid in your muscles.
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Antioxidants
e-Fuel is one of the few sports drinks on the market that contains antioxidant vitamins C and E
to help protect against tissue damage,
reduce soreness and aid in the recovery process.
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Vitamin B6
e-Fuel is one of the only sports drinks to include vitamin B6 which assists in the
energy conversion process.
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Protein
Protein has to go through a digestive process which draws blood away from
working muscles to the stomach and intestines. When you are competing in an
aerobic activity you want as much blood as possible supplied to your muscles
carrying fresh oxygen for the energy conversion process. Consequently,
independent studies have found no
benefit of protein in a sports drink. See the following article from the
American College of Sports Medicine for a more complete discussion:
American College of Sports Medicine
Failure
of Protein to Improve Performance when Added to a Sports Drink
Science Daily
Protein-added
Sports Drinks Don't Boost Performance
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Caffeine
While caffeine may give a temporary mental boost, unfortunately it is a
diuretic, meaning that it causes your kidneys to produce more urine - thus
promoting dehydration. Proper hydration is critical to optimum performance,
and in our opinion caffeine should not be incorporated into your sports
nutrition program. Our recommendation has always been that if you feel that
you NEED caffeine, then only use a caffeinated product (there are plenty on
the market) near the end of your
competition when you need the psychological boost the most and there is
little time to cause dehydration. We strongly recommend against relying on a
caffeinated product for the duration of the competition.
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Sucralose
To our amazement, sucralose (also
known as Splenda) and
other artificial sweeteners have begun to show up in sports nutrition
products. The name may sound harmless, but check out the Sucralose
Toxicity Information Center and the Potential
Dangers of Sucralose by Dr. Joseph Mercola. The temptation by manufacturers to
use sucralose is great, because
high performance carbohydrates such as maltodextrin provide very little
sweetness to the product. Thus, adding an artificial sweetener allows
one to achieve a sweet product without using sucrose, high fructose corn
syrup and other simple sugars. In our opinion, artificial sweeteners belong in diet soda, not sports
nutrition products.
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The nutritional information shown above for
FRS is
for an 8 oz serving of Orange flavor and Low Calorie Orange flavor as published
August 2010.
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