Carbohydrate Supplements

Carbohydrates are one of the three major macronutrients found in the diet. The other two are protein and fats ( lipids), though technically alcohol is a fourth macronutrient. Long-chain carbohydrates are also known as starches, and are composed of chains of sugar, similar to proteins which are made from chains of amino acids. Carbohydrate supplements can be helpful for those wishing to gain weight, whether that be powerlifters, bodybuilders or anorexia sufferers, or for those wishing to improve exercise performance or recovery. They may also be taken between meals or before bed, when mixed with a protein powder, if one’s goals is to gain size.

Adding a quality carbohydrate powder to a standard whey protein powder effectively creates a mass gainer, which can be used for mass gains in certain exercise programs. Carbohydrates are excellent when taken after exercise to replenish muscle glycogen stores. Glycogen is a form of carbohydrate that the muscle creates in order to store easily accessible glucose to meet the energy demands of the cell. These stores are depleted during exercise, particularly high-intensity exercise. Glycogen is also stored in the liver. Though many do well on ketogenic programs or low carbohydrate diets, evidence still points towards the essentiality of carbohydrates for anyone engaged in high-intensity exercise. This was reported in Nutrition Today in 2018.

Carbohydrate powders may also be a great addition to a protein shake for labourers and tradesman, whose energy demands are quite high. This will ensure that energy levels are kept relatively constant throughout the day and also help to prevent weight loss.

Carbohydrate powders stimulate the release of insulin, and when taken prior to exercise with amino acids, help them to more effectively enter the muscle cell. Insulin, after all, is considered to be one of the body’s most powerful anabolic hormones. Glucose and amino acids both enter the cell after stimulation by insulin, which is why carbohydrate powders work so well for this purpose. It has been reported in The Journal of Nutrition in 2002 that there is an inherent synergism between essential amino acids and glucose, when taken together, in stimulating muscle protein synthesis. A synergistic response means that the effect of the two taken together is greater than the sum of them taken separately.

Therefore, they support each other. This is likely due to the ability of glucose to stimulate insulin release, thus allowing for an increased muscle cell uptake of amino acids from the blood. Theoretically, any high-glycemic index carbohydrate, like those found in this section, will create a significant enough insulin spike to allow amino acids to enter the cell in greater quantities. You may find these supplements beneficial when added to a pre-workout or intra-workout.