Despite the dangers that sugar poses to sedentary folks, early studies suggest that it鈥檚 mostly OK for athletes who need quick, easily digested fuel. The sweetener powers your cells and is听the main source of energy for your brain and muscles. But remember these two听important rules: First, you need a sports-performance product only if you鈥檙e exercising for longer than 90 minutes. Second, sugar comes in many forms, so it鈥檚 important to know exactly what you鈥檙e taking in while training and racing. And remember: the whole point of con颅suming performance fuels is for the carbohydrates, so low-calorie 颅options featuring sugar substitutes like aspartame, sucralose, stevia, and xylitol don鈥檛 make much sense. If there鈥檚 any time when it鈥檚 颅appropriate鈥攐r at least acceptable鈥攖o have real sugar, it鈥檚 during a hard workout.
Why you should stop eating sugar now.听Dried Cane Syrup
What it is:听Basically table sugar (a.k.a. sucrose) processed slightly differently. The same is true of evapor颅ated cane juice, cane sugar, and sucrose syrup.
Research says: Sucrose breaks down into the simple sugars glucose and fructose, which are metabolized at different rates and provide you with a steady drip of energy.听
Our take:听A good option for en颅durance athletes. Like听all sugars, keep your daily intake well below听10 percent of your听total calories to avoid health pitfalls.听
Agave Syrup
What it is:听A sweetener made听from the nectar of听the agave plant.听
Research says:听It鈥檚 highly processed and contains similar fructose levels to high-fructose corn syrup. Fructose is behind most of the metabolic diseases, like diabetes and obesity, associated with sugar鈥攑articularly in seden颅tary people.听
Our take:听Stay away!
Brown Rice Syrup
What it is:听Sugar extracted from starches in cooked rice.听
Research says: Though brown rice听syrup breaks down pri颅marily into glucose, it鈥檚 a more complex carbohydrate than pure glucose (which some products use), so you鈥檒l get less听of a blood-sugar spike.听
Our take:听It鈥檚 better than a pure fructose sweetener but not as preferable as sucrose-based ones.
Tapioca Syrup
What it is:听An extract from the starches in cassava root.听
Research says: There haven鈥檛 been many studies on tapioca syrup, but it鈥檚 heavily processed and manufacturers manipulate its glucose and fructose ratios.听
Our take:听Until there鈥檚 more information, we鈥檇 steer clear.听
Maltodextrin
What it is:听A sometimes sweet, processed form of听corn, wheat, tapioca,听or rice starch.听
Research says: It鈥檚 a more complex carbohydrate than glucose or fructose but still breaks down quickly and is absorbed into the bloodstream as glucose. It also requires less听water for digestion than simple sugars, meaning lower likelihood of gastrointestinal distress.听
Our take:听Because of its quick absorption rate, maltodextrin is good for long training sessions, races, and recovery.听