The use of higher-carbohydrate gels has become increasingly common in endurance sports. However, in practice, understanding when this strategy makes sense is essential to optimize performance without compromising gastrointestinal tolerance.
What changes in a higher-carbohydrate gel?
Gels with higher carbohydrate concentrations, such as options with 40 g, 60 g, or even 75 g per serving, provide a greater energy delivery per dose.
From a physiological perspective, this allows for increased carbohydrate intake per hour, supporting blood glucose maintenance and exogenous carbohydrate oxidation, especially during prolonged exercise.
However, this higher density also requires greater attention to intestinal absorption and consumption strategy.
When does it make sense to use more concentrated gels?
Long-duration events or training sessions over 2 hours
During prolonged exercise, energy demand increases and carbohydrate intake can reach 60 to 90 g per hour, or even more in trained athletes.
In this context, more concentrated gels help achieve these targets with lower volume, making intake logistics easier during activity.
Athletes with high gastrointestinal tolerance
Not all athletes tolerate high carbohydrate intakes per hour.
More concentrated gels are better suited for those who have trained their gut and can handle higher carbohydrate loads, especially combinations of multiple transportable carbohydrates such as glucose and fructose.
Critical moments during competition
Long climbs, high-intensity segments, or final stages of a race are situations where energy demand increases.
In these moments, using a more concentrated gel can be an efficient strategy to ensure rapid energy availability without relying on multiple intakes.
Limited time or opportunity to consume
In some events, athletes are simply unable to consume frequently due to intensity, technical demands, or terrain.
In these cases, higher-carbohydrate gels help concentrate intake into shorter windows.
Points of attention
Despite the advantages, this strategy requires caution.
Higher risk of gastrointestinal discomfort if there is no prior adaptation.
Need for adequate fluid intake to optimize absorption.
Importance of splitting intake rather than consuming large amounts at once.
Individualization is key to avoid performance decline due to poor tolerance.
Practical application
In practice, more concentrated gels are not mandatory, but they are strategic tools.
They make more sense in contexts where the carbohydrate intake target per hour is high, race logistics limit frequent intake, and the athlete already has good gut adaptation.
A common strategy is to combine them with other carbohydrate sources, adjusting intake throughout the event according to intensity and opportunity.
The use of higher-carbohydrate gels can be an efficient strategy to optimize energy intake in endurance sports.
However, their benefit depends directly on the context, exercise intensity, and the athlete’s individual tolerance.
More than the amount per gel, what determines performance is the overall strategy.
Reference
Reinhard C, Galloway SDRG. (2022). Carbohydrate intake practices and determinants of food choices during training in recreational, amateur, and professional endurance athletes: a survey analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9:862396.
Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35360695/
