You may have heard Gastrointestinal (GI) distress can plague athletes. Perhaps you’ve even fallen victim to it yourself. Maybe intense heartburn ruined your training run. Or maybe worse, indigestion was the detrimental factor on race day.
GI distress is commonplace for many athletes—particularly endurance athletes that are fueling during exercise or racing. Marathon legend, Bill Rodgers, said, “More marathons are won or lost in the portable toilets than at the dinner table.” This illustrates the prevalence and severity of the issue for many long-course racers.
In fact, a 2009 study conducted for the Opinions in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care found that roughly 50% of runners experience GI problems.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Indigestion, diarrhea, heartburn, bloating, nausea, or constipation shouldn’t send you to the road shoulder or looking for the next porta potty during your race. Let alone dictate the outcome of your event. A great remedy for this potential predicament is to fuel your next triathlon training session or race day with Generation UCAN.
Generation UCAN uses a complex, slow-releasing carbohydrate called SuperStarch, derived from non-GMO corn starch and developed to maintain steady blood sugar levels for several hours. This is different than the traditional approach to triathlon fueling of using high glycemic sugars (such as sports drinks and gels) that cause a spike in blood sugar.
The science behind Generation UCAN products is revolutionary. It changes the way triathletes think about fueling. Using SuperStarch prevents the typical sugar rush and sugar crash associated with many sports nutrition products by delivering a steady amount of energy to the body. UCAN also allows the body to use its own fat stores for energy by keeping blood sugar stable. Since the body can use its fat stores, athletes require less calorie consumption during competition.
GI distress is often caused when the body’s systems become overloaded. Because blood flow to the GI tract is impaired during exercise, there are limited resources available for digestion. By using UCAN, athletes avoid this digestive system overload. UCAN encourages the body to use its own energy fat stores so athletes do not need to constantly fuel. Their SuperStarch enhances metabolic efficiency and yields a reliable and extended energy source for athletes.
Take a smart approach to nutrition in your next race. Don’t underperform due to GI distress. Instead, optimally perform and take a Generation UCAN approach.
TriDot Takeaway: UCAN offers triathletes an effective way to combat common GI issues by providing a quality energy source, stabilizing the body’s blood sugar levels, reducing the common occurrence of “sugar crash” from many sports drinks and gels, and allows for more efficient fat to carbohydrate burning rations.
Talk with TriDot: Have you ever encountered GI issues in your training or at a race? How did you deal with them?
Elizabeth James is an Ironman, a USAT Level 1 Certified Coach, and a TriDot coach. She made the transition from running marathons to triathlons in 2012 and has completed sprint, Olympic, 70.3, and full Ironman distances. She and her husband, Charles, live in Garland, Texas. Her TriDot Score is 33-35-45.
