Potato puree is a promising race fuel for athletes

Athletes commonly consume carbohydrate energy gels to improve race performance and endurance. Now, research involving trained cyclists suggests that potato puree can be just as effective.Compared with ingesting water alone, cyclists who ingested potato puree performed as well during an endurance trial as cyclists who consumed a commercial carbohydrate energy gel with the same amount of carbohydrate.

"In conclusion," note the researchers in a recent Journal of Applied Physiology paper on the study, "potato and gel ingestion equally sustained blood glucose concentrations and [time trial] performance."

"Research has shown," says senior study author Nicholas A. Burd, a professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, "that ingesting concentrated carbohydrate gels during prolonged exercise promotes carbohydrate availability during exercise and improves exercise performance."

"Our study aim was to expand and diversify race fueling options for athletes and offset flavor fatigue," he adds.

Although protein and fat can supply energy, the body breaks down carbohydrate much more efficiently to meet the energy demands of high intensity exercise.

Carbohydrate energy gels are ideal race fuels because, not only do they sustain performance, but the body readily digests and absorbs them.

"Potatoes are a whole food based option that fulfills these criteria, yet their impact on performance remains unexamined," write the authors.