A controlled human study published in the journal Food Science and Technology Research demonstrated that oral intake of Glico Nutrition’s Cluster Dextrin, a formulation of Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin (HBCD), dramatically increased endurance and benefited performance in athletic trials. The study, conducted with seven accomplished adult male swimmers, has significance for the use of Cluster Dextrin by those engaged in vigorous physical activity at every level.
 
The three discrete test trials, spaced a week apart, were controlled and procedurally randomized. In each trial, the swimmers were administered either glucose, water as a control, or HBCD, a type of maltodextrin with a high molecular weight and narrow molecular weight distribution that is the functional component of Glico’s Cluster Dextrin. The subjects then carried out 10 intermittent swimming trials, beginning with 5 minutes of swimming at 75% VO2max, followed by a 3 minute rest, and subsequently an all-out effort at 90% VO2max to the point of exhaustion. Trials were conducted in a countercurrent water machine. Exhaustion was indicated by the swimmer’s forward movement being reversed one full meter by the current.
 
Results found that the swimmers who had been administered HBCD were able to perform at optimum output for 70% longer than those administered conventional glucose or water. In addition, the HBCD group exhibited higher plasma glucose when blood was tested at multiple intervals prior to swimming, suggesting that HBCD helps to sustain energy-yielding glucose levels more consistently and effectively than typical endurance supplementation using carbohydrate delivered by maltose, sucrose, or glucose.
 
In a statement from Glico Nutrition, the company said this study proves that Cluster Dextrin boosts endurance during vigorous exercise, while allowing the body to sustain proper glucose levels without the negative effects of high-molecular weight carbohydrate supplements, thus making it an optimal choice in sports food supplementation.
 
For more information: www.glico.co.jp/en/