Carb Powders & Insulin Use

Maltodextrin is an artificial sweetener that has no insulin spiking effect.

Maltodextrin is an artificial sweetener that has no insulin spiking effect.I don't think so dude.

NOW Carbo Gain is a 100% pure complex carbohydrate supplement derived from maltodextrin, an easily digestible blend of complex carbohydrates from corn starch. Maltodextrin contains "glucose polymers", linked sugar compounds that are easier for the body to assimilate and use. Glucose polymers are metabolized at a slow, steady rate that can help to sustain energy levels during endurance-oriented workouts and/or athletic events and support weight gain. Carbo Gain contains virtually no protein, fat or fiber and is a convenient source of energy for active individuals.*

Nutrition Info

Amount Per Serving % Daily Value
Serving Size 1/2 cup
Servings per container 63
Calories 190
Total Carbohydrate 47 g 15%
Sugars 2 g
Carbo Powder 50 g

From my knowledge, it has no effect. I'll ask some of my professors to confirm this.

I have heard so many times that maltodextrin has no insulin effect for many years by many people. This is a great example to practice what you preach. There are many times where I say to cross-reference crap to find out if it's true, and I sometimes fall short of listening to my own damn advise. I never use maltodextrin and never even bothered to look it up either.

Here is a wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltodextrin

Main point from Wikipedia - For example, maltodextrin is a moderately sweet polysaccharide used as a food additive, unrelated to barley malt. It is produced from corn starch and is usually found as a creamy white hygroscopic powder. Maltodextrin is easily digestible, being absorbed as rapidly as glucose. The CAS number of maltodextrin is 9050-36-6.

Anyways...bro, you are right. Why wouldn't it have an insulin effect? I was always told time and time again that your body doesn't recognize it and it just gets rid of it. Damn, why didn't I put this together and say, "what the fuck?" If it gets used in the atp glucose flame, it has an effect. The amount is used as energy.

Alright dude...I have been browsing online medical journals for most of the evening. I am still going to talk to a bio-chem professor within the week. I'll share what I have found. I'll first talk a little about what I have found, and then I'll post some of the links from the online medical journals. The websites are (This site didn't have much info.) www.nlm.nih.gov and (This next site had some info.) www.pubmed.gov.

From what I have been reading, maltodextrin is derived from potato starch. It is a shorter chain of the simple glucose molecule. It does, in fact, have an impact on the insulin levels. This is totally different from a lot of the major misconceptions many people have. Many people are under the assumption that aspartame, maltodextrin, and other artificial sweeteners do not have an insulin effect. I will freely admit, I was included in that group. I never even thought twice about reading further. Moving forward, some scientists are saying that even though it has some effect, the effects are not has much as simple sugars. They have stated that the maltose or maltodextrin has less of an insulin spike, but it does still shuttle into the muscle or lipid cells.

Some links:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16403592&query_hl=4&itool=pubmed_docsum (This compared fructose and maltodextrin.)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16861648&query_hl=2&itool=pubmed_docsum (The study was on Streptococcus, which is basically your sore throat. It still provides some insight. One can say that maltodextrin has a definite effect in the body and can be utilized. This shuts down another common misconception of maltodextrin not having an effect in the body. It shows that maltodextrin can be utilized as a carbohydrate.)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16707683&query_hl=2&itool=pubmed_docsum (This breifly speaks about enzymes that are used to utilize maltodextrin. It also speaks about how it can be bonded with other proteins to for glyco-proteins.)

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002444.htm (about sweeteners)

My incomplete conclusion - I am still not done doing my own research. I am just showing some stuff that I have found. There are many studies that have no relavance. It is kind of hard because there are not any studies that I have found that have a direct experiment of what we are asking, which is how much of an insulin effect does the body have with maltodextrin. From getting indirect info from these studies, I think it is pretty safe to say that maltodextrin is definitely utilized in the body. Our body does use it as a carbohydrate. It can be used for atp. It can be bonded with proteins to make glyco-proteins. I would bet that it does have an insulin effect. I know that many supplement companies "claim" that is the best shit out their for muscle recovery. They are saying that it mimics insulin or finds other ways to shuttle the shorter glucose (speaking vaguely of maltodextrin) into the muscles. These studies also disprove the fact that maltodexrin has no insulin impact.

I am still going to keep looking at online medical journals. I will also ask a few other bio-chem professors. Again, I just wanted to share a few things that I learned.

I'm not done with my research. I still have been poking my nose in other medical journals and have been talking to a few bio-chem students, but I have not had a chance to talk with a professor yet. I should be able to do that within the week or next week. I have found that diabetics tend to use artificial sweeteners like maltodextrin, splenda, etc. So, it is almost a safe assumption to say that artificial sweeteners would have less of an insulin spiking effect versus dextrose or straight sugar.

I'll keep you guys posted on my findings. Ninja style out!! 😀

Very insightful stuff. It may not have profound insulin spiking ablities but it must have some impact.....after all it is in fact a carbohydrate.

Very insightful stuff. It may not have profound insulin spiking ablities but it must have some impact.....after all it is in fact a carbohydrate.
Yes it is. Certain carbohydrates have more insulin spiking abilities as compared to others. That's easy to realize. Think of a sucrose compared to a fructose or to a simple to a complex. Anyhoo, I'll let you all know what I find out from a few bio-chem professors.

I'm not a biochem professor, but I'll throw in my .02. Generally maltodextrin ranks 105 on the GI, so it will definitely spike insulin. The GI rank can be lower, much lower depending on how its processed. But for the cheap stuff found in bulk bodybuilding supplements and weight gainers its probably the 105 stuff. It would work well with insulin if using the fast acting post workout. I would take in some lower GI carbs with it as well with insulin. Hypothetically of course.:)