# stomach irritated with Gatorade/water mix?



## stygz1 (Nov 21, 2011)

The other day I had a GU pack to start a ride. I hydrated with a 50/50 gatorade and water mix. My stomach seemed alittle bothered. On my second lap I had part of a clif bar and hydrated the same way as before thinking the GU and gatorade mix was at fault. No change in my stomach feeling. I did start off with nothing to eat for the past few hours. Is gatorade / water mix an issue here?


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## TXHSCL (Jan 21, 2013)

I'm going to guess it's not your water/Gatorade mix but it certainly could be. Gatorade has way too much sugar content than it really should for athletic purposes (or really any at that other than taste.) Depending on your other dietary intake over the 24 hours preceding the ride it could be that I guess. A more likely culprit I think would be the gu. Too much gu or even one pack when I haven't had any in a while can sometimes do that to me.

A dietitian once told me that for whatever reason if fructose is the first listed sugar ingredient (not the first ingredient but the first sugar) then it's not uncommon for people to have stomach issues with the food/gel. Maltodestrose or another sugar type is a better first sugar ingredient. Maybe it's that.


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## jennyv (Nov 13, 2012)

Two possible causes:
1. A gel needs about 12oz of water to help it digest. So, if you didn't drink 12oz of water, that gel could have been sitting in your stomach and caused the upset stomach.
2. Physiologically, the average human can only process between 250-300 calories per hour. If you consume more than that, you are in effect causing a "traffic jam" at the stomach which can cause GI distress.

There is a benefit to consuming fructose in an energy drink _when it is combined with glucose_. It enhances the maximal uptake of carbohydrate into working muscles thus providing an additional performance benefit. However, as TXHSCL stated above, it should NOT be the first ingredient (glucose/dextrose should be).


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## MotownDanny (Jan 23, 2013)

*Personally, I always found Gatorade to have the opposite effect,*

Helps me with nausea after a GI illness like "stomach flu".


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## GelatiCruiser (Oct 11, 2012)

Gel + Gatorade + no water = definite bubble gut.

I get the shits when I drink Powerade....EVERY time, and it doesn't matter how much I drink. But Gatorade....I drink it all the time with no problems. Maybe Gatorade doesn't agree with you?
But try downing 12-16oz of water with a Gel before hitting the Schmade...


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## Whambat (Jul 30, 2006)

Regular Gatorade relies on either table sugar or corn syrup for calories, depending on powder versus liquid form, although I think even the liquid has switched to table sugar aka sucrose. Whatever your thoughts are on corn syrup, chemically it's pretty much the same as table sugar in that it is about 50/50 glucose to fructose. While a little fructose is fine, in high quantities it causes the gut bomb because it has a slower absorption rate than glucose. Fructose also has to be processed by the liver to become available to your muscles, creating another logjam. 

Also, as Jenny stated gels need water to digest well, but with a 50/ 50 mix of a good sports drink you probably would have been fine. Gatorade was state of the art years ago, but it really is a crappy source of nutrition in this day and age.

Also, maltodextrine is also a good primary source of carbs, it's a glucose polymer. Forget the hype about it being a complex carb, it absorbs actually faster than glucose/ dextrose. Hammer nutrition likes to hype how it's a great long lasting carb, that's bs, but it's still a great source of carbs in a drink. Sports drinks by nature meter the carb dose over time, provided you sip it over a course of time, not a whole bottle at once.


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## enfyre (Jan 25, 2013)

sports drinks in general seem to cause occasional indigestion for me. Perhaps an acid indigestion issue?


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## barnabas (Sep 25, 2012)

Tailwind Nutrition


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## stygz1 (Nov 21, 2011)

Actually I found an arcticle or post about not drinking gatorade with Gu or other gels. It was somewhere on this web site. Also I think I will stay away from GU with 2x caffine


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## rockhop (Mar 22, 2006)

PepsiCo Will Halt Use of Additive in Gatorade - NYTimes.com


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## Orthoguy (Dec 4, 2011)

GelatiCruiser said:


> Gel + Gatorade + no water = definite bubble gut....


 That mix would kill me for sure as well. It took me 6 months when I first started mountain biking to figure out that Gatorade was screwing me up. I switched to 2 scoops of Heed per 100 oz of water and that sorted things out for me.


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## mevadus (Oct 22, 2009)

Forget gatorade, try something like NUUN. I take one NUUN tab and put it in my Camelbak with a few sugar cubes to sweeten. Works great. Also, you may want to consider trying Honey Stinger packs.


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## .40AET (Jun 7, 2007)

First, you should already be hydrated when you start riding. At work I drink a liter an hour. On the weekends I'm busy with the kids and doing doing stuff and need to remember to drink water throughout the day. 

I only drink Gatorade when it's the only option available. Heed and Cytomax are a lot easier on my stomach. Usually, I only drink water during a 2-3 hour ride. Try switching to different gel as well. The Hammer stuff is easier for me to get down when it's hot out. 

Good luck


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## desnaephoto (Jun 11, 2009)

I have tried Hammer, Gatorade, Poweraid, and a couple of other mixes. The only one I have found that does not give me 'gut rot' is Skratch lab mixes. Last summer for my 1st 100 miler (100% off road), I drank 4 servings per hour (hot day) and never had a gut issue. Normally during even a 100K I have gut issues. Not since switching. BTW, I only needed 1 gel and 1 scoop of PB (plus 1/2 a throwback Pepsi) in addition to my mix. Others on my team have had similar experiences. We all swear by Skratch mix.

Lots of threads here about needing enough water and what ratio of stuff works for different people. 

Unfortunately, you will need to experiment to figure out what does and does not work for you. Use our experiences as a starting point.

Good luck. Keep us updated.

PS I am not affiliated with Skratch in any way, shape or form. Though would like to be.


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