Muscle building and concentration – Why dextrose can be important for us!
In addition to proper meal planning (also called Mealprep ), there is a simple solution for anyone who wants to work with concentration, build vegan muscle and have more power in sports to quickly get important energy for many everyday situations: Dextrose
We have taken a closer look at the hype around dextrose and tell you when it makes sense to reach for dextrose and co.
Dextrose - This is why our brain needs the energy from glucose and co.
Every activity consumes energy. And as soon as the energy is used up, hunger sets in. Often also ravenous hunger. The reaction: You reach for what can be found quickly in the immediate vicinity. This is usually not healthy. Your brain is also hungry, especially for dextrose, also known as glucose or dextrose. Because mental work in particular is often more strenuous than you think. More than half of the dextrose in the body is used by the brain: in stressful situations even up to 90 percent. What makes dextrose so special? Dextrose is a single building block and goes directly into the blood.
Who does not fondly remember the popular dextrose tablets not from his childhood? Especially for hikes and other excursions they could not be missing in any children's backpack. In adulthood, few connect with dextrose and think sugar must always be bad. However, this is not quite correct. Used correctly, dextrose brings us the necessary energy for sports and brain. Especially in times of “New Work” and “Deep Work” a varied daily routine and enough energy for meetings, calls in the home office and the daily sports program are important to be able to work fit and motivated at all times.
Both some high-performance athletes have therefore long sworn by a very specific fuel, on which many start-ups and the e-gaming scene also rely: Dextrose
Why gray cells need so much food – two good reasons for brain food:
- 1. Basal metabolic rate: Your brain is always active. Even when you sleep, it keeps your body building and transporting protein building blocks, repairing damage to DNA, and maintaining the ability of nerve cells to communicate. Scientists vividly call this “housekeeping.” Just like tidying, cleaning, and repairing your own home, this basic activity alone eats up a quarter of your brain's total energy.
- 2. Peak load: When you're awake, your brain burns the same amount on average – whether you're driving, doing a round of yoga or watching a Netflix documentary lying on the sofa. During concentrated mental work, consumption in individual brain regions increases. The nerve cells of the brain regions involved then fire at the same rate. Brain researchers call this “oscillating.” These so-called “gamma oscillations” consume about twice as much power reserves as neurons need in resting mode. Such increased brain activity occurs, for example, during an exam.
The energy your brain needs, it gets mainly from carbohydrates that you eat through your food. In this process, the more complex carbohydrates are broken down into individual building blocks in the digestive tract. Subsequently, mainly the building block dextrose is present. The dextrose now enters the bloodstream via the small intestine. There it appears in the form of blood sugar, which is converted into energy in your cells. This is now available for the brain and muscles.
Is dextrose healthy?
There are many myths about dextrose. Time to clean it up! In its pure form, dextrose is unhealthier or healthier than other monosaccharides or disaccharides. Dextrose, for example, provides 405 kilocalories per 100 grams. Ordinary household sugar has a similar number of kilocalories. However, for some sugar intolerances, it is advisable to resort to dextrose in sweetening. This is the case, for example, with hereditary fructose intolerance, sucrose intolerance or fructose intolerance.
Diabetics in particular should always carry a piece of glucose with them to be prepared in case of hypoglycemia.
Dextrose in sports - the anabolic window
To take advantage of the so-called anabolic window, many athletes swear by dextrose after strength training. This is because insulin also supports muscle growth by promoting the uptake of amino acids into the muscle. Dextrose is also popular in endurance sports and useful when the duration of the load is over 90 minutes. The decision here is to prevent the dreaded performance kink with full glycogen stores. This can be done, for example, with a carbohydrate-rich diet of potatoes, pasta, rice, fruit, whole grains, etc., or with dextrose shortly before training.
If you consume pure dextrose as a training or brain food, it has free rein: it passes through the intestinal wall without stopping and is detectable in the blood just a few minutes after absorption. If you take dextrose just before your workout (for example. Dextro Energy Sports with Magnesium), nothing stands in the way of an intensive workout with lots of energy. The dextrose acts as a vegan booster and provides your body in a short time with important energy that you need during training.
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How to fill your glycose stores before, during and after training
But dextrose is not only suitable as a pre-workout booster – you can also reach for dextrose if you need more quick energy during your workout. The intake of dextrose after training is also useful because it promotes the regeneration of the body. In combination with vegan protein powder, utilization of proteins due to sports activity is prevented by glycogenesis. Through the additional intake of dextrose, the vegan protein can thus be better and faster utilized.
According to Health Claims, blood sugar-raising carbohydrates such as glucose help maintain normal brain function. Muscles also rely on broken down sugars. Especially during physical exertion, the sugar requirement of athletes increases. Unlike the brain, muscles can store dextrose in the form of glycogen. An adequate supply of carbohydrates is especially important for athletes to keep the energy supply constant and to counteract drops in performance.
Our recommendation:
Always have a pack of Dextro Energy handy. Both in the glove compartment, if you are ever longer in a traffic jam or on the way to the vacation or even for the way back after a long hike or climbing tour. The dextrose bars are easy to store in any workout bag and are completely vegan, non-GMO, gluten-free and fat-free.
More on the subject of dextrose:
Sources/Studies: Saunders, A. V., Davis, B. C., & Garg, M. L. (2013). Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vegetarian diets. The Medical journal of Australia, 199(S4), S22-S26. https://doi.org/10.5694/mja11.11507
Rogerson D. (2017). Vegan diets: practical advice for athletes and exercisers. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 36. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0192-9
Schek A, Braun H, Carlsohn A, Großhauser M, König D, Lampen A, Mosler S, Nieß A, Oberritter H, Schäbethal K, Stehle P, Virmani K, Ziegenhagen R, Heseker H (2019) Fats in sports nutrition. Position of the working group sports nutrition of the German Nutrition Society (DGE). Nutrition Review 66(9): 181-188
Regulation (EU) No. 432/2012 for carbohydrate-electrolyte beverages: – Carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions help maintain endurance performance during prolonged endurance exercise – Carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions improve the absorption of water during physical activity.
A varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important. If you have a special dietary situation or are unsure, it is better to talk to your doctor or nutritionist beforehand.
Munich-based start-up GREENFORCE has made it its mission to help drive the biggest food revolution in industrial human history. Currently, they are well on their way. Not only the former…
Advertorial / This article was created in cooperation with Dextro Energy.
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Yannick Haldenwanger
Hi, I'm Yannick. From southern Germany, the Black Forest to be precise, founder of This Is Vegan since 2019 and these days based in Bali. From here I push animal-welfare projects forward and travel the world.
I've been vegetarian since I was six and vegan for more than 20 years. My approach was never to guilt-trip anyone. It's to show how easy, delicious and relaxed everyday vegan life can be, inviting people in rather than pushing them away.
That's exactly what this online magazine and the Plantbased Podcast are for: inspiring people to stand up for animals and the planet and to live vegan.
Advertorial / Dieser Artikel ist in Zusammenarbeit mit EDEKA Südwest entstanden
Frequently Asked
FAQ - What readers ask
Is dextrose healthy?
There are many myths about dextrose. Time to clean it up! In its pure form, dextrose is unhealthier or healthier than other monosaccharides or disaccharides. Dextrose, for example, provides 405 kilocalories per 100 grams.
You want to support the work of This Is Vegan?
On our pages you will find so-called affiliate links. If you buy your favorite products through them, we will receive a commission. By buying sustainable reusable cups from us, you support the Papillon mercy farm.
Already heard the Plantbased podcast?
Veganism, animal welfare, climate, sustainability and wildlife, everything on our minds, lives on Plantbased, our podcast. We talk to people who have something to say and who show, through how they live, what's possible. Also a video podcast on YouTube.
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