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Peter Sagan does it and so does Tadej Pogacar: the three-time road world champion and the multiple Tour de France winner like to reach for gummy bears after a race. The World Tour team Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe even lists the sweet in a blog text as an "immediate post-race snack", as a snack directly after crossing the finish line. Cycling stars munching on mundane gummy bears instead of high-tech sports food?
Sports nutrition: gummy bears are pure glucose
Why not, says Uwe Schröder, board member of the German Institute of Sports Nutrition: "After training or a race, the depleted muscle glycogen stores need glucose. As jelly babies have a high glucose content, they are very beneficial for this purpose," he explains. However, there is no fat or fibre in the sweet, and only a little protein. Gummy bears are therefore also suitable as a source of energy before and during exercise, because "they hardly cause any digestive problems," says the nutritionist.
He recommends eating the jelly babies around 10 to 15 minutes before the start of the exercise. Whether just a few or a handful is something that everyone has to try out individually, as with any other competition nutrition. As a guide: five pieces weigh around twelve grams - and provide around seven to ten grams of carbohydrates. The short-chain sugar in gummy bears is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and is a fast source of energy. Some athletes even swear by gummy bears for carb-loading, eating them around two days before a competition to fill the body's own carbohydrate stores without straining the gastrointestinal tract.
... and, above all, provide power quickly
Apart from the fact that the packaging of commercially available gummy bears is not made for the jersey pocket and opening during the ride, the sweet is a practical source of energy during exertion, says Uwe Schröder. At least for those where no more than 60 grams of carbohydrates should be consumed per hour. Commercially available gummy bears provide an average of 70 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams - mostly in the form of simple sugars, mainly glucose syrup and dextrose, both glucose (mixtures). The body does not have to break them down first, but can utilise them directly.
The body can process up to 60 grams per hour of a single carbohydrate source, such as glucose. This was confirmed by a study by Dutch sports nutritionist Asker Jeukendrup, which was published in the journal "Sports Medicine" in 2014. Classic gummy bears reach their limits as a source of energy when it comes to exercise lasting more than three hours or when the need for more than 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour increases. "To be able to process this amount, a high fructose content is necessary, and commercially available gummy bears do not have this," explains nutrition expert Schröder.
What can sports rubbers do better?
Fructose is fruit sugar and also a simple sugar, but the human small intestine processes it differently to glucose. There are different transport routes for both sugars. The digestive load is therefore distributed across different systems, which can therefore cope with a higher total amount of carbohydrate. This is a principle that is not only utilised by energy gels, but also by the increasing number of sports gummy bears. These are sometimes also enriched with potassium and sodium - two minerals that are important for muscle function and are lost through sweat.
Such products, just like conventional gummy bears, are a good option for providing energy (to a certain extent) with a different consistency, quickly absorbing energy before exercise and quickly replenishing glycogen stores afterwards. But, warns nutrition expert Uwe Schröder: "You should always drink enough with conventional gummy bears, as they only have a low moisture content."
Nutritional values and additives in gummy bears
Gummy bears are suitable as a quick source of energy before and during exercise. - Dr Uwe Schröder, German Institute for Sports Nutrition
Haribo Gold Bears
- Calorific value in kJ / kcal: 1459 / 343
- Fat: < 0.5 gram
- Saturated fatty acids: 0.1 gram
- Carbohydrates / sugar: 77 / 46 grammes
- Dietary fibre: -
- Protein: 6.9 grammes
- Salt: 0.07 gram
- Price per 100 grams: 0.68 Euro >> available here
- Gelling agent: Gelatine
- Additives: Acidifier, flavouring, glazing agent
- Vitamins, minerals etc.: -
- Colouring agents: from natural fruit concentrates
- Flavour: Yes
Katjes Green-Ear Bunny
- Calorific value in kJ / kcal: 1479 / 348
- Fat: 0.2 gram
- Saturated fatty acids: < 0.1 gram
- Carbohydrates / sugar: 84.0 / 52.0 grammes
- Dietary fibre: -
- Protein: 0.3 gram
- Salt: 0.54 gram
- Price per 100 grams: 0,79 Euro >> available here
- Gelling agent: Pectins
- Additives: Acidity regulators, acidifiers, gelling agents, flavourings, coating agents
- Vitamins, minerals etc.: -
- Colourants: from natural fruit concentrates
- Flavour: Yes
Take 2 laughing gums
- Calorific value in kJ / kcal: 1414 / 333
- Fat: < 0.2 gram
- Saturated fatty acids: < 0.2 gram
- Carbohydrates / sugar: 75.4 / 52.1 grammes
- Dietary fibre: -
- Protein: 6.5 grammes
- Salt: 0.1 gram
- Price per 100 grams: 0.68 Euro >> available here
- Gelling agent: Gelatine
- Additives: Acidifier, flavourings, coating agent
- Vitamins, minerals etc.: Vitamins (niacin, biotin, vitamin E, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12)
- Colouring agents: from natural concentrates and extracts
- Flavour: Yes
Squeezy Energy Fruit Gums
- Calorific value in kJ / kcal: 1395 / 328
- Fat: 0.2 gram
- Saturated fatty acids: 0.2 gram
- Carbohydrates / sugar: 72 / 18 grammes
- Dietary fibre: -
- Protein: 8.4 grammes
- Salt: 0.2 gram
- Price per 100 grams: 2,79 Euro >> available here*
- Gelling agent: Gelatine
- Additives: Acidifier, flavourings, coating agent
- Vitamins, minerals etc.: Sodium, potassium
- Colouring agents: colouring foods
- Flavour: Yes
Powerbar Powergel Shots
- Calorific value in kJ / kcal: 1541 / 363
- Fat: < 0.5 gram
- Saturated fatty acids: < 0.5 gram
- Carbohydrates / sugar: 84 / 62 grammes
- Dietary fibre: -
- Protein: 6.7 grammes
- Salt: 0.13 gram
- Price per 100 grams: 4,15 Euro >> available here
- Gelling agent: Gelatine
- Additives: Acidifier, humectant, acidity regulator, flavouring, glazing agent, stabiliser, colouring agent
- Vitamins, minerals etc.: Vitamin B6
- Colourants: Curcumin
- Flavour: Yes
High5 Energy Gummies
- Calorific value in kJ / kcal: 1417 / 333
- Fat: 0,2
- Saturated fatty acids: 0,2
- Carbohydrates / sugar: 80 / 49 grammes
- Dietary fibre: -
- Protein: 0 gram
- Salt: 0.8 gram
- Price per 100 grams: 7,65 Euro >> available here
- Gelling agent: Modified starch
- Additives: Acidifier, flavourings, coating agent
- Vitamins, minerals etc.: Sodium, potassium, vitamin B6
- Colouring agents: Natural concentrates
- Flavour: Yes
Powerbar Powergel Original
- Calorific value in kJ / kcal: 1075 / 253
- Fat: 0
- Saturated fatty acids: 0
- Carbohydrates / sugar: 63 / 27 grammes
- Dietary fibre: -
- Protein: 0 gram
- Salt: 1.3 gram
- Price per 100 grams: 6,07 Euro >> available here
- Gelling agent: /
- Additives: Acidifiers, preservatives, flavourings
- Vitamins, minerals etc.: Sodium chloride, sodium citrate
- Colourants: -
- Flavour: Yes
Dextro Energy Liquid Gel
- Calorific value in kJ / kcal: 804 / 189
- Fat: 0
- Saturated fatty acids: 0
- Carbohydrates / sugar: 47 / 47 grammes
- Dietary fibre: -
- Protein: 0 gram
- Salt: 0 gram
- Price per 100 grams: 3,82 Euro >> available here
- Gelling agent: /
- Additives: Acidifier, colouring, flavouring
- Vitamins, minerals etc.: -
- Colourants: E150c
- Flavour: Yes
GU Liquid Energy
- Calorific value in kJ / kcal: 697 / 167
- Fat: 0
- Saturated fatty acids: 0
- Carbohydrates / sugar: 38 / 12 grammes
- Dietary fibre: -
- Protein: 0 gram
- Salt: 0.313 gram
- Price per 100 grams: 4,15 Euro >> available here
- Gelling agent: /
- Additives: Flavourings, acidity regulator, acidifier, thickener
- Vitamins, minerals etc.: Sea salt, BCAAs
- Colourants: -
- Flavour: -
