Fructose and maltodextrin drinks for endurance recovery in trained runners
What it found
In eight trained runners, a fructose and maltodextrin drink during a four-hour rest led to longer running times afterward compared with glucose and maltodextrin.
The improvement was about 32 percent.
What they found
Studies in people
Longer second run
People ran about 81.4 minutes in their second session after the fructose and maltodextrin drink. After the glucose and maltodextrin drink they managed about 61.4 minutes. Seven out of eight people ran longer with the fructose mix.
More carbohydrate burned
During the second run, people burned through more total carbohydrate after the fructose and maltodextrin drink (223 g) than after the glucose and maltodextrin drink (157 g). They also burned more of the specific carbohydrates they had just taken in.
Blood sugar and fats
Blood sugar and blood fat levels stayed about the same between the two drinks. However, blood lactate levels were higher during the rest period when people drank the fructose and maltodextrin mix.
Stomach comfort
Feelings of nausea and stomach fullness during the second run slightly favored the fructose and maltodextrin drink. Stomach fullness dropped steadily during the second run only when people had the fructose mix.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that drinking fructose together with maltodextrin during a short break improves how long athletes can run afterward.
- The authors suggest this benefit may come from having more carbohydrate available as fuel, though better stomach comfort might also play a part.
- They advise that these results could matter for endurance athletes trying to perform well in repeated sessions with little rest time.
How it was done
Athletes who exercise again within a few hours need to refill stored carbohydrate quickly. Earlier work suggested mixing fructose with glucose-based sources like maltodextrin helps the liver store more fuel than glucose alone, but nobody had tested if that actually improves later performance.
Eight trained runners and triathletes ran on a treadmill until exhausted, rested for four hours, then ran again until exhausted. During the rest they drank either a mix of fructose and maltodextrin or a mix of glucose and maltodextrin, taking in 90 g per hour of carbohydrate. Each person tried both drinks on separate days.
What it can’t tell you
- Only eight highly trained athletes took part, so the results may not apply to casual exercisers or everyday shoppers.
- The study measured running until exhaustion, which does not necessarily reflect other types of physical activity or daily life.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Birmingham, UNITED KINGDOM
The paper
- Title
- Postexercise Fructose-Maltodextrin Ingestion Enhances Subsequent Endurance Capacity
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Maunder E, Podlogar T, Wallis GA (2018). Postexercise Fructose-Maltodextrin Ingestion Enhances Subsequent Endurance Capacity. Medicine and science in sports and exercise. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000001516Free full textPubMed 29232314DOI
Summary written 1 Oct 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error