GlycoBol Cluster Dextrin™

YAMAMOTO® NUTRITION
GlycoBol Cluster Dextrin™ -****Dietary supplement with the original Cluster Dextrin™. HBCD are a new type of glucose polymers. The result is a glucose polymer with ideal properties: for instance, an average molecular weight of 160,000 Da with very low osmolality, and therefore very rapid gastric emptying. Yamamoto® Nutrition uses only the original CLUSTER DEXTRIN™ 100% Made in Japan.

Yamamoto Nutrition® GlycoBol Cluster Dextrin™ is a dietary supplement indicated for athletes who have engaged in intense and prolonged physical activity.

Yamamoto® Nutrition uses only and exclusively original CLUSTER DEXTRIN™ 100% Made in Japan.
Carbohydrates contribute to the recovery of normal muscle function (contraction) after intense and/or prolonged exercise, leading to muscle fatigue and depletion of glycogen reserves in skeletal muscles.(*)

This new class of carbohydrate-based supplements, referred to as "designer glucose polymers", or highly branched cyclodextrins (HBCD), are a further development of the various carbohydrate-based products on the market.
Cyclodextrins, in general, are a family of cyclic oligosaccharides, obtained through the hydrolysis of maize starch, with a molecular weight of 150 KDa, and an invaluable source of carbohydrates for the athlete in the pre- and post-training phases.

HBCDs are a new type of glucose polymer, which are formulated by the reaction between waxy maize (cerose maize starch, a particular starch with a high percentage of amylopectin) with a particular enzyme, thus forming a cyclic structure.
The result is a glucose polymer with ideal utilisation properties: an average molecular weight of 160 KDa (as opposed to the 150 KDa of normal cyclodextrins), with better resistance to oxidative phenomena and very low osmolarity, and therefore very fast gastric emptying.

In the last ten years or so, there haven't been as many innovative discoveries, but a myriad of specific 'periworkout' supplements have appeared. We are therefore in the midst of the era of pre-workouts with a nitric oxide stimulating effect, which are so popular because of their pleasant and marked effect on muscle pumping.
However, if we want to talk about products which are actually useful and which have met with my absolute approval in recent years, and which I would define as a 'priority' in an athlete's supplementation context, we should certainly focus on high molecular weight carbohydrates.
In 2002-2003 'Vitargo', a carbohydrate with an articulated chain of glucose molecules derived from potato starch, was released, followed soon after by its cheaper relative 'Waxy maize'.
These glucose polymers with their branched structures have special characteristics, which have made it possible to set aside the 'carbohydrate par excellence', glucose, and to reinforce the concept and the increasingly perfected effectiveness of the carbohydrate drink during training.

New horizons

The new class of carbohydrate supplements called "designer glucose polymers", Highly Branched Cyclodextrins (HBCD), would be a further evolution of the already existing Vitargo, Waxy maize and Karbolyn.
At present, there are still a few companies (of very high quality) that have focused on this particular source, but the interest they are generating is really motivating.
A few years ago I myself was very intrigued to see two of my mentors in particular supporting cyclodextrins during training in every situation, from the growth phase even to pre-tests.
Subsequently, a number of big commercial names, which had already been on the American market for some time, achieved considerable success due to their characteristics of speed and effectiveness of absorption and use, without causing any gastrointestinal upset or dehydration problems, thus opening up the market to people who could not tolerate other types of carbohydrates.

Why use intra-workout carbohydrates?

Let's take a necessary and clarifying step backwards.
Why use liquid carbohydrates during the training session?
The proponent of this theory in the world of body building was Milos Sarcev, who advocated the theory of a mash-up of carbohydrates, protein isolate and various amino acids (plus a range of other elements), to be taken during the workout, when muscle hyperaemia was physiologically much higher than basal levels. The pump and insulin boost was then used to get the elements to the working muscles in need of oxygenated blood and nutrients.
A number of factors were optimised from Sarcev's ancient theory (and the underlying basis confirmed), and the components of the drink were optimised so that absorption times and efficacy were significantly improved, but without the disruptive effects typical of glucose.

In fact, thanks to the glucose polymers combined with a protein-amino acid portion, it will promote rapid gastric emptying and equally rapid intestinal absorption of glucose, which will be quickly released into the blood stream.
In addition, we will have a powerful combination of counteracting the catabolism generated in training, due to their low osmolarity, a unique characteristic and excellent support for cellular hydration (a hydrated cell is an anabolic cell). The ability not to cause dehydration, due to the recall of liquids in the stomach and intestines, also brings with it significant positive effects on recovery and adaptation.

Glucose VS high molecular weight carbohydrates

One objection might be: "but are these sorts of carbohydrates really that important or that much better than the old glucose/dextrose?"
Before clarifying this point, it is necessary to explain the concept of "osmolarity", which we will often refer to because of its fundamental importance.
Osmolarity is a physical quantity that measures the concentration of solutions, widely used in chemistry, and indicates the total number of molecules and ions present in one litre of a solution. For example, two solutions are said to have the same osmolarity when they contain the same number of particles and the same colligative properties.
The osmolarity of a solution therefore increases with the number of particles it contains, and if a glucose-based drink has a much higher osmolarity than its glucose-polymer counterpart (such as Vitargo), then the gastric emptying rate of this solution will be much higher than that of glucose. The glucose solution will in fact draw more liquid into the stomach and intestinal lumen, resulting in delayed emptying and absorption, combined with easy dehydration during performance and/or gastrointestinal disturbances (diarrhoea).
This characteristic partly explains why high molecular weight carbohydrates are also able to recharge glycogen stores more quickly than other carbohydrates.
And that's not all: the 'speed' characteristic will also be found in a more powerful glycaemic and insulin response in favour of glycogen synthesis.
"Not bad at all"....If we then consider that the next born Waxy maize (amylopectin), being a very branched glucose polymer, clearly has a high molecular weight and low osmolarity, we find that it not only passes quickly from the stomach, but also provides a slow and gradual release of glucose into the blood, making it usable even for endurance sports.
Another fault we often find with glucose drinks is that they expose you to the risk of unpleasant reactive hypoglycaemia during activity, when your blood sugar is not well managed through constant intake of the drink.

Higly branched cyclic dextrins: the new generation

The current state of the art in carbohydrate drink supplementation featured Waxy maize amylopectin as the next generation, a highly branched, high molecular weight molecule which, as mentioned above, led to a very low osmolarity, and with the additional feature of being able to sustain performance over a longer term.
Let's call it... the 'carbohydrate' for the job!
Based on these strengths, high-branching cyclodextrins (HBCD) have been developed.
A few years ago, I saw them included in the diet plans of some of my overseas mentors. This aroused my curiosity, and I started looking through the scientific literature to find out what their specific characteristics were, and how cyclodextrins could be used for 'food' purposes. This was followed by a number of companies in the sector who developed products which are still the elite of carbohydrate supplementation today.  

The advantages of cyclodextrins

In particular, there are two major advantages to using these high molecular weight glucose polymers as an intra-workout supplement:

• Rapid and constant release of glucose into the bloodstream;
• Very low osmolarity in solution.
  Firstly, we have a rapid but constant release of glucose into the bloodstream.
  The speed with which glucose arrives at its 'destination' is determined not only by its molecular weight, but also by its molecular structure, which makes it accessible to intestinal hydrolytic enzymes, and which causes such a branched glucose polymer to be broken down into its free form.
  The second advantage is its very low osmolarity in solution.
  Let's get down to practicalities.

Many of us mix liquid carbohydrates with hydrolysed proteins, BCAAs, pools of essential amino acids, creatine...etc. (and rightly so) and the last thing we want is to delay the absorption of these 'fast' proteins, amino acids or other added nutrients. This could happen, however, by using carbohydrates with a high osmolarity which, as mentioned above, would slow down the gastric emptying of both the carbohydrates and the other nutrients which take advantage of the mixture's carrier, and then arrive in the intestine drawing liquids, and adversely affecting performance and muscle pump, with the risk of generating easy gastrointestinal disorders.

Conclusion

"In the light of this, I believe that these glucose polymers can find more and more space and confirmation for their use, to the point of being a real tool available to promote the recovery of the athlete, with fewer limitations and without the problems that the old simple carbohydrate drinks gave, such as the dear old glucose.
Dr Gabriele Trapani