Why do Herooj hydrogels feel so good?

Herooj, the nutritional sponsor of the Škoda Titan Desert Almería, gives us the keys to the success of their products. Don’t miss this article, where they tell us all the benefits of their natural products, to ensure good physical performance.

At Herooj we are very clear about what we have come to contribute to the sports community and what are the standards that should govern the way we behave in order to have a positive impact on the world of sport, as well as on society.

Our mission is to elevate athletes to their full sporting potential in a natural way and make them the force of nature that we are all meant to be. We do this with high-quality products, in tune with nature and the human body, that optimise the athlete’s potential without compromising his or her body (e.g. the digestive system). Developed according to the real needs of the body in contexts of exertion and high sporting stress for better performance.

Linear energy delivery without peaks and troughs

The approach of our hydrogels and their formulation is clear. The objective is to ensure a sustained and linear delivery of energy so as not to deplete the two main energy pathways, circulating glucose and glycogen stores, and not to collapse the entry channels into the digestive system, with the corresponding gastrointestinal discomfort that is a sign that something is wrong.

The only way to formulate an energy hydrogel that optimises the athlete’s performance and sensations is to understand the physiology of the digestive and energy system, taking into account the absorption times of each type of carbohydrate. That is why, in this blog post, we want to answer with real arguments why our hydrogels formulated with seawater are so good for sportsmen and women.

They contain 5 different types of carbohydrates

The relationship between sport and energy often confuses athletes and nutritionists. The energy pathways in the body are varied and never one of them is used exclusively, they all provide energy at the same time but with different percentages of relevance, depending mainly on the relative intensity of the exercise that the athlete is carrying out at any given time.

Herooj Seawater Energy Hydrogels are formulated with complex carbohydrates (dextrose, maltodextrin, isomaltulose, fructose & isomaltulose) and rapidly absorbed sugars that do not saturate the different absorption pathways of the digestive system. This saturation is generally the main reason for gastrointestinal problems or discomfort experienced by athletes when they ingest energy gels.

At Herooj we have introduced, in addition to these sugars, other carbohydrates of different chain lengths such as maltodextrin and isomaltose in optimum proportions to favour their assimilation in the intestine, and so that the digestion times are spaced out and in this way the release of energy will be sustained over time without generating excessively high levels of glucose in the blood, which would only lead to a rebound hypoglycaemia due to the overproduction of insulin.

Obviously, the interesting thing at a metabolic level is to maintain a sustainable balance between the glycogen that is hydrolysed into glucose, the circulating glucose that is being used and the intake of CH that we can tolerate at intestinal level, so that these can continue to provide us with energy without collapsing the digestive system.

Glucose to fructose ratio 2:1

In the world of sports nutrition, a hydrogel with a glucose to fructose ratio of 2:1 means that it contains a combination of glucose and fructose in a specific ratio. Research suggests that this ratio may lead to greater carbohydrate absorption than relying solely on glucose.

Glucose has a high glycaemic index, meaning that it immediately raises blood sugar levels. Its absorption, however, is limited by transporters in the gut. Fructose, on the other hand, uses a different transporter and can be absorbed even when glucose absorption is limited.

For this reason, at Herooj we combine glucose and fructose in a 2:1 ratio, as it helps to increase the amount of carbohydrate absorbed by the body during exercise and will provide better performance.

Seawater: a differential ingredient

Seawater contains the most complete range of minerals, with more than 75 minerals and trace elements grouped according to their concentration into three types: macro elements, trace elements and trace elements.

It is ideal for sports, covering the basic nutritional needs of sportsmen and women due to its great capacity for rehydration and bioavailability of nutrients, with a composition more adapted to the needs of the organism. For these reasons, seawater is an ingredient that is impossible to reproduce artificially.

The relationship between the absorption of salts and sugars is reciprocal and is determined by the quantities of each of them, and although it is too complex to explain in depth, it is known that the presence of quantities of salts and different types of carbohydrates favours the absorption of both. So our performance will be optimal thanks to the combination of seawater and the formulation of our gels.

Seawater allows all its own elements to interact with each other in the right natural proportions, creating a ratio very similar to that of blood plasma. Its presentation is in ionic form (positive or negative) facilitating the correct assimilation by the organism.

The most remarkable minerals provided by seawater, magnesium, sodium, potassium & zinc, have one main function in common: to favour the immune system by balancing the decrease in defences during exercise.

Hydrogel texture

Last but not least. The more watery and less dense texture provides a feeling of freshness when ingesting this energy intake when under physiological stress (when practising sport).

During sporting activity, the presence of blood in the digestive tract is compromised, as if we are cycling or running, 70% of our blood is in the muscles and therefore giving it a watery texture, adding salts of marine origin and not saturating the intake channels with different types of sugars is the best option to reduce the likelihood of gastrointestinal problems. At the same time, this way we favour a more stable and long-lasting energy delivery process, which in turn will allow us to ingest fewer hydrogels during activity. And this is what happens with our Seawater Energy Hydrogel.

The salty contrast of seawater (although practically imperceptible), favours the palatability of the athlete who has a saturation or sensation of ingesting too much sweetness, especially in endurance or long duration sports.

In this type of sport, the perception of texture is altered by fatigue and different mechanisms, so that the ease of swallowing a hydrogel favours the athlete’s sensations. This perception also helps hydration during sport.