Stomach/GI Problems

kaikane said:

I carry a homemade water/sugar/salt/OJ mix to drink, eat a Powerbar, and every once in a while I've stopped and gotten a Coke midway through the ride.

This may sound bizaare, but be sure you're thoroughly washing out the bottle you're carrying your homebrew sports drink in. Like most sports drinks, it's an awfully hospitable environment for various germs. Since you're getting sick hours after the ride, some sort of mild food poisoning might be to blame.

kmavm said:

This may sound bizaare, but be sure you're thoroughly washing out the bottle you're carrying your homebrew sports drink in. Like most sports drinks, it's an awfully hospitable environment for various germs. Since you're getting sick hours after the ride, some sort of mild food poisoning might be to blame.

Interesting. I thought I was cleaning it out well enough, but maybe not. Thanks. I'll try that.

kaikane said:

I've recently started slightly longer rides (40+ miles) and have experienced stomach cramping, nausea and the "runs". Weird thing is, it starts the night after the ride, usually in the middle of the night and lasting throughout the next day. It's happened three out of the last five rides I've made over 40 miles.
I carry a homemade water/sugar/salt/OJ mix to drink, eat a Powerbar, and every once in a while I've stopped and gotten a Coke midway through the ride.
Is this something that my stomach will adjust to, or am I doing something wrong with my choice of food/drink?
Thanks for any help. This is a great site and I've learned so much from you all. 🙂

This sounds like it might be related to a high fructose consumption, possibly compunded by personal sensivity, although the late onset is a little weird. I believe the primary sugar in OJ is fructose and this is well documented to cause GI distress in some people when had in sufficient quantities. Fructose also appears in high quantities in coke. Try switching to a sports drink based primarily on maltodextrin or glucose or maybe sucrose and see what your results are like. I normally think it is a good idea to include some fructose in a sports drink, but perhaps it is best to try zero to start off with and then slowly re-introduce it to see where your tolerance lies (presuming this fixes the problem - if it doesn't, report back and I'll can see if I can come up with a different approach...)

Roadie_scum said:

This sounds like it might be related to a high fructose consumption, possibly compunded by personal sensivity, although the late onset is a little weird. I believe the primary sugar in OJ is fructose and this is well documented to cause GI distress in some people when had in sufficient quantities. Fructose also appears in high quantities in coke. Try switching to a sports drink based primarily on maltodextrin or glucose or maybe sucrose and see what your results are like. I normally think it is a good idea to include some fructose in a sports drink, but perhaps it is best to try zero to start off with and then slowly re-introduce it to see where your tolerance lies (presuming this fixes the problem - if it doesn't, report back and I'll can see if I can come up with a different approach...)

(As I try to soothe my churning stomach with plain bolied rice...)
I'll try switching to sports drink. Thanks for the tip, Roadie_s and I'll report back.
Also. What about using honey instead of OJ in my mix?

kaikane said:

(As I try to soothe my churning stomach with plain bolied rice...)
I'll try switching to sports drink. Thanks for the tip, Roadie_s and I'll report back.
Also. What about using honey instead of OJ in my mix?

Honey still has a fair amount of fructose, but also contains a lot of glucose and sucrose. If my theory is right, honey might be an improvement or even completely banish the problem, but it is not perfect if you are very sensitive to fructose. I also don't like the taste of homemade sports drinks with honey (I've tried it... believe me...). That's personal, but I would recommend starting out with a basic, cheap, powdered sports drink and seeing how that goes. If it solves the problem, we are onto something and youc an start experimenting with other mixes, etc. If not, try again, maybe see a doctor.

R_S

Roadie_scum said:

Honey still has a fair amount of fructose, but also contains a lot of glucose and sucrose. If my theory is right, honey might be an improvement or even completely banish the problem, but it is not perfect if you are very sensitive to fructose. I also don't like the taste of homemade sports drinks with honey (I've tried it... believe me...). That's personal, but I would recommend starting out with a basic, cheap, powdered sports drink and seeing how that goes. If it solves the problem, we are onto something and youc an start experimenting with other mixes, etc. If not, try again, maybe see a doctor.

R_S

Thanks again, R_s

kaikane said:

Thanks again, R_s

No problem... but thank me after it works not before. :o