" I thought I knew most things but could you tell me what a "simple CHO" is?"
Simple carbohydrate.
Monosaccharides and disaccharides collectively make up the simple sugars.
Quote from Exercise Physiology Fifth Edition Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance
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MONOSACCHARIDES
The monosaccharide represents the basic unit of carbohydrates. More than 200 monosaccharides exist in nature, categorized by the number of carbon atoms in their ring. The Greek name for this number ending with "ose" identifies them as sugars. For example, troses are monosaccharides with three carbons; tetroses have four carbons; pentoses, five; hexoses, six; and heptoses, seven. Hexose sugars include the nutritionally important monosaccharides glucose, fructose, and galactose. Glucose, also called dextrose or blood sugar, forms naturally in food or in the body through digestion of more complex carbohydrates. Gluconeogenesis also synthesizes glucose, primarily in the liver, from the carbon residues of other compounds (generally amino acids, but also glycerol, pyrivate, and lactate). AFter absorption by the small intestine, glucose either (1) becomes available as an energy source for cellular metabolism, (2) forms glycogen for storage in the liver and muscles, or (3) is converted to triglyceride for later us as energy.
Fructose (fruit sugar or levulose), the sweetest simple sugar, occurs in large amounts in fruits and honey. Some fructose goes directly from the digestive tract into the blood, but all eventually becomes glucose in the liver. Galactose does not exist freely in nature; rather, it combines with glucose to form milk sugar in the mammary glands of lactating animals. The body converts galactose to glucose for use in energy metabolism.
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Quote from Exercise Physiology Fifth Edition Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance
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OLIGOSACCHARIDES
Oligosaccharides (oligo, Greek, meaning a few) form when 2 to 20 monosaccharides bond chemically. The major oligosaccharides, the disacchardes or double sugars, form when two monosaccharide molecules combine. Monosaacharides and disaacharides collectively make up the simple sugars. These sugars are packages commercially under a variety of guises - brown sugar, corn syrup, fruit syrup, molasses, barley malt, invert sugar, honey and "natural sweetners."
Disaccharides all contain glucose, Three principal disaccharides exist.
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<ul type="square"> Sucrose (glucose + fructose), the most common dietary disaacharide, contributes up to 25% of the total caloric intake in the United States. It occurs naturally in most foods that contain carbohydrates, especially beet and cane sugar, brown sugar, sorghum, maple syrup, and honey. In many countries, sucrose goes by the common name of table sugar, beet sugarm or cane sugar. Honey, while sweeter than table sugar because of its greater fructose content, is not superioir to table sugar either nutritionally or as an energy source.
Lactose (glucose plus galactose), the only sugar not found in plants, exists in natural form only in milk as milk sugar. The least sweet of the disaccharides, lactose when artificially processes often becomes an ingredient in carbohydrate-rich, high-calorie liquid meals. A substantial segment of the world's population experiences lactose intolerant (9 of every 10 Japanese, Thais, and Filipinos, and nearly 70% blacks) because they lack adequate quantities of the enzyme lactase that splits lactose to glucose and galactose during digestion. A lactose-intolerant individual who consumes milk or dairy products cannot digest these foods. Consequently, the intestinal lumen draws in a large amount of water becasue of the osmotic effect caused by the inability to split the lactose molecule for absorption, which then produces carmps and diarrhea.
Maltose (glucose plus glucose) occurs in beer, breakfast cereals, and germinating seeds. Also called malt sugar, this sugar easily cleaves into two glucose molecules but makes only a small contribution to the carbohydrate content of the diet.[/list]
The two main simple carbohydrates that us bodybuilders are concerned with are maltodextrin and dextrose (glucose, blood sugar)
Quote from Venom (2004)
DEXTROSE
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Dextrose
Dextrose, commonly called glucose, d-glucose, or blood sugar, occurs naturally in food, and is moderately sweet. It is a monosaccharide (basic unit of carbohydrates, C6H1206) and has a high glycemic index (digested carbohydrates ability to raise blood glucose levels, also called Gl) ranking at 100.
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Quote from Venom (2004)
MALTODEXTRIN
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Maltodextrin
Maltodextrin is a sweat, easily digested carbohydrate made from cornstarch. The starch is cooked, and then acid and/or enzymes (a process similar to that used by the body to digest carbohydrates) are used to break the starch into smaller chains (3-20 chains in maltodextrin). These chains are composed of several dextrose molecules held together by very weak hydrogen bonds
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Quote from Venom (2004)
GOOD FACT
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Dextrose is labeled a simple carbohydrate and Maltodextrin complex. And now this should make perfect sense. But don’t be fooled by the word, “complex.” The bonds that compose maltodextrin are very weak, and readily broken apart in your stomach; moreover, the chain is extremely minimal in composition. The weak bonds, and fragile composition of maltodextrin cause it to be digested a fraction slower than dextrose. Why this is so and what exactly hydrogen bonds are will be assessed subsequently.
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DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MALTODEXTRIN AND DEXTROSE
Well, you can note the differences above.
However, the main difference is that dextrose ( blood sugar, glucose ) is a monosaccharide and maltodextrin is a oligosaccharide ( disaccharide )
Monosaccharide represents the basic unit of carbohydrates. More than 200 monosaccharides exist in nature, categorized by the number of carbon atoms in their ring.
Oligosaccharides ( disaccharides ) form when 2 to 10 monosaccharides bond chemically. The major disaccharides form when two monosaccharide molecules combine.
Monosaccharides and disaccharides together make up the simple sugars. Disaccharides all contain glucose.
So, dextrose is glucose and maltodextrin is glucose plus glucose.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Dextrose, Maltodextrin, and Sodium an In Depth Analysis (http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/dextrose.php)
The end all, be all for all PWO/maltodextrin/dextrose Q's. (http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=929414&an=0&page=0#92941 4)
" I don't think I'm taking one..."
The only time you should be ingesting simple carbohydrates (spiking insulin) is post-workout.
Here are a few quotes from our famous Joe "KFC" King. /forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif
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Spiking insulin too often will cause insulin desensitivity, also, spiking in the morning will not effectively jump start your metabolism, and will not provide adequate energy stores to get you through the day.
So to reiderate, I do not advise insulin spiking in the morning, unless it is after your morning workout. insulin spikes should ONLY occur post workou.
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insulin spiking post workout will not hinder muscle growth, or promote fat loss. insulin spiking 2 or more times a day may have a negative effect on gains.
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So, why do we want to spike our insulin (ingest simple carbohydrates) post-workout?
Quote from OldSchool (The Window Of Opportunity)
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Why simple carbohydrates? Increased absorption rates, and an abruptly induced insulin burst. The faster you can get glucose into your bloodstream and muscles, the less protein destroyed and the more glycogen stored.
This is the one time of the day when you want to stay clear of complex carbs. Complex and fibrous carbs simply take way too long to digest and will not give optimal insulin release to offset muscle catabolism.
You also want to stay far away from any fat and fructose sources post-workout. Fructose will not replenish muscle glycogen but rather will replenish liver glycogen. Fat severely delays digestion because it metabolically requires so many more processes to break down.
Another vital key to post-workout nutrition is insulin sensitivity. Creating stronger insulin sensitivity is the primary way to get the most out of your post-workout simple carbohydrate intake.
Jacob covers how to do this in his 13 Weeks to Hardcore Fat Burning “The Diet” article. I highly recommend adhering to the list of ways to increase insulin sensitivity he describes in that article whether you are on a bulk or cut. It will make your insulin spike, via simple carbs, that much more potent.
Only certain types of simple carbohydrates will replenish muscle glycogen. These are carbohydrates in the form of glucose/dextrose.
The basis of our simple carbohydrates (post-workout) should come from sources that register high on the glycemic index. A range of 100-130 will work the best for our purposes. Dextrose or Maltodextrin are the two sources of simple carbs I recommend to ingest post-exercise.
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The Window of Opportunity (http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/windowofopportunity.php)
A Scientific Investigation into the Rationality of Post Workout Carbohydrate Consumption (http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/scientific.php)
Welcome to ABC buddy. /forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif