Does dextrose do anything besides spike your insulin in post-workout shakes?

yes, the insulin spike is used to drive protein into the muscle. YJ has a post on how it works on here somewhere, just do a search...
 
I know that's what the insulin spike is for, but since I "spike" my own insulin anyway, is there a point to taking dextrose?
 
Dextrose can also be used to load on creatine since it creates an insulin spike thus transporting creatine faster to the muscle cells.
 
JohnGafnea said:
Is that something normal slower acting GIs could not do? (I'm not being sarcastic, I really don't know :P)
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No, slower gi can do the same thing, it just occurs at a different rate.
 
I don't think dextrose is of much use to you unless you drop low. However, after a hard workout your non-insulin dependant GLUTs (GLUT2? I forget...I'll look it up if you want) will suck up a good amount of the available blood sugar so you may want a quick acting sugar to keep you from dropping too low...but you know that already. You can spike whenever you want so I don't see a special reason to take extra dextrose, although an acute dextrose dose followed with a quick acting insulin theoretically could shuttle more into your muscle. I say theoretically because, as you know things don't always work the way one would think they would in your state.
 
Hal said:
GLUTs (GLUT2? I forget...I'll look it up if you want)
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GLUT-4.

You basically get a double-whammy in terms of recovery, after you workout, from GLUT-4, and the insulin spike, to restore glycogen and stimulate protein synthesis.
 
JohnGafnea said:

Is this to say it's slower but equal? Like in 3 hours it will be the same either way?
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No, not equal, because the "window of opportunity" slowly begins to close post-workout.

It would be better than nothing, though, and given your condition, may be the best option.
 
Diabetic here as well, I dropped the dextrose, it didn't do anything for me except made it harder to lose fat. I switched mainly to Low GI carbs and it has helped me cut up recently. Also it was hard to control BG levels afterward, I did dextrose for one month and my Hba1c was at 7 and I usually can keep it at about 5. Since I value my health more than bodybuilding I dropped most High GI carbs. Just something to think about.

Cheers
 
:) I knew someone would say that. Sorry, I just saw it at the bottom of the screen and didn't look at the date.
 
Interesting discussion and makes you think about how it works in someone with glucose metabolism problems. I wonder if the opposite is true, if you have hypoglycemia, I would assume, you would have to take more before and after the workout for the insulin spike.
 
haha yeah its sort of weird reading an article from a decade ago.. i mean not everyone had a computer in those days..
 
but while the topic is here i wil add that some sugars have different breakdown rates as well as gatric emptying rates
 
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