Originally Posted by
bravo106
I looked into this a few weeks back. Found mostly coeliac / gluten allergy info. From what I've read, the level of intolerance may come about depending on from where the malto is derived. I enjoy reading Hammer Nutrition's articles about fueling and their claimed advantage of malto vs. any of the "ose" sugars. Problem is, my own stomach doesn't agree with their science. I've tried every one of their drink mix products, and for me to even remotely tolerate it, I'd have to mix it in such a diluted form, it doesn't provide enough carbs. OTOH, I've found that I can handle dextrose & sucrose of eLoad very well. I can also handle their gels, which contain malto, but I think theirs is processed differently.
This past Saturday, I used CarboPro, which is a malto-based carb drink mix. Did 62 miles with no problems either during, or in the few hours after (some products have a delayed reaction on me). The only thing with CarboPro is that since it's a pure carb mix, electrolytes have to be supplemented separately (eLoad has a capsule product & I tried Nuun for the 1st time on Saturday).
It's quite unlikely that the malotdextrin in the various products you've tried is "processed differently". In fact, most of it is probably sourced from the same big agri-business suppliers.
As to why some products upset your tummy, and some don't...hard to say. It might have to do with other ingredients (e.g., protein, electrolytes, flavorings, etc.), or with other things you've eaten (say, that chili cheese dog and milk shake just before the ride
).
To rule out maltodextrin intolerance, just get some straight maltodextrin (available from a variety of sources, including beer and wine-making shops).
The good thing about using your own straight malto is that you can mix up however many calories you want in your water bottle (from 100-600), depending on your ride. I normally mix about 200 calories of malto per bottle, then add a dash of "Low-Salt" (for sodium and potassium), plus a bit of magnesium citrate and calcium citrate powder. For taste, I add a bit of lemon juice.