Nutrex Vitargo CGL Review
I'm sure you've probably heard of the terms creatine transport and insulin spike - all associated with creatine / carbohydrate transport supplements such as Cell Tech, EAS Phosphagen, AST Creatine HSC, and many other similar creatine and carbohydrate (dextrose) type of products on the market today.
But you may not be familiar with terms such as "osmolality rate" used in promoting Nutrex Vitargo CGL advantages over other creatine & dextrose supplements. This has something to do with the type of carbohydrate and its molecular weight which extends various benefits to transporting creatine within your body.
Vitargo CGL Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size (scoop) 2
Servings Per 22
Calories 287
Fat Calories 0
Creatine Monohydrate 10g
Cholesterol (mg) 0
Sodium (mg) 100
Potassium (mg) 150
Total Carbs (g) 70
Sugars (g) 0
Proteins (g) 0
Magnesium (mg) 50
Phosphorous (mg) 200
*Vitargo (g) 70
Ingredient Details:
*Vitargo (patented sugar-free high molecular weight carbohydrate from Swedish maxy maize starch), pure grade creatine monohydrate, natural and artificial flavors, citric acid, osmosis balancing electrolytes, silicon dioxide, sucralose, FD&C red 40.
Nutrex Vitargo CGL Creatine - What's the Difference?
Looking at the above ingredient list for Vitargo CGL, the basics of it are like any other creatine transport supplement - 70g of carbohydrate and 10g of creatine monohydrate. So what's the big deal you ask? Well let's just compare it to cell tech for a second:
Cell-Tech Hardcore: 75g dextrose (carbohydrate) & 10g creatine
Vitargo CGL: 70g carbohydrates & 10g creatine
Hmmm... not much difference other than 5 gram of carbohydrates. Well, not so. There's a big difference in the carbohydrates used in Vitargo CGL compared to other carbohydrate/creatine products. It uses a "high molecular weight carbohydrate" which Nutrex calls "Vitargo" that claims to have low osmolality rate while high GI carbs like dextrose and maltodextrin has high osmolality rate.
What does that all mean?
Osmolality simply means the concentration of particles in a solution. This is probably not the most scientific definition, but most of the scientific definitions are barely understandable. A solution that has a low osmolality than blood is referred to as being Hypotonic, which means that a low osmolality solution passes through the stomach faster as compared to a high osmolality solution.
So what's all this talk about the high molecular weight carbohydrate (Vitargo)?
Vitargo, a "high molecular weight carbohydrate", has a molecular weight of around 500,000 to 700,000. While dextrose has a molecular weight of about 180, and maltodextrin has a molecular weight of about 1,000 to 10,000. The lower the molecular weight a carbohydrate has, the higher osmolality it has. So by having a much higher molecular weight, Vitargo has a much lower osmolality, making it pass through the stomach faster than dextrose or maltodextrin. Simple enough, right?
Okay, so with all this talk about molecular weight, and osmolality, where's the scientific evidence to back it all up?
Vitargo CGL Studies
Improved gastric emptying rate in humans of a unique glucose polymer with gel-forming properties.
Leiper JB, Aulin KP, Söderlund K.
This study looked at the rate of gastric emptying of two isoenergetic carbohydrate solutions with different osmolality. 6 healthy males were studied on 2 occasions using 550ml solution containing 13.5% carbohydrate named "G-Drink" and "C-Drink", where the C-Drink was hypotonoic with low osmolality (like Vitargo).
The study found that the half emptying time for the C-drink (hypotonic) was faster than the G-Drink. They also found that the amount of carbohydrates delivered to the small intestine was greater during the first 10 min after ingestion of C-drink compared to the G-Drink.
They concluded that the carbohydrates in C-drink, although has the tendency to form a gel, empties from the stomach faster than the G-drink.
Muscle glycogen resynthesis rate in humans after supplementation of drinks containing carbohydrates with low and high molecular masses.
Piehl Aulin K, Söderlund K, Hultman E.
This study looked at the rate of muscle glycogen synthesis during 2 and 4 hours of recovery after depletion by exercise using two energy equivalent carbohydrate drinks. the C-drink has a molecular mass of 500000 to 700000 (just like Vitargo) with osmolality of 84, and the G-drink has a molecular mass of about 500 with osmolality of 350.
13 healthy and well trained men took the drinks after glycogen depleting exercise - one drink at each test occasion. Total carbohydrates consumed was 300g given in 75g doses in 4 settings - immediately after exercise, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, and 90 minutes after exercise. Blood glucose and insulin concentrations were recorded every 30 minutes of the 4 hour recovery period.
The study found that the glycogen synthesis rate was significantly higher during the initial 2 hours for the C-drink (vitargo) compared to the G drink, leading to the conclusion that osmolality of the carbohydrate drink may influence the rate of resynthesis of glycogen in muscle after its depletion by exercise.
Nutrex Vitargo CGL - My Review
Having finished my fruit punch flavored Vitargo CGL, I have to say that its effects are more noticeable compared to other dextrose / maltodextrin based creatine delivery supplements. We've received numerous user reviews of Vitargo, you can read them there, or share your own experiences as well. The user feedback are overwhelmingly positive, giving Vitargo a very high overall rating.
I found that the mixed solution tends to be somewhat slimy, almost gel like, just as the studies above mentioned, it tends to get gel-like. I highly recommend following the bottle instructions, and shake your mix vigorously for a minute or so. I didn't shake it so well my first time, and by the time I finished drinking it, there was a thick layer of settled "gel" at the bottom of the shaker cup - lesson learned!
Tastewise, I've only tried the fruit punch flavor. While it's not an exceptionally tasty mix, it's quite decent. Following the powder to water proportions recommended by the container, it turns out to be a light tasting drink mix.
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