This is the hottest news in Sports Nutrition in 20 years. It will make more difference to your endurance performance than a truckload of shiny new bikes, aero wheels and anything else you can think of.

First let's wet your appetite a little.

In a recent test at Herts University human performance laboratory athletes were tested consuming a normal glucose based sports drink against a high fructose drink. The result: a 6 minute plus average improvement in 60K time trial performance. Yep it's not a typing mistake, 6 minutes and 40% improved hydration and 23% more carbohydrate delivered to the working muscles.

DEHYDRATION: you probably know the stats; performance drops by approx 15% with a 3% loss in body weight; 30% with a 5% loss in body weight. In testing 30 athletes at Kurnell (Sydney) last weekend we saw an average weight loss of 3% in 90 minutes of cycling when using normal sports drinks, despite athletes drinking 1.5 litres in that time and virtually identical results in testing the week before that.

CARBOHYDRATE: is mainly stored in the body as muscle glycogen, liver glycogen and free glucose. The average athlete has about 400g stored in the body unfortunately only about 250-300g is available to the working muscles; all in it's a pretty small fuel tank for endurance sport.

So there it is, it's not rocket science you simply get dehydrated and your body carbohydrate stores run out, then you push and push but cant get your heart rate up and as you struggle on they all go past.

Now there is an obvious solution to this problem. Whack in tons of carbohydrate to keep your tank topped up right? Wrong, the problem is that there is a bottleneck in the small intestine called the glucose transporters which limit everyone to absorbing max about 60g of glucose carbs per hour. If you take more it just backs up causing stomach problems and bloating. You can imagine the glucose transporters as two revolving doors, there would be an absolute limit to how many people you could get through per hour. You reach a saturation point and that's that.

So where does fructose come in?

Well it's got a transporter all of its own which is completely separate. So we designed Supercarbs (High5's new high fructose drink) so that it exactly saturates the glucose transporters and then topped it up with fructose to use the fructose “door” as well. The result, up to 120g/hr of carbohydrate delivered to the muscles nearly twice the maximum of normal sports drinks but the best part of all, the carbohydrate absorption process also carries in more water so you stay better hydrated so it's a double whammy.

But fructose causes GI problems right?

Wrong, get the ratio correct and is absorbed so quickly you get far less bloating and stomach problems compared to normal sports drinks, it taste good and you get no sugar crash.

The only product for sale in Australia with the correct glucose to fructose ratio is the Supercarbs range from High Five. Contact John for more information.

All athletes currently under test at Kurnell have all put in better times on Supercarbs than all the other test drinks, which includes SIS, Maxim, Endura etc etc..

Finally if you're really interested in the technical stuff on; glucose transporters, the ins and outs of sodium pumps, electrolyte facilitation, osmolality and a whole bunch of other good stuff including research papers abstracts, go to www.highfive.co.uk/super%20carbs/supercarbspg1.html Have fun...

Oh yes, we offered $25,000 to any other sports drink company who could beat Supercarbs in a side by side test, strange, no takers.

Please note supercarbs is for sale on our website, to clarify its in all energy drink powders and I will explain the 4 drinks available with supercarbs in with a brief description of its uses

Energy source with supercarbs-this is a slow release carbohydrate drink with the “heac” new anti cramp formula in ,it has 690mg of sodium per 100g…my comments, a great tasting all round smooth drink for training or racing.

Energy source Xstreme –as above but with caffeine…my comments, rocket fuel for races half ironman and under

Energy source 4:1 with supercarbs-this is a combination of carbohydrates and protein at a 4:1 ratio again with new “heac” anti cramp formula, it has 800mg of sodium per 100g …my comments, this is rocket fuel for long distance racing, very balanced with great carbs and recovery properties as well as the supercarbs and anti cramping…..really really good to drink throughout the day for recovery too.

Isotonic electrolyte-a mix of 3 types of carbs, slow medium and long release carbohydrates again with new “heac” anti cramp formula, it has 784mg of sodium per 100g …my comments, good for all distances and excellent for anti cramping, a very good all round drink with variable carbs in for those that like slow med and fast release carbs….this drink I use at most sponsored races.