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Review: New Isostar nutrition Posted by: Editor Posted on: Thursday 12th March 2009 Bookmark This | Print This Page | Send To A Friend | Post A CommentIsostar is one of those nutrition brand names that's been around a long time, but seems to have drifted in and out of the UK market. Well, Isostar is now back, and with several new products in the UK market, distributed by Harris Active Sports Ltd, available direct (www.harris-active.co.uk) and through a number of specialist running and cycle stores.
We've been testing out three of those new products, to see what they have to offer.
For the testing process we called up two Ironman-in-training athletes, to ensure we had testers who were really going to put the products through their paces. John Franklin is currently ramping up the miles for Ironman South Africa in early April, while Melissa Arkinstall combines her passion for training like a Duracell Bunny, with being an Accredited Sports Dietitian, so we had all bases covered. Here's what they thought...
Isostar Long Energy
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Isostar Long Energy is a special drink mix for endurance athletes, it provides a progressive energy release and is isotonic for fast absorption.
Long Energy also provides Antioxidants and extra Vitamin B1 to help transform carbohydrates into energy.
Recomendations for use: Drink a small amount during warm-up and then take every twenty minutes after starting a prolonged period of physical exercise.
790g makes 5 litres. Price £9.50
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Our testers thought....
| Tester |
Taste |
Ease of Mixing |
Value |
Does it work? |
| John |
Not unpleasant but doesn't taste like orange. If mixed to full strength can taste quite artificial |
Very simple. |
6 scoops required for 500ml works out at 95p/500ml. Not unreasonable but anything less than 6 scoops is very weak. |
Unlike most long distance fuels, the Isostar product does not contain protein and recent research has suggested that protein can reduce fatigue. However during use I did not notice any drop in performance. At 300cals/500ml it packs quite a punch making it a strong choice for those who have problems digesting solid foods on the bike. |
| Melissa |
I found this too strong when made up to full strength (6 scoops per 500ml), so I added 4 scoops and consumed 750ml to give the same energy intake in a less concentrated solution. |
Very easy, dissolved well and didn't separate out after several hours. |
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Contains a good quantity of carbohydrates (about 75g / 100ml) in an isotonic solution so a good choice for endurance athletes who
need to pack in the calories but avoid GI upset from over-concentrated solutions. To concurrently meet hydration needs, most athletes will need additional water so grabbing extra bottles at aid stations would be a wise idea.
Some may wish to avoid hydrogenated soya oil which appears on the ingredients list, although the amount contained in the product is very small. |
Isostar Recovery
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Isostar recovery drink provides the necessary nutritional needs after exercise for a faster recovery.
Specially designed formula to offset losses and repair muscles.
Ingredients: Skimmed milk powder, dried glucose syrup, sugar, powdered whey proteins, low fat cocoa powder 4.5%, flavourings (colouring: E150c, wheat dried glucose syrup), sodium chloride, magnesium carbonate, vitamins ( B, B2, B6, C, E, PP), emulsifier: soya lecithin, modified starch, maltodextrin.
450g tub makes 9 x 250ml servings. Price £6.99 |
Our testers thought....
| Tester |
Taste |
Ease of Mixing/Use |
Value |
Does it work? |
| John |
Surprisingly pleasant, I usually steer clear of anything chocolate-based but this tasted rather nice. |
Very simple. |
At 78p/serving it works out much less than most recovery drinks, both pre-mixed and powder. However it’s only a 250ml serving. |
On a heavy training week I noticed that, when used in conjunction with recovery tights and stretching, the recovery drink seemed to speed recovery over my usual post-work out glass of milk. Not that scientific but I was convinced enough to order more. |
| Melissa |
Pleasant taste, not too sweet or thick. |
This drink mixed really easily and didn't leave the usual powdery lumps that simply refuse to dissolve. I mixed the drink up on the morning of the race and it hadn't separated out or lost any palatability over 4 hours later |
78p per serving. The drink provides a ratio of approximately 3:1 carbohydrate to protein, an ideal balance to promote recovery, however a serving is only 250ml which provides about 35g of carbohydrate. Guidelines suggest that consuming at least 50g of carbohydrate within 15-30 minutes of exercise, this would need to be supplemented. |
This drink was a good start to my recovery strategy after a half marathon. It was very light on the stomach so good for those who struggle to take in solids after working at high intensity.
I didn't experience my usual blood sugar plummet on the drive home and this kept me away from biscuits and petrol station raids until I got home and had a more substantial lunch! Note that male athletes would probably need two servings or one serving plus a banana for example. |
Isostar Energy Gel
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Isostar Total Performance Energy Gel gives a massive instant energy boost with rapidly absorbed carbohydrates and an exclusive Carbo Pump complex.
Available in Lemon or Apple flavours.
Ingredients: Glucose syrup extracted from wheat, Carbo Pump® complex (dried extract of apple and grape 0.22%, vitamins B1 and C), acidifier: citric acid, natural flavouring, preservatives: potassium sorbate, sulphurous anhydride.
Price £3.99 per box of 4 |
Our testers thought....
| Tester |
Taste |
Ease of Mixing/Use |
Value |
Does it work? |
| John |
Very sweet, almost like sherbert. Fine if you can handle it but if you prefer savoury not for you. |
Very thick gel so requires more than one effort to get it all out. Fine on flats, not great on down hills/in head winds. |
At £1 per gel it seems very much in line with the industry standard. Some gels come in slightly cheaper but they have a smaller calorific value. |
Very good towards end of my long distance rides, the high calorie value makes them a good energy boost and they are obviously easier to digest than solid food so prepare you well for the run. However you need to make sure you have at least 200ml of water for each gel as on their own they are simply too thick. |
| Melissa |
Relatively sweet but not as sickly as some on the market. The lemon flavour is reminiscent of lemon curd! The apple flavour is sweet but slightly tangy and a nice alternative to the usual berry / citrus flavoured products. |
In comparison to other products I've used (which have either been so watery I've lost half the sachet or so thick they just coat my teeth!), the gels were easy to swallow and could be taken gradually with mouthfuls of water as directed. |
Price wise they appear to be on a par with most similar products.
The instructions state ‘take as required’ which is a very vague when there is plenty of research to show that the optimal intake of a single source of carbohydrate is 30-60g an hour or up to 90g for a glucose-fructose blend. To achieve this level of intake using the gels, 1-2 sachets an hour would be appropriate. However to stay sufficiently well hydrated, more than 400ml of water / hour (200ml with each sachet) would be required by most athletes. |
I trialled these during a high intensity turbo session, a 4.3km swim and immediately prior to a half marathon race. They were very easy to digest and gave me no gastro-intestinal problems at high intensity.
The gels provided a useful blood sugar boost that helped to maintain the quality of my training in the later stages, although personally, I didn't notice that the claimed ‘carbo pump’ made any noticeable difference to the speed of fuel delivery compared to other products that I have tried. From a nutrition standpoint, although vitamin B1 and vitamin C are involved in carbohydrate metabolism, adequate quantities will be provided by a balanced diet anyway!
For a coffee junkie, I missed the added lift of added caffeine in my gel!
The gels do not contain sodium so for long distance triathletes / those training or competing in situations where hydration will be challenged should plan to include an alternative source in their nutrition strategy. |
In Summary
There's no doubt that nutrition products are a personal taste, and the age old advice of 'trial and error' to see what works for you is incredibly important in this area. The Isostar products are a welcome addition to the market, and in the Isostar Recovery Drink - undoubtedly the preferred choice of our testers - they have a product that looks well set to compete on price, taste and function.
For more information on Isostar products and to purchase online, go to UK distributors www.harris-active.co.uk. | We used to call it the 'Rule of Threes': a... Posted on: Tue, Jun 3, 2008 at 07:00 |
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