The study: Potato ingestion is as effective as carbohydrate gels to support prolonged cycling performance. Salvador AF, et al. J Applied Physiology, 17 October 2019.
Conclusion: “Potato and gel ingestion equally sustained blood glucose concentrations and TT [time-trial] performance. Our results support the effective use of potatoes to support race performance for trained cyclists.
”Funder: The Alliance for Potato Research and Education, “a not-for-profit organisation funded by the potato industry in the US.”
Comment: I learned about this study from an article in NutraIngrendients.com: “Powered by potato? Spuds ‘just as good’ as carb gels for athletic performance, says study.”
Despite my previous correspondence and interview with the editor of NutraIngredients, the article failed to mention the study’s industry sponsor.
This was especially disappointing because its sister publication, FoodNavigator.com, covered the same study but quoted the funding statement.
The study’s title and result should have triggered a look to see who paid for it. Really? Cyclists are supposed to carry potatoes with them to eat on long races? Why would anyone other than potato sellers even think of such a thing?