Question

We race in 100-mile endurance events at the international level. When we last raced in the UAE, we noticed many competitors were feeding honey. Can you preload with honey? Lots of the upper-level riders seem to be playing with this.

Answer

Honey usually has more fructose than glucose, though some can be pretty close to 50:50. Kentucky Equine Research did a research study comparing glucose, fructose, and a 50:50 mix given to Arabian horses performing an endurance exercise test. In this study, there did not appear to be any real advantage to giving fructose or the 50:50 mix over glucose, nor was there any detriment.

In human studies, fructose has been found to be absorbed more slowly than glucose, and this study did see this tendency in the first sampling. However, during exercise there did not seem to be any difference. There was no difference between straight glucose and a 50:50 mixture.

Further, it may be some of the other natural elements found in honey that may be the reason for the perceived benefit. If you are happy with your mixture, I don’t see any real advantage to adding honey.