When it comes to bodybuilding supplements, many are overpriced, overrated, useless at best, detrimental to goals and totally front loaded with hype. Waxy Maize Starch (WMS) is most definitely one of them. I am going to try and make two points on the matter, that should hopefully have you thinking next time you go pay truckloads of money on carbs. Yes, this is yet another WMS Hype type thread. But I am trying take a practical and cost-benefit analysis approach to the topic rather than littering my post with science mumbo jumbo that most readers can at best, misinterpret what they are reading.
**DISCLAIMER**
I am not listing sources for all my mad science claims right now. I am mentioning so many things (some common knowledge) that the time to look up sources for something that I am not getting a grade on is not worth my effort. Besides, I need 30 posts before I can place links.
As a chemistry major working on my bachelors, I have a very basic, yet thorough understanding of core scientific principles. BTW, organic chemistry has always been my forte. But as the angry posts start coming in (which they will), I will address each issue and give you a source. But I do highly encourage you to go do some research and find your own sources.
**DISCLAIMER**
Point #1:
The rate at which WMS digests, that is, its Glycemic Index (GI) is not high enough to justify its price. In reality, the GI of WMS is almost irrelevant a s post-workout carbohydrate. This leads me to my second point:
Point #2:
If you really care about the GI of your post-workout carbs, then WMS is really no better than your other common (and cheaper) carbs such as glucose (dextrose), maltodextrin, and plain old fashion cornstarch.
So let me begin, by saying that IF YOU ARE FOLLOWING A GOOD DIET, as in your typical "bro science" diet of 5-7 meals a day eating a few hundred calories above your maintenance level than the GI of your post-WO carbohydrate source is really not that important. As long as it has a relatively high GI value, and not full of fiber and fat the rate at which you absorb it will not vary much. This is because if you eat a proper meal 1-2 hours before working out, and only worked out 45-60 minutes then your stomach is NOT EMPTY and you are NOT STARVING.
Sure, your glycogen levels are low and some of the food you ate has already been digested, but keep in mind GI tests are done one people who are on empty stomach AFTER they have fasted for a day. Combine the already existing food in your stomach with the protein powder you are mixing your WMS with, and you'll see that your whooping high GI value just crashed faster than the stock market in 1929. Not to mention, that when you workout, digestion slows down because blood starts flowing to your muscles being work out. So, as I said, if you ate your food like good little boy, you won't be on an empty stomach post-WO.
Heresey! Alright, but for all those of you who I have offended by claims that GI is not that important, or you simply don't believe me, I will make an even more blasphemous claim. Plain ole' fashioned cornstarch is just as good as WMS. And glucose (dextrose) and maltodextrin are actually better.
I am using the following source for my GI values. These tables use glucose (dextrose) as its standard, giving it a value of 115.
GI VALUES:
Glucose (Dextrose): 115
Maltodextrin: 95
Potatoes, oven cooked: 95
Gluten-free white bread: 90
Cornstarch: 85
Sucrose (White Sugar): 70
Source: montignac dot com
Now from that table we can see that pure glucose is king in terms of raw GI values. Maltodextrin is a close second. Peeled oven-cooked potatoes actually have a higher GI than cornstarch. If you look at cornstarch, it "only"? has a GI of 85. Well 85 is really freak high actually. Considering plain sugar, powdered death for a diabetic, has a lower GI than cornstarch, we can safely conclude that 85 is up there.
Waxy maize starch is a starch that is 100% amylopectin by composition. Regular corn starch is about 70% amylopectin, 30% amylose (Wikipedia: amylopectin). Now if you simply use some common sense here, cornstarch already is loaded with "WMS"?. Paying a premium of 130% for a bit more amylopectin is ridiculous!
Let's compare the cost of some pure carbohydrate sources on the bodybuilding.com store (as of January 2010) so we can see how crazy the hype really is.
ON Glycomaize (Waxy Maize Starch):
3000g for $20.99 + $5.99 S&H
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Cost: $0.0090/g
NOW Foods CarboGain (Maltodextrin):
12 lb. (5443g) for $24.99 + $5.99 S&H
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Cost: $0.0056/g S&H
Now Foods Dextrose Powder:
10 lb. (5436g) $22.99 + $5.99 S&H
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Cost: $0.0053/g
Argo Cornstarch at my local wholesale club:
4 lb. (1816g) for $6.00 + $1.00 in gas
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Cost: $0.0039/g
I cannot find any source than gives me an actual GI value for WMS. But I will be generous and for the sake of argument give it a score of 100. (If you know of one let me know please.) So comparing the 4 carb sources, in terms of price per gram, cornstarch wins hands down. WMS being 130% more expensive than cornstarch.
But now let's compare them in terms of how functional they are, that is, in their price per GI point:
WMS:
$0.0090/100 = $0.000090 per GI
Dextrose:
$0.0053/115 = $0.000046 per GI
Maltodextrin:
$0.0056/95 = $0.000059 per GI
Cornstarch:
$0.0039/85 = $0.000035 per GI.
Now we see that WMS is 154% more expensive than cornstarch. Here glucose is the second cheapest in terms of GI value.
So, if you really are concerned with GI then just buy dextrose, but if you are unconcerned about irrelevant differences in GI use cornstarch. Personally, I use whatever I have available at the moment. I generally use dextrose or maltodextrin when bulking, and cornstarch while cutting since it does digest ever so slightly slower. But WMS, I used it once and than repented on the amount of money I wasted.
And I will stress this point again. Cornstarch is 70% amylopectin, WMS is 100%. That 30% difference in amylopectin is not with the 130% difference in cost. IT'S THE SAME $%^&!@ THING!!!