Glucose polymer syrup attenuates prolonged endurance exercise‐induced vasopressin release

Abstract
We investigated the effect of glucose and glucose polymer ingestion on plasma arginine vasopressin (pAVP) levels, on plasma osmolality (p-osm) and on performance during two prolonged endurance event. The study subjects were 37 Finnish elite endurance athletes, of whom 18 were orienteers and 19-cross-country skiers. Plasma AVP increased in both combined glucose polymer groups, but the increase in the glucose polymer group was significantly smaller (P < 0.001) than that in the glucose group. A significant change in p-osm caused a significant change in pAVP and vice versa. Both the orienteers and the skiers on glucose polymer tended to have more success in the competition; the orienteers on glucose polymer ran the last third of the third of the competition significantly faster than those on glucose (p < 0.05). It is suggested, in the light of the smaller pAVP response, that after glucose polymer ingestion the physical stress in prolonged endurance exercise is smaller than after ingestion of glucose.