FAQ

Glukos is a company that prides itself on creating fast-acting, all-natural energy made of simple ingredients proven to deliver better results. Whether you are playing football, running a marathon, or going for a bike ride, Glukos has a variety of solutions to keep you going.

Glukos products contains glucose, electrolytes and natural flavors. Glucose is a carbohydrate that your body relies on for all its energy needs. Electrolytes help to replace those lost during your workout. Glukos products don’t contain Fructose or Sucrose, nor any artificial sweeteners, colors, dyes or flavors. No nasty chemicals. Gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free. The natural flavors give Glukos products the flavors your love and no “junk” gives you the energy your body needs to perform it’s best.

Glucose is the body’s preferred source of energy. When you give your body Glukos products, you give it the purest, most readily available fuel anywhere. Glukos products will improve your performance and delay fatigue – it’s what every athlete needs.

Glucose is natural human fuel. Glucose is rapidly absorbed into the cells of the body and transformed into ATP, the energy currency of all animal life. Because it’s the body’s preferred source of energy, it begins to work immediately and requires no additional processing - delivering 2 times the energy, 2 times as fast.

Glucose comes from plants. The glucose used in all of our products is sourced from corn.

A former collegiate runner and current Ironman competitor, Glukos founder Mark Jensen tried everything out there, but nothing lived up to his standards for sports drinks. So he began his own research and found the most efficient solution to be the simplest – an IV. Knowing that carrying around an IV wasn’t practical, the Glukos team worked to develop a simple solution that was portable, yet had the same benefits you could find in a clinical setting. The end result was simple, clean, and delicious. Today you can find Glukos products in Liquid Energy Gel, Powder and Chew Tablet forms.

All foods must be converted into glucose before the body can use them. Of the three main macronutrients (fat, protein, carbohydrate) the human body relies upon for energy, carbohydrates are the body’s preferred fuel source for biological functions and muscle contraction.¹

Once a food is digested into glucose, it moves through the bloodstream to be used as an immediate fuel source for muscle tissue and the brain. Fructose, sucrose and galactose must first be metabolized into glucose, which takes time and energy.

Consumption of glucose has been shown to be beneficial in the pre, during, and post exercise windows. Carbohydrate intake in the pre-exercise period enhances exercise capacity and performance.^2,3,4,5

Glucose intake during continuous high intensity exercise serves to maintain blood glucose concentration and to provide ample amounts of carbohydrates for energy production and exercise tolerance.

During exercise, ingestion of glucose is generally accepted to improve exercise performance and time to exhaustion (endurance) during prolonged (2 hours+) exercise bouts.^6,7,8

If blood glucose is maintained during exercise, it can provide all the carbohydrate energy needed to support ongoing exercise at high intensity.⁹ Fatigue can be prevented by consuming 30-60 grams of glucose through each hour of exercise.¹⁰

You bet it’s different! Glukos contains ONLY glucose, water, and electrolytes, that’s it. It is exactly what you need to refuel after working out or even just to fight off a mid-day slump. It’s the same thing that professionals use to rehydrate on the sidelines in an IV at a race - so it’s absorbed rapidly and starts working instantaneously.

Other drinks contain stuff like fructose, sucrose and maltodextrin – sugars that aren’t healthy and take longer for your body to absorb and metabolize.

Real Fructose is mainly derived from honey, which makes it a great energy source for bees, but not humans. Fructose is often found in foods marketed to diabetics or people with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) because it is metabolized much more slowly than other carbohydrates.

Otherwise, the majority of fructose on the market is high fructose corn syrup, which isn’t the best stuff for your body – it, along with sucrose, has been implicated in the development of diabetes, elevated lipids (fats in your blood) and other metabolic problems that raise the risk of heart disease.¹¹ Intake of drinks containing high fructose corn syrup and sucrose has risen in parallel with the obesity epidemic, suggesting a relationship between the two.¹²

Unlike glucose, which is rapidly absorbed, fructose is slower to leave the GI tract, thereby slowing the availability of energy supply.¹³ Furthermore, anywhere from 40% to 80% of people are unable to fully absorb fructose.¹⁴

Sucrose is a component of common table sugar, which is notorious for its association with adverse health effects such as diabetes, insulin resistance, obesity, elevated triglycerides (a risk factor for atherosclerosis) and dental cavities.¹⁵ Sucrose is the sweetest tasting of all sugar molecules. Additionally, sucrose is a large molecule that must be split by the digestive process prior to entering the bloodstream as energy, and large molecules like sucrose may actually ‘hold’ on to water, delaying it’s entry into the bloodstream and cells where it is needed most and instead remaining in the digestive tract and causing bloating, gas and diarrhea.

Maltodextrin is comprised of long chains of linked sugar molecules. It is artificially created when acids or other enzymes are applied to cornstarch. Maltodextrin is much larger than the previously discussed sugars, requiring time and energy for digestion and assimilation. Maltodextrin is technically a complex carbohydrate; while this form of carbohydrate can be beneficial prior to and following exercise, it is large and must be enzymatically altered by the body prior to direct usage in energy processes. 

Glukos products come in four different forms:

• Liquid Energy Gel, for a rich source of energy
• Tablets, a compact source of fuel while you’re out and about
• Powders, so you can customize the amount you want to drink (coming soon!)
• Gummies, another concentrated source for the long haul (coming soon!)

Glucose is absorbed twice as fast¹⁶ as other carbohydrates – getting it to your cells where it’s burned for energy, rather than sitting around in your gut causing you problems. Glucose, the carbohydrate in Glukos products, starts working instantly – it can actually pass through the cell walls of your mouth and go to work as immediate energy for your body.^17,18 To put it simply, Glukos products give your body what it needs, so it works twice as fast and provides twice the energy as other carbohydrates.

One serving of Glukos products should be used 20 minutes before any athletic activity to provide an immediate source of energy and boost to your performance. Use Glukos products again, every 30 – 45 minutes to sustain your energy and prevent fatigue. Along with a nutritious meal, Glukos products can be consumed immediately following your event or workout to enhance recovery.

Glukos products are made to fuel your energy when you need it. It doesn’t give you a “jolt” or “buzz” like stimulant-based energy drinks do. Rather, it provides your body with an even amount of energy that you can use immediately, instead of making you feel nervous, anxious and jittery like other drinks do. Combined with a balanced, healthy diet and proper rest, you should feel a natural and clean increase in energy over time.

You can buy Glukos products on our website and at Walmart stores.

Glukos products are designed for all athletes. It’s perfect for any type of athletic endeavor, whether for short bursts of activity punctuated by periods of rest like baseball or football, intermittent activity like basketball, Cross Fit, or continuous activity like running and triathlon.

Glukos products work for all levels of activity. It gets fuel in the bloodstream before exercise, and is a great way to supply some readily available energy to blast out a 5k, a HIIT workout, or self-prescribed beatdown in the box. Likewise, it can help sustain energy levels over several hours of exercise as well.

Nope. Nothing artificial. No high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, caffeine or any other junk. Only pure, natural energy your body runs best on.

Yes. Nearly all foods are converted into glucose at some point in the body’s energy-producing systems. Like all other foods, glucose is safe when consumed in normal amounts. Because glucose is a form of energy for the body, active people, including children, are most likely to benefit from it.

The link between sugar and hyperactivity is an old myth. According to the latest research, consumption of sugar-containing foods does not cause hyperactivity in children or adults. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics state that sugar does not disrupt the behavior of children, and does not perpetuate hyperactive behavioral disorders.^19,20

No. When used by active people to boost energy for exercise and recovery, Glukos products are burned for energy and help restore glycogen stores following exercise.

Yes. Glukos products contains calories like any other food, albeit in lower amounts. Consuming calories in moderation, along with an active lifestyle is the surest way to stay healthy. Consuming Glukos products immediately after exercise is a great way to restore glycogen levels, improve recovery, and get your body ready for your next workout, or consume a little to fight off a midday slump.

No way. Glukos products aren’t an “energy drink”. It only contains natural fuel in its purest form that your body uses all the time. It doesn’t contain stimulants that other drinks have like caffeine, Taurine, herbs, b-vitamins or who knows what else!

No. Used as part of a nutritious diet by healthy, active people, Glukos products won’t let you bonk or crash when you’re out crushing the competition.

People with diabetes must closely monitor the amount of carbohydrate consumed, their dose of medication and exercise. While Glukos product contain a moderate amount of carbohydrate, a person with diabetes with well-controlled blood sugar is able to safely consume it.

In general, exercise will lower blood sugar levels in everyone, including those with diabetes. A person with diabetes will need to pay extra attention to their blood sugar levels during and after exercise, whenever they add in a new food or beverage to their diet, and should work closely with their doctor when doing so.

While there are studies showing that when you mix fructose with sucrose and glucose you can improve the absorption of them, our advice is to steer clear of them if you want to go fast and stay healthy. Here’s why:

• A lot of people – up to 60% of the population, to be exact - can’t digest fructose²¹. That means there’s a decent chance you’ll end up sidelined with gas and bloating instead of a PR.
• Fructose and sucrose leave byproducts in your body like lactic acid and elevated triglycerides (blood sludge). We’re absolutely certain these won’t make you any faster.
• Glucose is your body’s preferred fuel – it gets into your bloodstream where it’s burned for energy way faster than other carbohydrates. There’s a reason why IVs are only made with glucose, and not those other ingredients. Why not fuel with a clean, natural energy source?

1. Burke LM, et al. Carbohydrates and fat for training and recovery. J Sports Sci. 2004 Jan;22(1):15-30.
2. Ormsbee, MJ. Pre-Exercise Nutrition: The Role of Macronutrients, Modified Starches and Supplements on Metabolism and Endurance Performance. Nutrients. 2014 May; 6(5): 1782–1808.
3. Tokmakidis SP, et al. Effects of carbohydrate ingestion 15 min before exercise on endurance running capacity. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2008 Jun;33(3):441-9.
4. Wright DA, et al. Carbohydrate feedings before, during, or in combination improve cycling endurance performance. J. Appl. Physiol. 1991;71:1082–1088.
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15. Bray GA, et al. Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;79:537–43.
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17. Kurosaki Y, et al. Perfusion cells for studying regional variation in oral mucosal permeability in humans. 2. A specialized transport mechanism in D-glucose absorption exists in dorsum of tongue. J Pharm Sci. 1998 May;87(5):613-5.
18. Oyama Y, et al. Carrier-mediated transport systems for glucose in mucosal cells of the human oral cavity. J Pharm Sci. 1999 Aug;88(8):830-4.
19. Online document at: aap.org. Nutrition: What Every Parent Needs to Know. Last accessed 3/10/15
20. Online document at: http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/dietary-guidelines-and-myplate/sugar-does-it-really-cause-hyperactivity. Last accessed 3/10/15
21. Gibson PR, et al. Review article: fructose malabsorption and the bigger picture. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics Volume 25, Issue 4, pages 349–363, February 2007