The Science BehindEndurance
Twenty grams of Cluster Dextrin™ carbohydrates, four electrolytes matched to what you sweat out, plus taurine and malic acid for the aerobic pathway that burns them. Here is what each one does — and the research behind it.
How to use.
Straight from the label on the back of your tub.
Mix
One scoop in 10 to 20 oz of lukewarm water. Shake well — lukewarm dissolves Cluster Dextrin™ best and keeps it clump-free.
Chill
Add ice or chill after mixing if you want it cold. The mix holds clean either way.
Fuel
One or more servings per hour of exercise. Use it before, during, or after training.
The carb load is yours to set. Adjust scoops and water for the session in front of you. A long aerobic day and a 40-minute session are not the same problem.
The short version.
- ◉Carbohydrates are the only fuel your body can burn with or without oxygen — which is why it carries the hard middle of a long session.
- ◉Cluster Dextrin™ is built to clear the stomach fast instead of sitting heavy. That is a measured difference, not a slogan.
- ◉Four electrolytes, every dose printed on the panel. No proprietary blend, no vanity doses.
Three engines. One of them carries the middle.
Your body runs three energy systems at once. What changes with intensity is which one does the heavy lifting.
Creatine phosphate sits at one end — the fastest energy you have, and gone in seconds. Fat sits at the other — an enormous tank, but slow to mobilize and always dependent on oxygen. Carbohydrates sit in the middle, and that is precisely what makes it the cornerstone of endurance.
It produces meaningful energy at a meaningful rate, and critically, it can do it with or without oxygen. When intensity rises and oxygen delivery cannot keep pace, carbohydrates are the only fuel still producing output. Fat simply cannot.
All three run in parallel. Intensity and duration decide which one leads.
The word that explains it is osmolality.
Not all carbohydrate sources behave the same in your gut. This is the difference, and it is measurable.
Osmolality is just a count of how many dissolved particles are floating in a solution. Drink high-osmolality carbohydrates — sugar, maltodextrin — and your gut has to dilute them before absorption can start. It pulls water into the intestine to do that. The stomach empties slower, the risk of GI distress climbs, and the fuel reaches working muscle late.
Cluster Dextrin™ is a highly branched cyclic dextrin: one large, tightly coiled molecule with a very high molecular weight. Because it is a single big structure rather than thousands of small ones, it contributes very few particles per unit volume. Very few particles means very little osmotic pull on water. It passes through the stomach quickly and delivers a steady stream of glucose.
Four out. Four back.
Sodium and chloride are the primary electrolytes you lose in sweat. Most endurance products replace sodium and call it finished.
Sodium
The key driver of fluid retention. Replace it and the fluid you drink stays where it is useful.
Chloride
A primary sweat electrolyte alongside sodium, and one that is often left off the panel entirely. Ours is on it.
Potassium
Maintains the electrical gradient that drives muscle contraction. Supports normal muscle function through long efforts.
Magnesium
Required for the ATP hydrolysis that actually powers a contraction. The chemistry behind every rep and every stride.
Four electrolytes, not one. Chloride included, and every dose printed on the Nutrition Facts panel where you can check it.
Supporting ingredients.
Two more ingredients with real jobs.
Taurine
A conditionally essential amino acid concentrated in muscle tissue, involved in the calcium handling behind the contraction-and-relaxation cycle that gets increasingly taxed as effort runs long.
A meta-analysis of human trials pooled doses from 1 to 6 grams and found a small-to-moderate benefit to endurance performance, with dose not moderating the effect. 2 Waldron et al., Sports Med, 2018Malic acid
Malate is a direct intermediate in the Krebs cycle — the aerobic pathway that produces the majority of your ATP during sustained effort. It sits at the heart of the same pathway this entire formula is built to support.
That is textbook biochemistry, and it is why malate belongs in an aerobic formula.Every milligram, printed.
No proprietary blend. Nothing hidden behind a blend name. This is the panel from the tub in your hand.
Calories80
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 0 g | 0% |
| Saturated Fat 0 g | 0% |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0% |
| Sodium 500 mg | 22% |
| Total Carbohydrate 20 g | 7% |
| Dietary Fiber 0 g | 0% |
| Total Sugars 0 g | |
| Includes 0 g Added Sugars | 0% |
| Protein 0 g | |
| Vitamin D 0 mcg | 0% |
| Calcium 0 mg | 0% |
| Iron 0 mg | 0% |
| Potassium 350 mg | 8% |
| Magnesium 120 mg | 30% |
| Chloride 740 mg | 30% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Ingredients
Cluster Dextrin™ (Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin), Hydration & Performance Blend (Sea Salt, Malic Acid, Potassium Citrate, Taurine, Magnesium Citrate), Jocko GOOD Sweetener™ (Allulose, Reb-M, Monk Fruit Extract), Natural Flavors.
Allergens: none. Manufactured in a facility which processes milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame.
Serving size is 26.8 g for Lemon Lime and 26.6 g for Salted Watermelon. Check the panel on your tub for the current values.
Read it yourself.
The two claims on this page that rest on published work, with the papers behind them. Go check our reading.
-
Takii H, Takii Nagao Y, Kometani T, Nishimura T, Nakae T, Kuriki T, Fushiki T. Fluids containing a highly branched cyclic dextrin influence the gastric emptying rate. International Journal of Sports Medicine. 2005;26(4):314–319.
PubMed 15900642 · doi:10.1055/s-2004-820999 ↗ -
Waldron M, Patterson SD, Tallent J, Jeffries O. The effects of an oral taurine dose and supplementation period on endurance exercise performance in humans: a meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2018;48(5):1247–1253.
PubMed 29546641 ↗ -
Wilburn D, Machek S, Ismaeel A. Highly branched cyclic dextrin and its ergogenic effects in athletes: a brief review. Journal of Exercise and Nutrition. 2021;4(3):15. Open-access review summarizing the gastric emptying data above.
Journal of Exercise and Nutrition ↗
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Answered.
How much should I take for a two-hour session?
Can I use it on a rest day?
Why lukewarm water?
Will it upset my stomach?
Is it tested for banned substances?
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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Cluster Dextrin™ is a trademark of Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd. Jocko GOOD Sweetener™ is a trademark of Jocko Fuel, LLC.
California warning: risk of reproductive harm from exposure to lead. See www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/food.
Check the label on your tub for current ingredient, allergen, and nutrition information.
Distributed by Jocko Fuel, LLC · hello@jockofuel.com · 1-800-858-1416