High-performance partnerships: how PeptoPro® supports Team Sunweb cyclists

Team Sunweb is powered by BORN ISO PRO+, with PeptoPro®

Summary

• DSM, Team Sunweb and sports nutrition experts BORN have collaborated to develop the high-performance beverage ISO PRO+ 
• Containing DSM’s PeptoPro®, ISO PRO+ supports athletes’ performance through hydration and muscle recovery during this year’s racing season 
• PeptoPro® is a highly advanced peptide formulation derived from dairy protein, containing all 20 amino acids needed for muscle protein synthesis 

Setting the standard in sports nutrition

The demand for sports nutrition is ever growing, with the global market expected to reach USD 81.5 billion by 2023.¹ For athletes and professional sportspeople, performance is everything – which means their nutrition must be able to deliver. In particular, the demands of endurance events make hydration key, with just 2% fluid loss during exercise diminishing performance by at least 10%. This year’s Giro d’Italia saw professional cycling team, Team Sunweb, taking their nutrition to the next level in collaboration with DSM and BORN, with high-performance beverage ISO PRO+. 

Containing a mixture of glucose and fructose to increase carbohydrate absorption to 90 g per hour, instead of the traditional 60 g per hour, ISO PRO+ was specifically developed to support Team Sunweb cyclists in this year’s competition, with the team encouraged to drink at least 25 ml of ISO PRO+ every 20 minutes during a training session or race. But ISO PRO+ is not just for ensuring athletes stay hydrated, it also contains DSM’s advanced peptide formulation, PeptoPro.

Putting pep in your step with PeptoPro®

PeptoPro® is a highly advanced peptide formulation derived from dairy protein, containing all 20 amino acids needed for muscle protein synthesis. Effective delivery of amino acids to the muscle is vital during, and after, intense exercise to prevent damage. When no amino acids are supplied, muscle tissue is degraded. In the second hour of exercise, for example, the body gets 5-15% of its energy from amino acids. If no amino acids are available, the body then turns to its muscles to ‘scavenge’ the energy. “With a cut-up protein component, that is effortlessly absorbed during exercise, you speed up the absorption of carbohydrates, you accelerate the recovery process after activity and you protect your muscles”, confirms Titia van der Stelt, Food Expert Team Sunweb.

However, during exercise is also the time where the body’s digestive capacity is reduced due to limited cardiac output through the digestive organs. In response to this, PeptoPro® has been developed to be absorbed without the need for digestion, supplying amino acids directly to the muscles for support exactly when they need it. 

Partnering for success 

The collaboration between DSM scientists, Team Sunweb and BORN has seen innovation in health, nutrition and materials to not only support the athletes but has also helped Team Sunweb to reach its goal of becoming a significant, sustainable, and recognizable party at the highest level of international cycling. The partnership will continue to support Team Sunweb’s cyclists during this summer’s Tour de France with tailored multivitamin supplements, DSM’s natural anti-platelet ingredient Fruitflow® and more. To find out more about this exciting collaboration, visit the partnership page here and keep an eye out for Team Sunweb in France!