Chocolate milk for recovery?

motiv8er

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Study: Chocolate milk helps athletes replenish

Indiana U scientists, partly supported by dairy group, tout childhood fave
Updated: 2:19 p.m. PT Nov 17, 2006
DENVER - It comes in only one flavor — no Fierce Grape or Riptide Rush available — and you certainly won’t see your favorite basketball star gulping it down on the sideline during a timeout.

But a group of scientists recently discovered that one of the most effective drinks to help athletes recover after exercise is the same thing moms across America have been giving their kids for years.

A simple glass of chocolate milk.

Story continues below ↓

To be forthright, the study by the scientists from Indiana University, published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, was supported in part by the Dairy and Nutrition Council.

Still, their findings are compelling.

The small group of nine fit athletes who took part in the study were asked to work out strenuously on a stationery bicycle, then drink low-fat chocolate milk, a fluid-replacement drink like Gatorade and a carbohydrate replacement drink like Endurox R4. A few hours later, they were asked to cycle again until they reached exhaustion.

The test was repeated three times — once with each kind of drink — and the data showed that the cyclists were able to go between 49 and 54 percent longer on the second stint after drinking chocolate milk than when they drank the carbohydrate drink. The difference between the milk and the fluid-replacement drink was not significant.

“My way of explaining it is, there’s really nothing magic about the powder in a can that you mix with water,” cycling coach Scott Saifer said of the carbohydrate drink. “It’s water, carbs, proteins, maybe minerals and electrolytes. What’s in chocolate milk? The same thing. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be as good for recovery as a carb drink.”

The milk folks tout their product as a less-costly and healthier alternative to the more traditional energy drinks.

They have some data to back up the physiology of the issue. Among their points are that milk also provides much-needed calcium and might be more efficiently absorbed into the system than the other drinks.

The cost analysis also works in their favor.

For the test, to get 70 grams of carbohydrate, the subjects were given about 17 ounces of chocolate milk and about three scoops of a carb drink. They were given about 20 ounces of a fluid-replacement drink, which only figured to about 30 grams of carbohydrate. The milk option cost around 49 cents, which is about 95 cents less than the carb drink and about 19 cents less than the 20-ounce bottle of Gatorade.

(Prices were calculated on the basis of a sale-priced $3.50 gallon of chocolate milk, an eight-pack of 20-ounce bottles of Gatorade on sale for $5.50 and a 56-scoop container of Endurox priced at $26.95.)

This latest study by the milk industry is an attempt to get people thinking about one of the world’s most basic products in new ways. Of course, it could also be viewed as little more than a ploy to cut into the multibillion-dollar sports-drink market. (According to brandchannel.com, Gatorade topped $2 billion in sales in 2001.)

Dietician Mary Lee Chin, who does public-relations work for the Western Dairy Council, says that either way, there’s nothing wrong with this sales pitch.

“It’s not like you’re talking about some beverage that’s really outlandish and recommending that,” she said. “Milk should be part of everyone’s diet anyhow. It’s the fact that you already have a nutritional benefit, and then there’s this additional replenishment benefit as an added bonus.”

The Indiana study netted different results than an earlier study that found participants exercised 55 percent longer after drinking Endurox than they did after drinking Gatorade. The Indiana study concluded the aberration may have been because of methodological differences in the experiments — most notably that subjects in the other study exercised at a more strenuous pace than in the Indiana study.

Chin acknowledged the Indiana study was not conclusive, but believes the findings merit a more expansive study.

As for the prospect of chugging down a glass of chocolate milk on a hot day after an extensive workout ... well, that’s a matter of personal preference.

“If it tastes good enough that you want to reach for a bottle and drink it, it’s a good exercise drink,” said Saifer, who prefers a fruit and yogurt smoothie to quench his thirst. “If it tastes nasty and you don’t want to drink it, there’s no way it can help you.”

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 
dsade

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When I was younger, I would always drink a quart of Chocolate Milk and eat a tiger's milk bar after workout. It worked decently.
 
anabolicrhino

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Milk is the best way to enhance your diet with growth hormone.
Recombinant Bovine growth hormone , if that's what you really want! Cow milk is for baby cows!!! Just ask Arnold ,adult men can drink beer!!!
 
warriorway

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I can't stand my protein drinks with plain water. I always use Skim milk and some nesquick for extra carbs. Yesssss
 

MegaCalf

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Now I can rationalize my chocolate milk addiction.
 
CRUNCH

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I've always made mine with the Carnation Malted Milk powder in 2%. Love that stuff!
 

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