The Benefits of Chocolate Milk

By Jim Jawnson


The next time you finish a rigorous workout, you may want to consider a surprising new sports drink to help refuel tired muscles: chocolate milk. A recent study, published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (1), reports that athletes who drank chocolate milk after an intense bout of exercise were able to workout longer and with more power during a second workout compared to athletes who drank commercial sports beverages. In essence, chocolate milk aids indirectly with what to do for sore muscles, thus allowing one to continue to workout harder and longer.

Another study may help prove the point: Stager and colleagues, a group of researchers, decided to test the effectiveness of chocolate milk on athletes' post-workout recovery. They asked a group of nine bicyclists to exercise until their muscles were drained of all energy, then to rest for four hours while drinking either low-fat chocolate milk, a fluid replacement sports drink, or a carbohydrate replacement sports drink, then bike again until they were exhausted again. After three repetitions of this grueling cycle, the results showed that those bicyclists who drank low-fat chocolate milk were able to bike nearly twice as long as those who drank the carbohydrate replacement drink, and just as long as those who drank the fluid replacement drink. Chocolate milk allowed the athletes to work out longer!

Who do you think recovered the most from this grueling exercise? During the second round of biking, the researchers learned that cyclists who drank the chocolate milk over their rest time were able to bike nearly twice as long before becoming exhausted than those who drank the carbohydrate replacement drink, and just as long as those who drank the fluid replacement drink.

Researchers theorize that the combination of carbohydrates and protein found in chocolate milk is what helped enhance the cyclists' performance and suggest that flavored milk may be an optimal beverage for refueling muscles after exercise. The researchers also note that chocolate milk is a great-tasting and cost-effective alternative to many sports drinks.

This study is just one of many studies that say this carb-protein combo is more helpful to athletes than only carbohydrates. Chocolate milk is simply one of the best examples of that powerful combination, because it is also great-tasting, affordable and accessible. It'll help you to getting rid of sore muscles, and recover muscles for the next workout.

Confirming these results was a study by Dr. Janet Walberg-Rankin and co-workers at Virginia Tech (2). This study compared body composition and muscle function responses to resistance training in males who consumed a carb drink (Gatorade) or chocolate milk following each training session. Chocolate milk consumption immediately after each workout tended to increase lean body mass and bodyweight compared to supplementation with carbs. However, if you're not a fan of chocolate milk post-workout then you can opt for a sports drink with easily absorbable proteins such as hydrolysates. In regards to your post-workout drink, the presence of easily absorbable proteins along with simple carbohydrates seems to be the most effective choice.




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