June 2011
Consumption of low-fat chocolate milk is beneficial to muscle recovery and exercise performance, claims two recent studies.
Chocolate milk drinkers had greater improvements in aerobic fitness compared to those drinking a carbohydrate beverage or water, according to recent findings from University of Texas Research.
Last week, the university scientists presented the findings from their latest study (1) at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and 2nd World Congress on Exercise is Medicine.
“Often referred to as ‘nature’s sports drink,’ milk can be an effective way to help the body refuel, rehydrate and recover after a workout as every serving contains nutrients that promote effective recovery after vigorous exercise,” said Gregory Miller, president of the Dairy Research Institute.
Miller is also executive vice president of the National Dairy Council, which co-sponsored the research with the Milk Processor Education Program.
Nutrients in chocolate milk include carbohydrates to help refuel muscles; protein to stimulate repair and growth; and fluid and electrolytes to help replenish what is lost in sweat and to rehydrate the body, according to Miller.
Methodology
The study involved 32 healthy, untrained participants following a 4½ week aerobic training program consisting of one hour of moderately intense cycling, five days each week.
Immediately and one hour following exercise, the cyclists consumed low-fat chocolate milk, a calorie and fat-matched carbohydrate beverage, or water.
Increased lean muscle and decreased body fat of the men and women was measured to assess the drink’s effect on body composition.
Other recent findings
The study’s findings follow the publication of a larger body of research on chocolate milk in Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research last month.
The research (2) studied ten endurance trained cyclists and triathletes who cycled for 90 minutes at moderate exercise intensity prior to performing ten minutes of high-intensity intervals.
Immediately following exercise and again, two hours following exercise, participants consumed a recovery drink of low-fat chocolate milk, a calorie and fat-matched carbohydrate beverage or a non-caloric flavoured water.
The results showed that chocolate milk improved cycling performance more than the other drinks, cutting at least six minutes on average off the cyclist’s ride time.
According to the author, chocolate milk and the carbohydrate drink were more effective than water in restoring carbohydrate fuel in the muscle. There was no difference between groups in markers of muscle breakdown.
Chocolate milk was also found to increase signals for muscle protein synthesis, which leads to the repair and rebuilding of muscle proteins, more than the other drinks.
1. Presented: American College of Sports Medicine 58th Annual Meeting and 2nd World Congress on Exercise is Medicine, June 2, 2011. Aerobic exercise training adaptations are increased by post-exercise carbohydrate-protein supplementation Authors: Ferguson-Stegall, et al.
2. Source: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research Vol. 25, Issue 5, Pages 1210-1224, 2011 Post-exercise carbohydrate-protein supplementation improves subsequent exercise performance and intracellular signaling for protein synthesis Authors: Ferguson-Stegall, et al
2010
Effects of Chocolate Milk Supplementation on Recovery from Cycling Exercise and Subsequent Time Trial Performance
Abstract
PURPOSE: Supplementing with carbohydrate plus protein following strenuous endurance exercise has been found to improve both recovery and subsequent aerobic endurance performance beyond that of a carbohydrate supplement alone. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of chocolate milk (CM), an isocaloric carbohydrate only supplement (CHO), and placebo (PLA) on markers of endurance exercise recovery and subsequent time trial performance in trained cyclists.
METHODS: Ten trained male and female cyclists (5 males, 5 females) performed 3 trials in which they first cycled for 1.5 h at 70% of VO2max, followed by 10 min of intervals that alternated 45% and 90% VO2max. They then recovered in the laboratory for 4 h, and performed a 40 km time trial (TT). The supplements were provided immediately after the first bout and 2 h into the recovery period. Treatments were administered using a double-blind randomized design.
RESULTS: TT time was significantly shorter in CM than CHO and PLA (79.43±2.11 vs. 85.74±3.44 and 86.92±3.28 min, respectively, p=<.05). Significant treatment differences were found for plasma insulin, glucose, free fatty acids (FFA) and glycerol. Plasma insulin levels were significantly lower in CM than CHO at recovery time points R45 (47.30±10.54 vs. 58.71±6.01 &#;U/ml, p<.05), R120 (14.32±1.34 vs. 22.53±3.37 &#;U/ml, p<.05) and REnd (15.57±1.53 vs. 34.35±4.55 &#;U/ml, p<.05). Plasma glucose was significantly lower in CM than CHO at recovery time points R45 (76.61±3.08 vs. 101.65±3.47 mg/dL, p<.05) and R120 (74.72±2.22 vs. 81.46±4.87 mg/dL, p<.05). While FFA and glycerol were both higher in PLA than in CM and CHO overall (p<.05 for both), FFA and glycerol were higher in CM than in CHO (p<.05 for both) during recovery and at TTEnd. Blood lactate was significantly higher at R45 and TTEnd in both CM and CHO than in PLA, but no differences were found between CM and CHO. No significant treatment differences were found for myoglobin, CPK, cortisol, and 5 pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-&#;, IL-6, IL-10, IL-8, and IL-1Ra).
CONCLUSIONS: Chocolate milk provided during recovery can improve subsequent time trial performance in trained cyclists more effectively than an isocaloric CHO supplement. This may be due to a faster rate of muscle glycogen resynthesis.
2009
Improved endurance capacity following chocolate milk consumption compared with 2 commercially available sport drinks
Authors: Thomas, Kevin; Morris, Penelope; Stevenson, Emma
Source: Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, Volume 34, Number 1, 1 February 2009 , pp. 78-82(5)
Abstract:
Title: | Recovery of endurance running capacity: effect of carbohydrate-protein mixtures |
Authors: | Betts, James A. Stevenson, Emma J. Williams, Clyde Sheppard, Catrin Grey, Edwin Griffin, Joe |
Citation: | Betts, J.A., Stevenson, E.J., Williams, C., Sheppard, C., Grey, E. and Griffin, J. (2005) 'Recovery of endurance running capacity: effect of carbohydrate-protein mixtures', International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 15 (6), pp. 590-509. |
Publisher: | Human Kinetics |
Journal : | International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism |
Issue date: | Dec-2005 |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10145/90787 |
Abstract: | Including protein in a carbohydrate solution may accelerate both the rate of glycogen storage and the restoration of exercise capacity following prolonged activity. Two studies were undertaken with nine active men in study A and seven in study B. All participants performed 2 trials, each involving a 90 min run at 70% VO2max followed by a 4 h recovery. During recovery, either a 9.3% carbohydrate solution (CHO) or the same solution plus 1.5% protein (CHO-PRO) was ingested every 30 min in volumes providing either 1.2 g CHO · kg-1 · h-1 (study A) or 0.8 g CHO · kg-1 · h-1 (study B). Exercise capacity was then assessed by run time to exhaustion at 85% VO2max. Ingestion of CHO-PRO elicited greater insulinemic responses than CHO (P less than or equal to 0.05) but with no differences in run times to exhaustion. Within the context of this experimental design, CHO and CHO-PRO restored running capacity with equal effect. |
Type: | Article |
Language: | en |
Keywords: | Glycogen-Metabolism Insulin Exercise Amino acids |
2 comments:
Wouldn't it be more appropriate to compare chocolate milk with white milk?
Not really, because we are looking something that was not traditionally thought of as a recovery drink and we are so use to looking at recovery drinks as being "crafted" "designed" as compared to something people may have in there fridge right now. That said it would be interesting to see if the addition of chocolate has any effect when compared to white milk. Thanks for the question.
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