Chocolate Milk is the New Recovery Drink!!

Below is an article published in a small sports journal about chocolate milk and cycling:

News Author: Laurie Barclay, MD
CME Author: Désirée Lie, MD, MSEd


Feb. 27, 2006 — Chocolate milk is an effective postexercise drink that improves recovery, according to the results of a small, randomized trial reported in the February issue of the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.

"Our study indicates that chocolate milk is a strong alternative to other commercial sports drinks in helping athletes recover from strenuous, energy-depleting exercise," coauthor Joel M. Stager, PhD, from Indiana University in Bloomington, said in a news release. "Chocolate milk contains an optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio, which is critical for helping refuel tired muscles after strenuous exercise and can enable athletes to exercise at a high intensity during subsequent workouts."

On 3 separate days, 9 male, endurance-trained cyclists performed an interval workout followed by 4 hours of recovery, and a subsequent endurance trial to exhaustion at 70% maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max). In a single-blind, randomized design, the men drank equivalent volumes of chocolate milk, fluid replacement drink (FR), or carbohydrate replacement drink (CR) immediately after the first exercise bout and 2 hours of recovery. The chocolate milk and CR had equivalent carbohydrate content. Primary endpoints were time to exhaustion, average heart rate, rating of perceived exertion, and total work for the endurance exercise.

Time to exhaustion and total work were significantly greater for chocolate milk and for FR trials than for CR trials, suggesting that chocolate milk is an effective recovery aid between 2 exhausting exercise bouts.

Study limitations include the possibility that the 4-hour recovery period limited the complete digestion of the complex carbohydrates contained in CR.

"The results of this study suggest that chocolate milk, with its high carbohydrate and protein content, may be considered an effective alternative to commercial FR and CR for recovery from exhausting, glycogen-depleting exercise," the authors write.

The Dairy and Nutrition Council, Inc, supported this study in part.

Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2006;16:78-91

YAY! I love it when science backs up my cravings! Thanks for posting this :D Lise

I've been extensively testing choc milk (as well as strawberry, vanilla and cookies and cream) as both a recovery drink _and_ a fuel on rides up to 250 miles for the past six months, in situations where I would have used Endurox R4, a standard recovery/fuel drink. I am completely satisfied with the results- including not really feeling the need to eat additional solid food on long rides and no stomach upset with adequate electrolyte intake for the circumstances. Just an experiment of one- but it's a lot cheaper and _always_ available at any convenience store during a ride. It's apparently been common knowledge to those athletes who used it before commercial recovery drinks were developed.

Nanci

Mmmm... my drink of choice for 35 years!

What great news... (like I needed an excuse ;) )

Hey - our own swiss ovomaltine (ovaltine in US AFAIK) has new ads... with ovomaltine you can't do it better, but you can do it longer....

Chocolate milk and hot cocoa have been my post-ride fuel of choice for several years. It's a good way to sneak in some calcium and other good for you stuff.

mmm...chocolate milk!

http://www.velonews.com/train/articles/9885.0.html

Awwwww! I'm really craving a glass of chocolate milk now. I haven't had a real glass of milk in over 10 years! Can't handle it cause I'm lactose intolerant. I'd pay for it in the end, my rear end that is.:eek:

No chocolate milk here so ... I tried some Soy Chocolate milk and I feel better already!

Does Rice Dream have chocolate? I used to love the vanilla mixed with hot brown rice for breakfast.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shimpie

Awwwww! I'm really craving a glass of chocolate milk now. I haven't had a real glass of milk in over 10 years! Can't handle it cause I'm lactose intolerant. I'd pay for it in the end, my rear end that is.:eek:

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Silk chocolate soymilk comes in great individual serving sizes that don't need to be refrigerated (before opening). It's great!

I am at work reading this and I just realized I have one in the fridge...I brought it in for a post work mountain bike ride on Wed as my recovery drink, and I forgot it in the fridge....HAHA I am going to drink it now.....hell I figure I train enough to almost ALWAYS be recovering from something!!!!!


YUM!!!!!

Hey, RR - drink some Nature's Energy for me, will ya? It's one of those Kiwi things I miss. :rolleyes: