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Chocolate Milk Beats Sports Drinks for Muscle Recovery

June 2, 2009 6:39 am 8 comments

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Two years ago, in a study funded in part by the dairy industry, researchers at the University of Illinois determined that chocolate milk did as much or more as most "sports drinks" to help athletes maintain peak performance. Now comes another study, this one conducted at James Madison University, suggesting that chocolate milk
"provides equal or superior muscle recovery compared to a
high-carbohydrate recovery beverage with the same amount of calories."
The new study put 13 college soccer players through "normal"
training for one week, and gave them either lowfat chocolate milk orChocolate_Milk a
high-carbohydrate recovery beverage daily after intense training for
four days. After a two week break, the athletes went through a second
round of "normal" training, followed by four-day intensified training
to compare their recovery experiences following each beverage. The researchers found no differences between the two beverages in effects on,
soccer-specific performance tests, subjective ratings of muscle
soreness, mental and physical fatigue and other measures of muscle
strength. But when they looked at muscle recovery, the researchers found that chocolate milk drinkers had
significantly lower levels of creatine kinase – an indicator of muscle
damage – than the drinkers of a  carbohydrate beverage.

Read more from PR Newswire.

8 Comments

  • Gary C
    June 2, 2009
    11:23 am

    Since the beginning, companies have made up good things to advertise regarding their product. This is old news. What is new is that more and more people are beginning to understand this simple fact. It’s the way we have allowed Advertisers to work. If we stop allowing them to tell these lies we will be in worse shape I’m afraid. An entire industry thrives on these deceptions.

    Reply
  • Stephanie
    June 2, 2009
    2:33 pm

    Gary C, What is James Madison University advertising? I don’t understand your point. Yes I would be skeptical of the dairy funded study but the University?

    Reply
  • Gary C
    June 3, 2009
    8:06 am

    I was refering to “Sport Drink” Mfg.( and almost all other Advertisers Products)claims to be helpful when in reality Chocolate Milk is even more benificial. Advertisers take great liberties in their pitch to get one to buy their products. The University Study is simply giving us the facts.

    Reply
  • Jim
    June 3, 2009
    11:40 am

    Some one help this feeble minded old man. What does the last sentence acually mean? “But when…”

    Reply
  • Andrea Daily
    June 7, 2009
    12:07 am

    Jim, basically the last sentence explains why milk drinkers were superior to “carbohydrate” drinkers: Lower is better when the concern is creatine kinase levels and that was where milk had the advantage. What they call carbohydrate drinks are the beverages we call sports drinks. I can see why it is hard to understand if you are not a science or health expert.
    I would get very excited about this report if they were female swimmers in their thirties, but am forced to ask myself what would happen if they studied people like me because I am not a man, in college, or a soccer player. Should I try doing my own experiment?

    Reply
  • tom
    June 9, 2009
    12:48 pm

    people have been drinking milk from the beginning of time.everyday people,athelets,everyone..i see how a cold sports drink may be refreshing,but how good for you is it?/

    Reply
  • muscle recovery
    July 6, 2011
    2:22 am

    hmmm yummy and nutritious one.
    I heard this one of my friend he is an athletes and its the one he’s using during the his events.

    Reply

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