Posted on 11/02/2007 8:25:27 AM PDT by Red Badger
During a 2004 Summer Olympics awash in controversies over steroids and supplements, one sportswriter wryly noticed that top American swimmer Michael Phelps was playing it safe -- he preferred to drink Carnation Instant Breakfast between races.
Now it appears that the six-time gold medalist may have been onto something. A new study shows that plain old chocolate milk may be as good -- or better -- than sports drinks like Gatorade at helping athletes recover from strenuous exercise.
The study, published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, was small in scale; it was partially funded by the dairy industry. But dietitians say the study should help to counter the notion that high-tech, expensive supplements are better than whole foods when it comes to athletic performance. They also note that milk contains key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, in quantities that sports drinks can’t match.
"[Milk] is a sports drink ‘plus,’" Keith Ayoob, EdD, a registered dietitian and associate professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, tells WebMD. "It will supply you with things you need whether or not you’re working out."
The study builds on findings that intense endurance exercise reduces the muscles’ supply of stored glucose, or glycogen, a key source of fuel for exercise. To maximize glycogen replacement, the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Dietetic Association recommend taking in a serving of carbohydrates within 30 minutes after a long and vigorous workout.
Milk vs. Sports Drinks
Common sports drinks such as Gatorade supply those carbs, as well as fluids and electrolytes lost through sweat. However, more recent research suggests that adding protein to the mix may further hasten recovery. Hence the new wave of drinks such as Endurox R4 that include protein as well as higher doses of carbs.
In the study, nine male cyclists rode until their muscles were depleted of energy, then rested four hours and biked again until exhaustion. During the rest period, the cyclists drank low-fat chocolate milk, Gatorade, or Endurox R4. During a second round of exercise, the cyclists who drank the chocolate milk were able to bike about 50% longer than those who drank Endurox, and about as long as those who drank the Gatorade.
The findings suggest that chocolate milk has an optimal ratio of carbohydrates to protein to help refuel tired muscles, researcher Joel M. Stager, PhD, Indiana University kinesiology professor, tells WebMD.
But the most puzzling result of the study, experts say, was why Endurox -- which has the same carb-to-protein ratio as the chocolate milk -- fared so poorly. Researcher Jeanne D. Johnston, MA, tells WebMD it may have to do with the different composition of the sugars in the milk. Another theory is that the sugars in the milk may be better absorbed in the gut than those in the Endurox.
Edward F. Coyle, PhD, a researcher on exercise and hydration at the University of Texas, tells WebMD the trial would have been stronger if the researchers had also tested the effect of flavored water or another dummy (placebo) drink.
The study was partly funded by the Dairy and Nutrition Council, an industry group. Coyle says that the study’s reliance on industry funding is not unusual in the world of sports research, as federal funding for such research is hard to come by.
A Cheaper Alternative?
While rapid nutrient replacement may not be important for casual exercisers, it can make a big difference in performance for competitive athletes who work out vigorously once or twice a day, says Roberta Anding, a sports dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
Anding has long recommended chocolate milk for young athletes who come to her practice at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. For children and teenagers from lower-income families, it doesn’t make sense to spend serious money on sports drinks when they can get milk as part of a subsidized lunch program, she tells WebMD. The only advantage of sports drinks, she notes, is that they never spoil.
Ayoob estimates that more than two-thirds of teenagers should be drinking more milk anyway because they don’t get enough calcium in their diets. He also recommends milk for its vitamin D and potassium content. “For me, this is a no-brainer,” he says.
Sources: Karp, J. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2006; (16: 78-91). “Nutrition and athletic performance -- Position of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine,” http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/adap1200.cfm. Svrluga, Barry, “Olympics Swim Trials,” Washington Post, July 13, 2004, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44785-2004Jul12.html. Jeanne Johnston, department of kinesiology, Indiana University at Bloomington. Joel M. Stager, PhD, department of kinesiology, Indiana University at Bloomington; Keith Ayoob, EdD, RD, associate professor of pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Edward F. Coyle, PhD, professor, kinesiology and health education, University of Texas. Roberta Anding, clinical and sports dietitian, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston.
Ping!
I’m betting as soon as an American Biker at the Tour de France takes a sip, the whole team is disqualified.
“Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston.”
ARGH! I had my tonsils out there, when I was 3! They used ether on me! I took out a nurse before I went under...
Ah, good times [not!]
Why do they call it Ovaltine? The jar is round. The glass is round. Why don’t they call it Roundtine? Gold Jerry...gold.
They took my tonsils out when I was 8. I was Mr. brave and happy until they put that ether mask on me. It took four adults, one on each arm and leg, to hold me down.
Soup is not a meal!
Yep, me too. The nurse going for my right leg was too slow. I prolly cracked a rib!
Ray Nagin just might get the endorsements.
Good point! What about that coffee drink, Postum. Why do they call it that?
There was a thread in the last couple of days stating beer was better than water to rehydrate after a workout.
Mmm...hormones and pus. Does a body good!!
Because Crapum wouldn't sell.................
She never metioned it again.
See link at #4.............
I doubt if I hurt anyone, but I think I did experience a couple seconds of freedom. They had a world class fight on their hands.
What about beer during exercise?
What do you get when you combine a few hundred thousand sheeple with a corrupt do-nothing government and a hurricane?
A delicious drink!
roflmao
thanks I needed that!
LOL! And that’s what it tastes like! Why even bother, when decent decaf is readily available?!
in one of those expensive clubs with carpets hee hee hee
bflr
Oh, that there is some GOOD stuff.
I wear very nearly the same slim size clothes that I did when I was in high school, by the way! And I'm 50!!! Swimming is an excellent exercise and milk is an EXCELLENT source of nutrition for those who can tolerate it. I thank God often that I'm not lactose-intolerant!
For me, when I used to have hangovers, chocolate milk was what I craved. Don’t know if it helped, but sure tasted good.
lol.
It’s funny, I used to drink chocolate milk after workouts as a teenager playing basketball and soccer, because it tasted good. Who knew it was good for me as well.
You guys had ether? I'm jealous. The docs at Walter Reed just gave me a bunch of shots in my throat and ripped 'em out! I did get to see them in a jar afterward, tho.
Fitness ping, pumpkin
“But the most puzzling result of the study, experts say, was why Endurox — which has the same carb-to-protein ratio as the chocolate milk — fared so poorly.”
Because it was the dark chocolate not the carb-to-protein ratio that was important.
Have Mercy!
http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2002/09/13/catcoffee_020913.html
Maybe Bellacheat.............
I went under ok, but when it was all over and I was coming too, in some half aware state, I was (in my mind) chasing some lovely young rather willing lady around the room, calling out to her. When my fully cleared a minute later, the dentists assistant, who was a lady, but not so lovely, young or willing, had a very disapproving look on her face.
Nothing much unless you add a Federal Flood.
No, it’s settled.
“Beer After Exercise May Be Better Than Water, Study Finds.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1919935/posts
Now, no more tests, please!
Oh crumbs. You bring back a lot of not so pleasant memories.
In no way am I trying an “upmanship” on you,” but I think you would be interested and enjoy this story in some perverse way since you also went though this:
I was 5 years old. You took out a nurse? At three you did an heroic, fearless job. I took out the entire operating nursing staff who had surrounding me and were looking down at me as I was on the operating table lying flat on my back.
Eventually, a male orderly appeared and pinned my arms and legs down against the operating table. Once he had secured me, the surgeon appeared above my face and said something stupid with a smile. I think he was introducing himself. After a hard fight, I eventually went under once they secured the ether mask on me.
Thank you for sharing, and I’m glad we survived it! To this day, I can’t stand the smell of ether. I have a favorite poem by T.S. Eliot.
You have mail! ;o)
Ping.
No wonder, that kids always keep going, long after we give up.
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