Milk…The Sports Drink? (April 2012)
New Research on milk suggests that it could be cheaper than and just as effective as other sports nutrition products. Can milk give up what we need to attain maximum performance?
Recovery
After your workout, your body is in a state of stress and needs adequate nourishment. Typically after exercise your body is dehydrated, insulin levels will be low, cortisol and other hormones will be high and your fuel stores (glycogen reserves) will be depleted. Your recovery nutrition should reverse all of the above to restore to a rehydrated refueled and recovered building state.
Milk Research
In 2004 US scientists from Virginia Tech published one of the first studies comparing the effects of milk and a carbohydrate electrolyte beverage, consumed in the immediate post workout period. The study compared 19 men consumed either milk or a carbohydrate or a carbohydrate electrolyte drink immediately following each workout, during a 10-week resistance training program. The authors concluded that the milk group tended to increase muscle mass but the gains were not significant. They suggested that more extensive training and supplementation would expand the trend for greater muscle mass in a milk group.
In 2007, Canadian scientists evaluated the long term consequences of milk, or soy protein, or carbohydrate on muscle mass after resistance training. Subjects trained five days a week for 12 weeks and were given beverages consisting of fat free milk, fat free soy protein, or a carbohydrate within an hour after the training sessions.
In the study there were no differences found in the strength development between the groups. The researchers determined that the type II muscle fiber increased in all groups; however it increased the most in the milk group. Muscle mass gains were significantly greater in the milk group when compared with both soy and control groups. They concluded that the consistent consumption or milk after strength training can promote greater muscle growth when combined with strength training.
Endurance and Hydration
The effects of milk have also been shown to aid recovery from endurance exercise. Scientists from Indiana University suggest that chocolate milk is an effective aid between two exhausting sessions of exercise.
In their study, non-endurance trained cyclists performed interval workouts followed by four hours of recovery and then another endurance trial to exhaustion. After the first exercise session, subjects consumed a post ride recovery beverage of either chocolate milk or carbohydrate or electrolytes. Time to exhaustion and total work were significantly greater for the chocolate milk compared to the carbohydrate electrolyte group. This indicates that in addition to promoting a greater muscle growth adaptation in a strength training group, a milk recovery drink can also improve performance on a subsequent endurance bout.
Research has also shown milk to be an effective rehydration drink. Subjects consuming milk with added sodium post training actually remained hydrated longer than when they consumed sports drinks or water.
Conclusion
Does this mean we should toss out our sports drinks? No! But it will allow those on a budget and individuals who want to consume adequate nutrition to be able to replete their muscle and tissue stores without breaking their wallet.
