06.20.11
Drinking chocolate milk after a workout can boost improvements in aerobic fitness and body composition, according to new research presented at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) 58th Annual Meeting and 2nd World Congress on Exercise is Medicine.
These presentations come on the heels of another study just published in the May issue of Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research focusing on chocolate milk’s beneficial effect on cycling performance and signals for muscle recovery in endurance athletes.
For the latest study, from researchers at the University of Texas—Austin, 32 healthy, untrained participants followed a 4.5-week aerobic training program consisting of one hour of moderately intense cycling, five days each week.
Immediately and one hour following exercise, they consumed low-fat chocolate milk, a calorie and fat-matched carbohydrate beverage or water. The men and women drinking chocolate milk after exercise improved their body composition, measured by the combination of increased lean muscle and decreased body fat, when compared to those drinking the carbohydrate beverage. The chocolate milk drinkers also had greater improvements in aerobic fitness compared to those drinking either the carbohydrate beverage or water.
The study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research focused on 10 endurance trained cyclists and triathletes who cycled for 90 minutes at a moderate exercise intensity prior to performing 10 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 flavored water. Muscle biopsies were obtained immediately after exercise, 45 minutes after exercise and again four hours after exercise. Following this four-hour recovery period, subjects also performed a 40 kilometer cycling time trial.
Results showed that chocolate milk improved cycling performance, more than the other drinks, cutting at least six minutes, on average, off the athletes’ ride time for going the same distance. Chocolate milk also increased signals for muscle protein synthesis, which leads to the repair and rebuilding of muscle proteins, more than the other drinks. In addition, the results showed that 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. For further information: www.usdairy.com
These presentations come on the heels of another study just published in the May issue of Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research focusing on chocolate milk’s beneficial effect on cycling performance and signals for muscle recovery in endurance athletes.
For the latest study, from researchers at the University of Texas—Austin, 32 healthy, untrained participants followed a 4.5-week aerobic training program consisting of one hour of moderately intense cycling, five days each week.
Immediately and one hour following exercise, they consumed low-fat chocolate milk, a calorie and fat-matched carbohydrate beverage or water. The men and women drinking chocolate milk after exercise improved their body composition, measured by the combination of increased lean muscle and decreased body fat, when compared to those drinking the carbohydrate beverage. The chocolate milk drinkers also had greater improvements in aerobic fitness compared to those drinking either the carbohydrate beverage or water.
The study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research focused on 10 endurance trained cyclists and triathletes who cycled for 90 minutes at a moderate exercise intensity prior to performing 10 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 flavored water. Muscle biopsies were obtained immediately after exercise, 45 minutes after exercise and again four hours after exercise. Following this four-hour recovery period, subjects also performed a 40 kilometer cycling time trial.
Results showed that chocolate milk improved cycling performance, more than the other drinks, cutting at least six minutes, on average, off the athletes’ ride time for going the same distance. Chocolate milk also increased signals for muscle protein synthesis, which leads to the repair and rebuilding of muscle proteins, more than the other drinks. In addition, the results showed that 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. For further information: www.usdairy.com