Chocolate Milk- An Ideal Energy Drink!

According to Dr. John Ivy, lead researcher on the studies and chair of The University of Texas at Austin College of Education’s Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, Chocolate milk is an ideal post workout energy drink for athletes.

"The advantages for the study participants were better body composition in the form of more muscle and less fat, improved times while working out and overall better physical shape than peers who consumed sports beverages that just contained carbohydrates.", says Dr. Ivy.

Low-fat Chocolate milk is savory drink as well as it gives immense physical recovery benefits for young as well as mature athletes after a vigorous workout

Ivy and his research team has compared the recovery benefits of drinking low-fat chocolate milk after exercise to the effects of a carbohydrate beverage with the same ingredients and calories as typical sports drinks as well as to a calorie-free beverage. On consuming low-fat chocolate milk rather than a carbohydrate sports drink or calorie-free beverage after riding a bike for 90 minutes at moderate intensity, then for 10 minutes of high intensity intervals, 10 trained cyclists had significantly more power and rode faster (reduced their ride time by an average of six minutes)

After conducting experimental study on 32 healthy, amateur male and female cyclists who rode for one hour, five days a week, and drank one of the three recovery beverages immediately following and one hour after the bout of exercise. It was found that Compared to the other recovery drinks, chocolate milk drinkers had twice the improvement in maximal oxygen uptake after four and a half weeks of cycling, which included intense exercise five days a week, with each exercise session followed by one of the three recovery beverages. The research also revealed that low-fat chocolate milk drinkers built more muscle and shaved off more fat during training, ending up with a three-pound lean muscle advantage after four and a half weeks of training as compared to study participants who consumed a carbohydrate drink. This study also included 32 healthy, amateur male and female cyclists Ivy says, “there's something in the naturally-occurring protein and carbohydrate mix that offers significant benefits."

[SOURCE: University of Texas]