Chocolate milk may help you exercise harder for longer

A new study published in this month's International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism has reported that athletes, who drank chocolate milk after an intense bout of exercise, were able to workout longer and with more power during a second workout, compared to athletes who drank commercial sports beverages.

The study suggests that the balance of carbohydrates to protein in chocolate milk makes it an optimal drink after exercise for refuelling tired muscles. In addition to this it also contains another vital body resource, calcium, essential for building and maintaining strong bones.

One of the authors of the report, Joel M. Stager Ph.D, professor of kinesiology at Indiana University said, "Our study indicates that chocolate milk is a strong alternative to other commercial sports drinks in helping athletes recover from strenuous, energy-depleting exercise".

Stager and his colleagues tested nine cyclists, getting them to cycle until their muscles were depleted of energy, then rest four hours, then cycle again until exhaustion, three times. During the rest period the cyclists either drank low fat chocolate milk, a traditional fluid replacement sports drink or a carbohydrate replacement sports drink.

During the second round of exercise it was found that cyclists who drank chocolate milk during the rest period were then able to cycle nearly twice as long before reaching exhaustion as those that consumed the carbohydrate replacement sports drink, and for as long as those that drank the fluid replacement sports drink.

The researchers also noted that chocolate milk is a great-tasting and cost-effective alternative to many of the costly sports drinks currently on the market.