The Science

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Research

Over the past few years, there has been extensive research done to show the effectiveness of low-fat chocolate milk in exercise recovery.  Because 5th Quarter Fresh is fat-free chocolate milk with 40% more nutrients than traditional low-fat chocolate milk, the following summary of the research also supports the effectiveness of 5th Quarter Fresh.

 

Refuel & Recover

Lowfat chocolate milk contains the right mix of carbs and protein to refuel muscles after a tough workout. It helps restore muscles quickly and to their peak potential to help you perform your best during your next bout of exercise.

  • Replacing muscle fuel (glycogen) after exercise is essential to an athlete’s recovery. A recent study found that drinking 16 ounces of fat-free chocolate milk with its mix of carbohydrates and protein (compared to a carbohydrate-only sports drink with the same amount of calories) led to greater concentration of glycogen in muscles at 30 and 60 minutes post exercise.1
  • An Indiana University study found endurance-trained cyclists who drank lowfat chocolate milk after an intense period of cycling were able to work out longer and with more power during a second exercise period compared to when the same athletes drank a commercially available carbohydrate replacement drink, and just as long as when they consumed a traditional fluid replacement drink.2
  • In another study, after an initial exercise and recovery, cyclists were able to cycle 51% longer during a second bout of exercise after drinking chocolate milk than after drinking a carbohydrate replacement drink with the same number of calories.3
  • In a study of 13 male college soccer players, post-exercise consumption of lowfat chocolate milk was found to provide equal or possibly superior muscle recovery compared to a high-carbohydrate recovery beverage with the same amount of calories following a four-day period of intensified soccer training.4
  • Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found that following an exhausting ride, trained cyclists had significantly more power and rode faster, shaving about six minutes,on average, from their ride time when they recovered with lowfat chocolate milk compared to a carbohydrate sports drink and calorie-free beverage.5
  • In a recent study, 32 healthy but untrained cyclists who recovered with lowfat chocolate milk had twice the improvement in V02max – a measure of aerobic fitness and adaptation – after a 4.5 week cycling regimen – compared to athletes who grabbed a carbohydrate drink.6

 

 

1. Karfonta KE, Lunn WR, Colletto MR, Anderson JM, Rodriguez NR. Chocolate milk enhances glycogen replenishment after endurance exercise in moderately trained males. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2010;42:S64.

2. Karp JR, Johnston JD, Tecklenburg S, Mickleborough TD, Fly AD, Stager JM. Chocolate milk as a post-exercise recovery aid. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2006;16:78-91.

3. Thomas K, et al. Improved endurance capacity following chocolate milk consumption compared with 2 commercially available sport drinks. Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism. 2009;34:78-82.

4. Gilson SF, et al. Effects of chocolate milk consumption on markers of muscle recovery during intensified soccer training. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2009; 41:S577.

5. Ferguson-Stegall L, McCleave EL, Ding Z, Doerner PG, Wang B, Liao YH, Kammer L, Liu Y, Hwang J, Dessard BM, Ivy JL. Postexercise carbohydrate-protein supplementation improves subsequent exercise performance and intracellular signaling for protein synthesis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2011;25:1210-1224.

6. Ferguson-Stegall L, McCleave EL, Ding Z, Doerner PG, Liu Y, Wang B, Dessard B, Kleinart M, Healy M, Lassiter G, Ivy JL. Aerobic exercise training adaptations are increased by post-exercise carbohydrate-protein supplementation [Abstract]. In: American College of Sports Medicine 58th Annual Meeting; 2011 May 31-Jun 4; Denver, CO. Poster nr D-29.

 

Repair & Rebuild Muscles

Lowfat chocolate milk contains high-quality protein to help repair and rebuild muscles after strenuous exercise. It’s also been shown to help athletes tone up – gain more lean muscle and lose fat – compared to drinking a carb-only drink.

  • Recent studies have found that subjects who drank regular or flavored milk after a strenuous muscle workout experienced less exercise-induced muscle damage than those who drank water or typical sports drinks.7, 8
  • In a recent study, post-exercise muscle biopsies in eight moderately trained male runners showed that after drinking 16 ounces of fat free chocolate milk, the runners had enhanced skeletal muscle protein synthesis – a sign that muscles were better able to repair and rebuild – compared to when they drank a carbohydrate-only sports beverage with the same amount of calories. The researchers suggest that “athletes can consider fat free chocolate milk as an economic nutritional alternative to other sports nutrition beverages to support post-endurance exercise skeletal muscle repair.” 9
  • In a study of healthy, untrained men, those who consumed fat-free milk after exercise gained more muscle and lost more body fat at the end of a 12-week training program than those who drank a soy protein beverage or a beverage containing only carbohydrates. All three beverages had the same amount of calories. A second study found similar results for women.10, 11
  • In a recent study, 32 healthy but untrained cyclists who recovered with lowfat chocolate milk gained more muscle and lost more fat during training, with a 3 pound lean muscle advantage, compared to athletes who grabbed a carbohydrate drink.12

 

7. Cockburn E, Hayes PR, French DN, Stevenson E, St Clair Gibson A. Acute milk-based protein-CHO supplementation attenuates exercise-induced muscle damage. Applied Physiology, Nutrition & Metabolism. 2008;33:775-783.

8. Cockburn E, Stevenson E, Hayes PR, Robson-Ansley P, Howatson G, Effect of milk-based carbohydrate-protein supplement timing on the attenuation of exercise-induced muscular damage. Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism. 2010;35:270-277.

9. Lunn WR, Colletto MR, Karfonta KE, Anderson JM, Pasiakos SM, Ferrando AA, Wolfe RR, Rodriguez NR. Chocolate milk consumption following endurance exercise affects skeletal muscle protein fractional synthetic rate and intracellular signaling. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2010;42:S48.

10. Hartman JW, et al. Consumption of fat-free fluid milk following resistance exercise promotes greater lean mass accretion than soy or carbohydrate consumption in young novice male weightlifters. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007;86:373-381.

11. Josse AR, Tang JE, Tarnopolsky MA, Phillips SM. Body composition and strength changes in women with milk and resistance exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2010;42:1122-1130.

12. McCleave EL, Ferguson-Stegall L, Ding Z, Doerner PG, Liu Y, Kammer L, Wang B, Wang W, Hwang J, Ivy JL. Effects of aerobic training and nutritional supplementation on body composition, immune cells and inflammatory markers [Abstract]. IN: American College of Sports Medicine 58th Annual Meeting; 2011 May 31-Jun 4; Denver, CO. Poster nr C-24.


Rehydration

It’s vital to replace lost fluids after exercise, and lowfat chocolate milk is a nutrient-laden liquid that helps you rehydrate. In fact, researchers have found that milk may even be a better choice to help you hydrated than some commercial sports drinks.

  • Research has shown that drinking lowfat or fat-free milk after exercise could restore hydration better than other popular post-exercise beverages. The study compared the rehydration effectiveness of four beverages: lowfat milk, lowfat milk with added sodium, water, and a sports drink. After an exercise session in a warm climate, participants were given one of the four test beverages, and researchers measured hydration status. They found that milk may be more effective than water or sports drinks at restoring and maintaining normal hydration status after exercise, likely due to milk’s electrolyte content and energy density.12
  • In a second study, the same researchers found that drinking fat-free milk after a period of exercise-induced dehydration restored fluid balance better than a commercial sports drink.13

 

12. Shirreffs SM. Watson P. Maughan RJ. Milk as an effective post-exercise rehydration drink. British Journal of Nutrition. 2007;98:173-180.

13. Watson P, et al. A comparison of the effects of milk and a carbohydrate electrolyte drink on the restoration of fluid balance and exercise capacity in a hot, humid environment. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2008;104:633-642.

 

Electrolyte Replacement

Chocolate milk is a “natural” when it comes to electrolytes. In fact, chocolate milk naturally provides some of the same electrolytes that are added to commercial recovery drinks – including calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium.

Drinking milk after exercise can help replace essential electrolytes—including potassium, sodium, magnesium, and calcium—that are lost in sweat. Research suggests rigorous exercise could cause substantial losses of calcium, which may increase the risk of stress fractures.14, 15, 16  And calcium and vitamin D are not typically found in other commercial recovery drinks.

 

14. Martin BR, et al. Exercise and calcium supplementation: effects on calcium homeostasis in sports women. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2007; 39:1481-1486.

15. Sawka MN, Montain SJ. Fluid and electrolyte supplementation for exercise heat stress. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2000;72:564S-572S.

16. Klesges RC, et al. Changes in bone mineral content in male athletes. Mechanisms of action and intervention effects. Journal of the American Medical Association. 1996; 276:226-230.