Surprising many, chocolate milk is preferred to popular sports drinks for enhancing exercise and a faster recovery, new research in Australia has found. The milk industry wants people to know about it and spread the news.
In a recent move to improve the perception people have about milk, Dairy Australia (DA) asked the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to consider extending the health-claim for milk and milk-based products following a similar action for electrolyte sports drinks.
“There’s lots of evidence that shows milk can replenish fuel stores after a workout, rehydrate, repair muscles and support exercise performance,” DA policy adviser Helen Mair said. “We want to communicate these (on milk packaging).”
Products such as Pauls full cream milk, So Good soy milk and Sustagen Sport liquid meal replacement were found to restore lost fluids better than Powerade sports drink, Griffith University research revealed.
The findings were published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism.
In the study, 15 men were asked to ride on stationary bikes wearing heavy clothing to lose as much sweat as possible. During the exercise, participants lost almost two percent of their starting body weight. After drinking one of the four drinks within the first hour, participants were weighted again three hours later.
The research team led by Associate Professor Ben Desbrow found that milk was as good and even better than sports drinks at replenishing the fluids lost during the intense exercise.
“The results of this investigation demonstrate that consumption of a milk-based liquid meal supplement following exercise results in improved fluid retention when compared with cow’s milk, soy milk, and a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink. Additionally, cow’s milk and soy milk were similarly effective at enhancing fluid restoration in comparison with the carbohydrate-electrolyte drink.”
To further support their claim, Dairy Australia attached five academic papers that previously linked chocolate milk to restored and enhanced exercise performance following intense physical activity. As chief executive of the Australian Beverages Council, Geoff Parker supported the milk industry’s attempt for labeling rights provided there is ample research to prove milk’s effectiveness to athletes. The organization includes among its members Coca-Cola, who makes Powerade, and many producers of flavored milk.
Rosemary Stanton, a famous nutritionist, mentioned that the general population should not be concerned with replacing electrolytes rapidly if they were not involved in demanding physical activity. While she is against FSANZ’s decision to ease restrictions on manufacturers allowing them to add health claims on sports drinks which may have as much sugar as soft drinks, the supports the claim made by milk industry because almost everyone benefits from milk and milk-based products.
Source: helpmeoutDOC