Chocolate Milk for Optimal Recovery

Much of the scientific work in optimizing recovery post workout has focused on the use of “experimental solutions” prepared in a laboratory designed to optimize specific components of foods (e.g. carbohydrate and protein) that may be useful in isolation to enhance sport performance. Unfortunately these solutions miss out on the “package” of nutrients found in foods, which work in concert to improve the health as well as the performance of a body undergoing the rigours of athletic training for sport performance.

However, in the last few years clinical research in sport nutrition has focused on a food that contains the potential to aid physically active men and women in their quest for losing excess body fat and gaining muscle mass, and to improve athletes’ refueling, re hydration and subsequent sport performance(1).That food is chocolate milk. It supplies a carbohydrate-protein combination that maximizes post workout recovery, it contains calcium and vitamin D which promote overall muscle, bone, and cardiovascular health; and it is a source of fluids for post-exercise replacement of sweat losses.

Chocolate milk has proven to be an effective food and fluid for optimal recovery from the stress of training for sport performance.Wilkinson et al, 2006 found that young men doing resistance training could get greater gains in muscle protein by drinking chocolate milk versus the equivalent amounts of a soy beverage. Karp et al. 2006 highlighted chocolate milk’s ergolytic potential for maintaining exercise performance in subsequent bouts of exhaustive endurance exercise when used as a post workout recovery drink. Shirrafs et al., 2007 recently pointed out that milk has potential to be more effective for post-exercise replacement of sweat losses and maintenance of euaydration when compared to water and commercially available sports drinks of similar concentration of carbohydrate.

Chocolate Milk’s Nutrient Power Punch Profile
Milk is 87 per cent water and the perfect beverage to hydrate our bodies before, during and after exercise. Milk also contains protein, minerals and vitamins essential for your body to recover.

Drinking milk after a resistance training workout promotes greater gains in muscle protein, which is important in repairing skeletal muscle damage caused by exercise

Drinking milk post workout contributes to greater gains in muscle mass and body fat loss than soy beverages or sport drinks.

Milk is effective as a post workout re hydrater.

For optimal recovery, encourage your athletes to include chocolate milk and to follow the R5 approach:
1. Re-energize muscles with carbohydrate rich foods such as breads and cereals, fruits, low fat chocolate milk and fruit yogurts for maximum energy;
2. Re-vitalize muscles with anti-oxidant vitamins and minerals found in brightly colored vegetables and fruits;
3. Re-build bones and muscles with protein and other essential nutrients found in low fat milk products, meats and alternatives
4. Re-oxygenate muscles with iron and protein found in meats, leafy green vegies, fortified grains and cereals;
5. Re-hydrate with water and other fluids, before, during, and after physical activity sessions.

(1) (Wilkinson et al., 2006. AJCN 85:1031-1040; Hartman et al., 2007, AJCN 86:373-381; Shirrafs et al., 2007 Br J Nutr; 98:173-180; Karp et al., 2006; IJSNEM, 16:78-91).

Hydration, dehydration and Hyponatremia

Proper hydration before you exercise, monitoring your hydration status during exercise, and replacing fluid losses post-exercise are vital to ensuring your body has the fluids it needs to perform. Knowing how to approximate your fluid needs during workout, and recognizing the signs and symptoms of dehydration are vital to your athletic performance.

Just a decade ago, recommendations emphasized drinking as much as one could handle during exercise, however it is now recommended to replace at least 75% but not more than 100% of sweat losses. But don’t depend on your thirst mechanism to tell you when and how much to drink. Thirst is a poor indicator of hydration status, as an athlete can lose over 1.5 L of body water before becoming thirsty.

Sweat rates vary amongst individuals, and sweat losses of 1 – 2% of body weight compromises physiologic function, and harms exercise performance. A loss of 3% of one’s body weight increases the risk of heat cramps and heat exhaustion, where losses of 5% or more of body weight can cause heat stroke and a trip to the medical tent or closest hospital.

Weigh yourself before and after exercise to monitor your fluid losses. As a guideline, the American Dietetic Association suggests 1 Litre/kg of body weight lost during exercise.

Hyponatremia
Hyponatremia is a potentially fatal condition of low blood sodium levels. This can happen during prolonged exercise if sodium levels are not properly replenished, with salty snacks or electrolyte sport drinks. It can also happen from drinking too much water, which effectively dilutes the sodium content of the blood. Sodium losses range from 2.25 – 3.4 g/L of sweat (which is equivalent to about ½ tsp of salt). Conditioned athletes may be more efficient with their sodium losses, however this varies from person to person.

• Research indicates that ingesting 20 – 50 mEq (0.5 – 1.2 g) of sodium/L is effective in preventing hyponatremia. This is equivalent to less than ¼ tsp of salt per liter of water.

Some drugs such as NSAIDS (aspirin, ibuprofen) or diuretics have been shown to alter kidney function, which may exacerbate the risk of hyponatremia during long duration events. Athletes should be aware of this increased risk, know the signs and symptoms, ensure that they are not limiting dietary salt intake when in training, and ensure proper rehydration strategies are in place.

Signs and Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of dehydration and hyponatremia are very similar, and if incorrectly diagnosed can be detrimental, possibly even causing death. For example, an athlete suffering from hyponatremia can easily be mistaken as dehydrated, and drinking water, as one would do to treat dehydration, will only exacerbate the problem. Water will dilute the blood, thereby further decreasing its concentration of sodium, and worsening the symptoms of hyponatremia.

Dehydration:
Nausea/Vomiting
Cramping
Confusion
Headache
Weakness
Dizziness
Fatigue
Thirst

Hyponatremia:
Nausea
Cramping
Confusion
Headache
Loss of consciousness
Coma
Death