In Wisconsin, Athletes Win With
Low Fat Chocolate Milk.

 

And you can, too.


When you wrap up your tough workout with low fat chocolate milk, you win. That's because it has the right combination of protein and carbs to help you refuel, and fluid and electrolytes to help you rehydrate and replenish what's lost in sweat. Plus milk's high-quality protein helps repair and rebuild muscle. Low fat chocolate milk is growing in popularity as a sports recovery beverage for one reason—it works.

John Dettmann, Director of Strength and Conditioning at the University of Wisconsin, is just one of many athletic professionals who have seen the direct impact that chocolate milk can have on a training regimen. Take a moment to learn from his experience by watching the video below.


John Dettmann, Director of Strength and Conditioning at the University of Wisconsin,
recommends low fat chocolate milk as a sports recovery beverage for his athletes.

Low fat chocolate milk has what athletes need to recover after a hard workout. It's simple, effective and scientifically shown to help refuel your body so you can perform at your best.

Low fat chocolate milk has 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. Here's how:
  • 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 (necessary for refueling muscles) in muscles at 30 and 60 minutes post exercise.1
  • An Indiana University study found endurance-trained cyclists who drank low fat chocolate milk after an intense period of cycling were able to work out longer and with more power during a second exercise period later that same day 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 a study of 13 male college soccer players, post-exercise consumption of low fat 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.3

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. 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.

Low fat chocolate milk is also an effective way to rehydrate and research suggests help you stay hydrated after exercise, more than some commercial sports drinks and water.
  • One study compared the rehydration effectiveness of four beverages: low fat milk, low fat 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.4
  • 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.5

4. Shirreffs SM. Watson P. Maughan RJ. Milk as an effective post-exercise rehydration drink. British Journal of Nutrition. 2007;98:173-180.
5. 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.

Lastly, evidence suggests that chocolate milk also contains high-quality protein to help repair and rebuild muscles after strenuous exercise. It's also been shown to help athletes gain more lean muscle and lose fat, when compared to a carb-only beverage.

  • 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.6
  • 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.7,8
  • In another University of Texas at Austin study, 32 healthy but untrained cyclists who recovered with low fat chocolate milk gained more muscle and lost more fat during training, with a 3 pound lean muscle advantage, compared to athletes who recovered with a carbohydrate drink.9

6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2011; 23:442.

To learn more about how you can win with low fat chocolate milk, visit: gotchocolatemilk.com/science