Nutrition News
Research Shows Young, Active Men Can Recharge With Fat-Free Milk
Drinking Milk After Exercise as Effective as a Commercially Available Sports Drink
Research from Loughborough University in the United Kingdom suggests that drinking milk after exercise may be an effective method of replenishing fluids for young, active, healthy men when exercising in a hot, humid environment. Seven healthy males between the ages of 20 and 26 participated in two randomized, crossover experimental trials in which they completed a series of cycling exercises followed by drinking either fat-free milk or a commercially available carbohydrate-electrolyte drink.
The researchers found that the group who consumed fat-free milk 30 minutes after exercise experienced the same level of fluid replacement as those who drank the commercially available carbohydrate drink. Their data suggest that fat-free milk can serve as an effective post-exercise rehydration drink to replace exercise-induced fluid losses.
Watson P, et al. A comparison of the effects of milk and carbohydrate-electrolyte drink on the restoration of fluid balance and exercise capacity in a hot, humid environment. European Journal of Applied Physiology 2008; published online July 10.