Chug chocolate milk within two hours of an intense workout for maximum recovery benefits.

After an intense workout, we know it’s important to refuel our muscles. And since exercise uses stored carbohydrates, we’ve been replenishing with high-carbohydrate sports drinks. But recent research indicates we could probably replace our specially engineered beverages with one from childhood: chocolate milk.

The study, conducted at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, suggests that lowfat chocolate milk is more effective in repairing muscles after training than the average carbohydrate beverage. Using 13 soccer players as subjects, scientists discovered those who drank chocolate milk after training had much less creatine kinase (an enzyme that indicates muscle damage) in their bodies than those who drank high-carb sports beverages. The high level of protein in milk helps to build lean muscle and may reduce muscle damage, while the sugar in the chocolate raises the level of carbohydrates to refuel muscles with glyogen.

But how does chocolate milk stack up against the increasing number of recovery-specific protein drinks on the market? This study backs previous research that suggests chocolate milk’s protein-to-carb content makes for an equally effective recovery drink. More good news: Chocolate milk can be less than one-third the price of a recovery beverage. However, sports drinks tend to have a longer shelf life than milk and often don’t require refrigeration.

Of course, if you’re going for a brief, leisurely jog, plain old water will do. ”After only 20 minutes of exercise, a recovery drink is not generally necessary,” says American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Jeannie Gazzaniga-Moloo, Ph.D., R.D. Otherwise, Gazzaniga-Moloo suggests quaffing a recovery beverage within two hours of moderate exercise lasting at least 90 minutes (for example, walking four to six miles in this time) or following 45 minutes to an hour of high-intensity exercise (running, cycling and other activities conducted over 60 percent of maximum heart rate), or any time you exercise in the heat.

To read more about drinks that promise energy, recovery, hydration and more, check out the “Beverage Leverage” story in our July/August issue. After your next workout, do you think you’ll reach for a sports drink or chocolate milk?

Photo credit: Ina Peters

Tags: American Dietetic Association, average carbohydrate beverage, Chocolate, Dairy farming, Dietary supplements, energy, Food and drink, Harrisonburg, health, Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals, high-carb sports beverages, Ina Peters, James Madison University, Jeannie Gazzaniga-Moloo, Milk, Physical exercise, recovery beverage, spokeswoman, Sports nutrition, Vegan cuisine, Virginia