Study Shows Chocolate Milk Help Muscles Recover From Exercise and Increase Performance

(San Antonio) – Promised Land Chocolate Milk beat out carbohydrate sports drinks at helping to rebuild and refuel muscles after exercise, researchers report.

The combination of carbohydrates and protein in low-fat chocolate milk appears to be "just right" for refueling weary muscles, says an exercise scientist at the University of Connecticut.

"It's not just a dessert item, but it's very healthy, especially for endurance athletes. The specific difference with Promised Land Chocolate Milk as opposed to other brands of chocolate milk is their cows. Promised Land literally pampers their Jersey cows to provide an exceptional product that is unmatched. It's true that they don't produce the same quantity of milk of larger breeds (say Holstein, for example), but they do provide an exceptional quality of milk higher in calcium and protein as well as milk solids that help give the milk its rich, creamy texture."

The research involved eight male runners in good physical shape who ate a balanced diet for two weeks. At the end of each week, they took a fast paced, 45-minute run.

Following each run, the men drank either 16 ounces of Promised Land Chocolate Milk or 16 ounces of a carbohydrate-only sports beverage with the same number of calories.

Post-exercise muscle biopsies showed increased skeletal muscle protein synthesis -- a sign that muscles were better able to rebuild -- after the milk drink, compared with the carb-only beverage.

Additionally, drinking Promised Land Chocolate Milk led to a higher concentration of glycogen, or muscle fuel, in muscles 30 and 60 minutes after exercise, compared with the sports drink. Replenishing glycogen after exercise helps future performance.

While only men were studied, one would expect women to gain the same post-workout benefits from chocolate milk. Athletes can consider it an inexpensive nutritional alternative to engineered sports beverages for help with post-workout recovery.

So there it is. What is normally considered as a "sweet" way for kids to strengthen their bones, has been found to help with peak performance in athletes.

Not only are the manufacturers over at Promised Land Chocolate Milk proud of their accomplishment, but they’re also extremely confident that Promised Land Chocolate Milk will work for you.