The next time you finish a rigorous workout, you may want to consider a surprising new sports drink to help refuel tired muscles: chocolate milk. A recent study, published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (1), reports that athletes who drank chocolate milk after an intense bout of exercise were able to workout longer and with more power during a second workout compared to athletes who drank commercial sports beverages.
The researchers of the study indicate that chocolate milk is a strong alternative to other commercial sports drinks in helping athletes recover from strenuous, energy-depleting exercise. Researcher Joel M. Stager, PhD, professor of kinesiology at Indiana University states that “Chocolate milk contains an optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio, which is critical for helping refuel tired muscles after strenuous exercise and can enable athletes to exercise at a high intensity during subsequent workouts.”
Stager and colleagues had nine cyclists bike until their muscles were depleted of energy, rest four hours, then bike again until exhaustion, three separate times. During the rest period, the cyclists drank...