Isotonic Sports Drinks Or Milk: Which Is Better For Athletes?

Today?s guest post is by Elspeth Raisbeck, writer and editor of Modern Health and Fitness. Elspeth has been a practicing nurse and health writer for 20 years. She uses her degrees in Nursing and Health Education & Health Promotion to share quality health news with fitness enthusiasts. Today, Elspeth writes about athletes can evaluate the benefits of sports drinks versus milk.

There has been a debate for some time over whether plain water or sports drinks are better at keeping you hydrated during, and rehydrating after a workout. Now there?s a new(ish) kid wading into the argument. Good old fashioned milk.

How can milk be better than an isotonic drink as a post workout refuel?

Scientists in the US and UK have reached similar conclusions in separate studies working with professional and amateur athletes. Here are three experiments that tested the effectiveness of milk as a nutritional drink for athletes:

Experiment 1

At the University of Austin, cyclists drinking low fat chocolate milk after exercise were found to have more power and rode faster during tests than those who had a carbohydrate sports drink or a calorie free drink such as water or diet soda. Not only that, they had better recovery times and better body composition (less fat and more muscle mass) than their isotonic-drinking peers.

Experiment 2

In a second experiment with another, larger group of cyclists, the research team found that the VO2max, or maximal oxygen uptake (see below) improved twice as much compared to those not drinking milk. This group were asked to do 5 intense spinning sessions each week for 4 and a half weeks, and were given either an isotonic drink, a calorie free drink or low fat chocolate milk after working out.

The VO2max is the maximum capacity of a person?s body to take up, transport and use oxygen during exercise. It?s an indicator of that person?s physical fitness.

Dr John Ivy, one of the researchers, says ?We don?t yet understand exactly what mechanism is causing low-fat chocolate milk to give athletes these advantages ? that will take more research. But there?s something in the naturally-occurring protein and carbohydrate mix that offers significant benefits.?

Experiment 3

In the UK, Loughborough University?s School of Sports and Exercise Sciences? experiments with 11 subjects found that skimmed milk gave better re-hydration than water or an isotonic sports drink after working out.

What about sports drinks?

With the weight of a multimillion dollar industry behind them, sports drinks are big business. Dieticians and sports nutritionalists usually recommend that if you?ve done a light to moderate workout for less than 1 hour then water is sufficient to re-hydrate. If you?ve worked hard for an hour or more, then a sports drink ? or maybe now you?re thinking milk ? will be more effective.

In 2007 the American College of Sports Medicine stopped recommending specific volumes of fluid intake after certain durations of exercise. Instead you can make a long calculation on your personal ?sweat rate? but it might be easier to drink enough that your urine is light in color and clear when you pee.

All ?sports drinks? are not created equal.

Staying well hydrated is vital for effective, efficient and enjoyable sports performance so drink during and after exercise. Just be aware of what you?re drinking.

Isotonic drinks are made up of carbohydrate in a 6-8% solution, and the salts and electrolytes we lose as we sweat. The salts are about 50mg sodium per 100mls of fluid. All this information should be on the bottle but examples of isotonic drinks are Lucozade Sport, Gatorade and Isostar.
It may seem an obvious thing to say, but choose one that you like the taste of otherwise you won?t drink enough of it to rehydrate properly.

Hypotonic drinks contain a lower carb solution ? 1-3% rather than the 6-8% in isotonic drinks. They provide less in the way of energy but will promote water absorption in the body so you?re on your way to rehydration.

Hypertonic drinks are carbohydrate solutions in a greater than 10% solution. This group includes juices and sodas as well as energy drinks like Red Bull and Cloud 9. These are said to empty slowly from the gut and decrease the absorption of fluid. The net result is that they leave you less well hydrated for longer. Read the labels and look beyond the marketing hype with these drinks.

So, which is better ? a sports drink or milk?

If you?re trying to evaluate this question for yourself then remember several points:
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? The milk/sports studies were small but conclusive. However more research is needed as no one understands the mechanism for the improvements seen in the study subjects.
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? Too much sports drink or milk when you haven?t burned the calories will contribute to weight gain.
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? The sports drink industry has large marketing and research budgets. The milk marketing boards have a lot less.
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? Staying well hydrated while working out is important but hyponatraemia can result from drinking too much water and GI problems can arise from lactose (in milk) intolerance.
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? Try your own one-person experiment with a few weeks of either low fat milk or a sports drink for heavy workouts and then swap. Record your findings in a journal as you go along and stick with whichever you find suits you best.

Find out more about isotonic sports drinks at www.modernhealthandfitness.com.

What do you drink to rehydrate during and after exercise?

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