Positive Effects of Chocolate Milk

Guest: John Ivy, an emeritus professor in kinesiology and health education at the University of Texas, whose research specializes in exercise and human performance That iconic image of a winning football coach getting a bucket of Gatorade dumped on his head after the game could get a lot messier as new research about the benefits of chocolate milk catches on. Yes, chocolate milk. It is no longer just a childhood favorite or special indulgence. Researchers have found it also just might be the perfect beverage for athletes. “We put the cyclists through two experiments. In the first, they did 1½ hours of intense exercise and at the end did sprints to simulate a road race and to fatigue them. They did this on two occasions. The first occasion, they received chocolate milk as post exercise supplement. Then, 2 hours later, they received the chocolate milk again. In the second treatment, they received the same amount of calories but in carbohydrate form. Then, after 4 hours of recovery, we then had them complete a simulated cycling time trial, about 40 kilometers. What we found was, when the individuals received the chocolate milk for the recovery supplement, they were able to do time trial somewhere around 10% faster than when they received the carbohydrates," explains Ivy.