Got Milk?! Recovery Benefits of Milk

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MoreBean13
MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Excerpt copied from:Exercise Physiology FOR HEALTH, FITNESS, AND PERFORMANCE, Third Edition, Plowman & Smith

Got Milk? Protein Ingestion Enhances Protein Synthesis Following Resistance Exercise
Elliot, T. A., M. G. Cree, A. P. Sanford, R. R. Wolfe, & K. D. Tipton: Milk ingestion stimulates muscle protein synthesis following resistance exercise. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise38(4):667–674 (2005).

A primary goal of many resistance training programs is to build muscle mass. As discussed in this chapter, manipulating program variables, particularly the load and volume, is an important factor infl uencing the extent of muscle hypertrophy. However, nutrients are also essential for the building of muscle mass, which is composed primarily of protein. For this reason, the scientific community and practitioners have long been interested in the role of various nutrients in increasing muscle mass. Much attention has recently focused on determining the ideal mix of nutrients to stimulate protein synthesis during recovery from resistance training.

In this study, the authors sought to determine the effect of drinking milk on net protein synthesis after a resistance exercise. Furthermore, the researchers investigated different types and quantities of milk (fat free versus whole milk) to determine if these factors affected protein synthesis. Participants were young, healthy men and women who were not resistance trained in the past 5 years. Participants were placed into one of three groups: a group that ingested 237 g (8 oz) of fat-free milk (FFM), a group that ingested 237 g of whole milk (WM), and a group that ingested 393 g (13 oz) of FFM with the same number of kcals as the whole milk (ISO-FFM). The two quantities of FFM allowed investigators to compare FFM and WM when the total calories consumed were the same (since 237 g of WM and 393 g of FFM provide the same number of kcals). Participants completed 10 sets of 8repetitions of leg extensions at 80%of 1-RM. Each set was completed in approximately 30 seconds, with a 2-minute rest period between sets. Blood samples and blood fl ow were measured for 5 hours after exercise (muscle biopsies were also obtained but are not discussed here).

The study revealed that the up take of the amino acids threonine and phenylalanine was significantly greater than 0 following the ingestion of WM and ISO-FFM. Furthermore, threonine uptake was significantly greater (2.8 fold higher) following WM ingestion versus FFM.

The primary finding of the study was that milk ingestion stimulated net uptake of the amino acids threonine and phenylalanine. Since threonine and phenylalanine are not oxidized in muscle, the uptake of these amino acids represented net protein synthesis following resistance exercise. This clearly suggests that milk is an appropriate recovery drink to stimulate protein synthesis following resistance training.
milk-uptake.jpg

Next time you are looking to replace fluids after a workout, grab a container (8 oz) of cold milk!
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Replies

  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Thanks for posting. Its good to know, considering I drink about 40oz of milk a day :drinker:
  • KayceRN
    KayceRN Posts: 40
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    Awesome because I absolutely love milk!
  • marikevr
    marikevr Posts: 389 Member
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    It works for cardio workouts as well. I drink chocolate milk after long runs. The carb:protein ratio is a perfect recovery fuel. I freeze a bottle the night before and then I have a cold, slushy drink afterwards.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Excellent info. I use 16oz of the chocolate milk as my pre workout drink and sometimes as my late night kick me up. Back when I was a small, weak guy, I used to drink a quart of chocolate milk a couple times a day. I only stopped because my stomach wouldn't take it anymore.

    Sara, 40oz? I would have to work alone all day. And outdoors. And I'd hope it was breezy day!
  • Meg_78
    Meg_78 Posts: 998 Member
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    Mmmmm I do love my milk too!! Nice post!
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    This is very helpful, thank you. I can't stand the taste or texture of protein shakes, so tend to eat yoghurt or cottage cheese after a hefty workout. I may put some chocolate milk in the fridge too, now.
  • wgn4166
    wgn4166 Posts: 771 Member
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    This is good to know. Thank you for posting. I am not a big milk drinker but will try to drink more.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Rippletoe reference drinking lots of milk with strength training. He says he didn't really know exactly why it was so effective. He thought it was because of growth hormone. It's interesting in this study that WM was more effective that FFM.

    Great stuff MoreBean!!
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Whole milk being more effective makes sense. You really need fat, and I mean saturated fat, to recover from heavy lifting. I noticed way back when that I got stronger much faster while eating red meat than eating chicken, even if calories were kept about the same. Nutritionists really got us mixed up 50 years ago when they started saying fat made us fat and we started replacing yummy dietary fat with corn syrup products.

    Here in West LA, I look like a caveman at the grocery store. I'm the only person left still buying whole milk and the 30-35% fat hamburger meat.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    Nothing like a good ol'' hunk of macdonalds, washed down with a pizza, eh? :-D
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Whole milk being more effective makes sense. You really need fat, and I mean saturated fat, to recover from heavy lifting. I noticed way back when that I got stronger much faster while eating red meat than eating chicken, even if calories were kept about the same. Nutritionists really got us mixed up 50 years ago when they started saying fat made us fat and we started replacing yummy dietary fat with corn syrup products.

    Here in West LA, I look like a caveman at the grocery store. I'm the only person left still buying whole milk and the 30-35% fat hamburger meat.

    Totally agree Bro! I'm the same way. Crazy thing is sometime you really have to look for whole milk products like yogurt. You can find all the fat free yogurt you want but you have to search for the whole milk yogurt. A certain amount of saturated fat obviously makes the difference in this study.
  • jillystjohn
    jillystjohn Posts: 29
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    I'm curious where the funding for this study came from. Knowing the inflammatory effects, I remain skeptical about the value of milk although I do agree that whole, non-pasturized from grass fed cows is the way to go if you're gonna imbibe.
  • skonly
    skonly Posts: 371
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    I'm curious where the funding for this study came from. Knowing the inflammatory effects, I remain skeptical about the value of milk although I do agree that whole, non-pasturized from grass fed cows is the way to go if you're gonna imbibe.

    Funding probably came from dairy farmers. lol. Organic would be a better choice if a person has to drink cow milk. Although most doctors now recommend staying away from it completely.

    Go ahead and slam me people, I won't even see it.
  • skonly
    skonly Posts: 371
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    I should mention I am in my home office looking out the window and the calf in the pasture seems to be enjoying the milk straight from the source. But then again, it is designed for her nourishment. lol.
  • Melanie_RS
    Melanie_RS Posts: 417 Member
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    could I drink diet soda (warning contains phenylalanine) AND milk after a workout?! ;)

    great info, I love milk and will be drinking a glass extra today!



    Not to mention the myth has been debunked that pasturization decreases nutritional value. And on the contrary, the unpasturized milk carries extreme risk of harmful bacteria. that has been proven.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    I hate milk, but I'm bumping this to remind me that I should drink more :P
  • kyle4jem
    kyle4jem Posts: 1,400 Member
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    Vanilla Frijj is my post-workout drink of choice - I just have to limit myself to one a day as it's sooo delicious. :drinker: :tongue:

    I'd seen other peer-reviewed studies into the benefits of milk as a post-exercise recovery drink and so much better and cheaper than expensive exercise drinks.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    If you buy pasteurized, you miss out on all that vitamin E-coli.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Excellent info. I use 16oz of the chocolate milk as my pre workout drink and sometimes as my late night kick me up. Back when I was a small, weak guy, I used to drink a quart of chocolate milk a couple times a day. I only stopped because my stomach wouldn't take it anymore.

    Sara, 40oz? I would have to work alone all day. And outdoors. And I'd hope it was breezy day!

    LOL: luckily I have absolutely no intolerance or sensitive to milk.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Excellent info. I use 16oz of the chocolate milk as my pre workout drink and sometimes as my late night kick me up. Back when I was a small, weak guy, I used to drink a quart of chocolate milk a couple times a day. I only stopped because my stomach wouldn't take it anymore.

    Sara, 40oz? I would have to work alone all day. And outdoors. And I'd hope it was breezy day!

    LOL: luckily I have absolutely no intolerance or sensitive to milk.

    For anyone that does, you can always do goat milk or sheep milk. The fat globules are smaller and it digest more easily with far less inflammation issues and still great nutrition. In many parts of the world that is their milk source and not cows.

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