Chocolate Milk Post Exercise?

I have heard a few times now that chocolate milk works great as a post exercise supplement, but is this really true? I know that it tastes great as a snack, but can it really be good for you? Okay, so I have just done my research on this and it seems to be true...chocolate milk can be an effective recovery drink for exercise (Karp et al. 2006; Pritchett et al. 2013).

So now for the science...Chocolate milk is made up of a 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio as well as containing fluids and electrolytes. This composition is very similar to that of your typical sports drink. The idea, is therefore, very similar to that of any fluid based recovery drink - the liquids replace the fluids lost by sweat, the electrolytes help with efficient re-hydration, the carbohydrates replace glycogen that has bee used to aid energy replacement and reproduction and the protein aids muscle growth and repair. Simple!

In research, chocolate milk has been found to increase time to exhaustion and lower ratings of perceived exertion, meaning you can exercise for longer and feel less tired whilst doing it! (Karp et al. 2006)

Whilst the science of chocolate milk sounds very impressive, I don't think that it would be suitable for drinking after all exercise types. As mentioned earlier, it does contain a fair amount of carbohydrates and so can only really be suited to carbohydrate burning (endurance) exercises, such as running, swimming or cycling. If drank regularly after short exercise sessions weight gain could occur, but again, this is the case for other post exercise supplements, such as protein powders.

So next time you go to grab a bottle of pre-made sports drink after your workout, maybe think again and consider drinking some chocolate milk!