New sports drink is an old favorite

Sports drinks are popping up everywhere - no longer is Gatorade the main sports drink, athletes can choose from Vitamin Water, POWERade, and protein shakes promising to put back what the body looses while exercising.

A drink has surfaced that might be better than all of those sports drinks, but it's nothing new. Chocolate milk has been shown in a recent study to perform at the same level - and sometimes better than the sports drinks and protein shakes.

"[Milk] is a sports drink 'plus,'" Keith Ayoob, a registered dietitian, told WebMd. "It will supply you with things whether or not you're working out."

But not all of those who exercise are excited about the study's results. Tim Sessions, a Weber State University communications student, said he didn't know if he would want to drink milk after exercising because of the coating it leaves in the back of his throat.

"I want something to quench my thirst," he said.

The study was conducted by scientists from Indiana University, and was published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. It was supported in part by the Dairy and Nutrition Council.

Joel M. Stanger, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Indiana University, lead the study. A group of nine athletes were asked to work out on a stationary bicycle, and then drink low-fat chocolate milk, a fluid-replacement drink like Gatorade, and a carbohydrate drink. A few hours later, they were asked to cycle again until they reached exhaustion.

The test was repeated three times - once for each drink. The data showed that the cyclists were able to go between 49 and 54 percent longer on the second bike ride after drinking chocolate milk than when they drank the carbohydrate drink. The difference between the Gatorade-like sports drink and chocolate milk were not significant.

Those in the milk industry are definitely endorsing this study and pushing chocolate milk toward athletes, touting it as a less-costly and healthier, natural alternative to other sports and energy drinks.

Also, they are saying that milk has the much-needed calcium bodies need, and is more easily absorbed into the system than other sports drinks.

At the time of the study, prices were $3.50 for a gallon of chocolate milk, an eight-pack of 20-ounce bottles of Gatorade was $5.50 and a 56-scoop container of the carbohydrate drink was $26.95.

For the test, the milk option cost around 49 cents, which was 95 cents less than the carbohydrate drink and about 19 cents less than a bottle of Gatorade.

The authors of the study note that chocolate milk has a ratio of carbohydrates to protein that might prove ideal for invigorating muscles.