A calf poses at Dairy Maid Dairy in Frederick, Md.
While milk is known to help kids grow big and strong, a new study involving a university professor found there might actually be more to the drink than just strengthening powers.
Jae Kun Shim, a kinesiology professor, conducted a yearlong study with a chocolate milk product company from this state, 5th Quarter Fresh, which revealed this summer that the product helps muscles recover post-workout better than other post-exercise recovery products do.
5th Quarter Fresh creators Kurt Williams and Richard Doak — also fathers of student-athletes — wanted to create a product that people like their children could benefit from. They noticed the number of injuries among young athletes was climbing, Doak said.
“What we realized is that young athletes are training harder, they have better equipment, [there are] a lot of things that are in their favor — but not nutrition,” Doak said. “Most young athletes are not meeting their nutritional needs, and they’re not eating very well.”
Researchers tested the study participants’ ability to exercise and then had them drink different products designed to aid in muscle recovery post-exercise, Shim said. Later, the individuals completed the same exercises, and researchers again tested their ability to do the exercise. This allowed the researchers to compare how well the subjects’ muscles repaired after drinking the products.
“The results showed that there were no significant changes between any of the [tested recovery products] in terms of muscular strength,” Shim said.
However, researchers found a big difference when looking at how much work participants’ muscles could sustain in the second round of exercise when compared to the first.
Those who drank the milk between exercise rounds had a 2 percent decrease in muscle work the second time, Shim said. But participants who drank other recovery drinks between rounds experienced closer to about a 16 percent muscle strength decrease after exercising a second time, he said.
Drinking milk can help improve recovery time for muscles after exercising because of the abundance of proteins and electrolytes, Shim said. The sugars in the drink also benefit muscle-building.
The carbohydrates in milk are also vital for muscle recovery, Doak said. The milk 5th Quarter Fresh uses comes from breeds of cows — Jersey and Guernsey — that naturally produce more nutrients such as proteins, calcium and electrolytes, which can be essential to muscle recovery.
Robert Jackson, the acting chair of the nutrition and food science department at this university, said he wasn’t surprised to learn the study found milk beneficial as a muscle recovery drink. The only issue with using milk as a recovery product, he said, would be with lactose intolerant student-athletes.
“The real test for me is not just from the nutritional point of view in terms of what’s in the product, but also how it’s received by the athletes,” Jackson said.
Doak said one of the goals when creating the product was to keep it pure and free of any added chemicals, but now they also wish to spread awareness to student-athletes and their parents about the importance of eating right.
“One of the things that we’re really passionate about is we want athletes and parents of athletes to understand that the nutrition you provide to yourself and your kids is really important,” Doak said.
