A recent study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism discusses the use of low-fat chocolate milk, Gatorade and Endurox R4 as recovery drinks. In this study, endurance-trained cyclists performed better in a second workout after consuming chocolate milk or Gatorade than Endurox. Does this mean you should switch your recovery drink? Maybe or maybe not. Let’s look at a few of the factors to help you decide.

Size of the Study
The study subjects were nine male, highly-trained endurance cyclists from the Indiana University cycling community with an average age of 22 years. Since the number, age and sex of the participants was small, the ability to apply the results across a large population may be limited.

Type of Carbohydrates
The amounts of carbohydrates were equal in both the chocolate milk and Endurox while the Gatorade contained slightly less. The main difference between the chocolate milk and Endurox is the type of carbohydrate. Milk contains monosaccharides glucose and fructose and the disaccharides sucrose and lactose. A monosaccharide is a “simple sugar” which means that it contains a single sugar molecule and is quickly digested. A disaccharide is two simple sugars put together. For example, sucrose is a disaccharide of glucose and fructose. Disaccharides are also quickly digested. Gatorade contains the same sugars as milk but does not contain lactose.

Endurox, on the other hand, contains the complex carbohydrate maltodextrin along with glucose and fructose. A complex carbohydrate is a long chain of simple sugars. This type of carbohydrate takes the body longer to break down than a mono- or disaccharide which means it takes longer to get into the body’s system.

Type of Exercise
In this study, the subjects completed intervals with the goal of depleting their muscle glycogen stores. They then rested for four hours and drank the drink assigned for that session. The subjects then cycled at 70% of their VO2max until exhaustion. It is this measure – the time to exhaustion – that was used as one of the main measures of this study.

The cyclists and researchers administering the drinks were unaware of the contents of the bottles since the bottles were opaque and unlabeled. The subjects may have had a clue since each drink has a different flavor and consistency. However, the researchers did not believe that the subjects changed their performance based on the drink.

The Results
The results showed that the cyclists cycled 49% longer after drinking low-fat chocolate milk and 54% longer after drinking Gatorade than with Endurox. Additionally, total work performed as 57% higher with chocolate milk and 48% higher with Gatorade than Endurox.

Should I Switch?
Maybe or maybe not. It depends on a couple of things. First, what is your recovery period? If you are not competing or working out again soon, Endurox may still be a great choice. Remember that Endurox contains complex carbohydrates which take longer to enter the system. Therefore, all of the carbohydrates in Endurox may not have gotten into the subject’s system by the time they were in their second round of exercise. The athletes rated that stomach distress was greater with Endurox at the end of the recovery period which may also indicate that the carbohydrates were not completely absorbed. However, if you are looking to go again later in the day, for example a second or third workout, low-fat chocolate milk may help your body be ready for that next workout.

Second, if you are lactose intolerant or have other reasons for not consuming dairy products, milk is not an option for you. For those days when you work out multiple times a day, Gatorade might be a better choice than Endurox.

A Final Thought –
The media loves to report on studies and just give the up or down side without some of the cautions or deeper analysis into the results. Question what you see and hear when it comes to health-related studies.

If you have a nutrition-related question or study you’d like broken down, please leave a note and I’ll see what I can do.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to your comments!
Penny
eatingforperformance.com – Coming Soon!

As an athlete, when you look for someone to help you with your nutrition, you want to be sure you choose someone who:

1. Has been or is still athletic
2. Is an Registered Dietitian (RD) otherwise they do not have a nationally recognized nutrition certification which requires specific coursework, an internship and a national exam
3. Has practical experience helping others like you

When I work with someone, I want to know their qualifications. Since I would like to work with you, here are mine.

I became an athlete as an adult. I began cycling for pleasure then began racing. I raced both road and track for approximately five years. After I stopped racing bikes, I began running. I completed both the Houston and Marine Corps Marathon (DC) in 2001. I completed my first triathlon in 2005 – Try Andy’s Tri in Sugar Land. I plan on completing at least two triathlons this year.

I have completed all of my course work and internship to become an RD and am currently studying for the exam. I am planning on taking it in mid to late March.

During my schoolwork, I have assisted three triathletes with their nutrition and recovery plans while training for a half Iron Man. During the off-season, I have helped them with any weight issues that may arise.

I believe in matching nutrition to your training. Most training plans are periodized, and your eating should match these periods. You should use your training to try out what you’ll do on race day so there will be no surprises. I can help you determine how much to eat and when in your daily life, training and racing. Many athletes also overlook recovery. Recovery eating is key to your next training session. We can work together to create a recovery program that works for you and your body.

One of my main principles is that everyone is different. Sounds simple, but in nutrition it means that what works for one person may not work for the next. I will work with you to create your unique nutrition training plan.

Today a big event happened – one I’ve been dreaming about for a while. An unusual dream maybe, but mine none the less. Let me start at the beginning. . .

In the summer of 2002 I began a journey of becoming a Registered Dietitian. This meant leaving a job in process and technology consulting that allowed me to travel all over the country and make lots of money. I was ready to stop traveling – more than ready honestly. And, the change from two incomes to one hasn’t been so bad. DH is an amazingly supportive man. I could not have done this without him. Anyway – why the change? I wanted to do something that I felt would really help people, help make their lives better. I had seen a dietitian while training for my second marathon. She helped me tremendously not just with food, but with the whys behind the food. As I started thinking about changing careers, I looked in my bookshelf and saw all of these nutrition, fitness and cooking books. The light bulb went off and the journey began.

I took all of the college courses required to get a BS in Nutrition at the University of Houston and completed an internship (also at the University of Houston). These were the two major steps towards my goal. Today, an envelope arrived that contained the key to the final step of the journey – the approval to take Registered Dietitian exam. I’ve registered and have a year from today to take the exam. But, who wants to wait a year? Not ME! I’m targeting to take it mid to end of March. Once I pass, I can add two initials after my name – RD and actually call myself a Registered Dietitian.

I’m also pursuing a Masters degree currently in Nutrition at Texas Woman’s University in Houston but may change to Exercise Physiology at the University of Houston. Hopefully, I’ll know more about that soon.

What do I want to do with this new found knowledge and, upcoming accreditation? My goal is to help athletes of all ages and levels reach their goals by incorporating nutrition into their training. So many athletes ignore this critical component of their training but by paying attention to it they can improve their performance. I am an athlete myself so can understand where they are coming from.

Anyway, that is a quick introduction. Welcome to my blog!