When fueling on the run...

What is your best protein-supplement-drink option?

More on milk and what the science says:

Despite all the fancy sport supplement and protein drinks out there all claiming to be the next step in the evolution of proteins that “help boost your workouts,” and "build lean muscle" good old milk seems to be competing—and winning—against some “high tech” products on the market. You'll see in the references to this article there are various studies finding increased protein synthesis and other positive effects when purified protein supplement varieties are ingested (e.g., whey, soy, casein, etc.) right after or before a workout—usually in conjunction with carbohydrates.

So why do I suggest good old milk, a “real” food, as a supplement to fuel your workout?

One recent study found good old milk to be an effective pre AND post-workout drink that increased net muscle protein synthesis (another word for keeping and building valuable metabolism revving muscle)after resistance training.

Yet another recent study compared 2 cups of skim milk as a post workout drink compared to a soy drink and few popular “sports drinks.”

In this study, the milk and soy drinks were matched for basic macronutrient ratios and calories and all three were matched for total calories. 56 male volunteers were split into three groups, with all put on a resistance training program for 12 weeks. The volunteers were then randomly assigned one of the three drinks to consume as a pre workout drink and again one hour after the workouts.

Although no major differences were found in strength between the 3 groups, the group getting the milk had the greatest increase in muscle mass (again-calorie BURNING muscle!) with researchers concluding:

“…chronic postexercise consumption of milk promotes greater muscle gain during the early stages of resistance training in novice weightlifters when compared with isoenergetic soy or carbohydrate consumption.”

Why (chocolate) milk ??

What is special about our favorite childhood drink, chocolate milk? And,how about chocolate milk vs. two commercial energy/fluid replacement drinks, such as Gatorade and Endurox R4?

One recent study—albeit a small one—found chocolate milk as effective as Gatorade, and more effective than Endurox, as a recovery drink for trained cyclists between exhaustive bouts of endurance exercise.

Note: The subjects fasted for 10 - 12 h prior to the chocolate milk experiment. The results may have been quite different had they been following their normal eating patterns and combining other foods or different results may have been observed had they enrolled female subjects. More research needed perhaps....

So, in the context of this particular study design, look at it this way as why chocolate milk may work best: chocolate milk has casein (a “slow” digesting protein), and whey (a “fast” digesting protein) as well as calcium, some vitamins and a bunch of carbohydrates—so it makes a pretty good, cheap pre-workout protein drink. It’s not a half-bad post-workout drink either but this may be better left alone for another article.

Conclusions, and a bit of supplement advise from My-Nutrition-Coach:

I wrote this article in response to a nutrition coaching clients question and to demonstrate that the optimal nutrition strategy for increasing strength and lean body mass (LBM) and increasing your RMR in response to resistance training can often be confusing. However, it’s also probably simpler than you are led to believe by the supplement manufacturers.

I also wanted to dispel some of the hype over one protein vs. another, and the fact that expensive pre-made high tech drinks that are all the rage right now are just that: expensive and over hyped.

In the real world, people have misguided beliefs that a product packaged with sleek images of lean bodies and labeled with buzz words like "Protein Water" or "Metabolic Optimizer" are superior to what they might find in their frig for a fraction of the cost. Also, making matters worse, those diet shakes are in full view this time of year for all the New Year's "Resolutioners" to grab hold of in their efforts to quickly drop those extra holiday pounds.

If you get caught up in the hype and want to buy pre-made carb/protein mixtures with other nutrients added (e.g., creatine, glutamine, various vitamins, etc) out of convenience there’s nothing wrong with that but I would STRONGLY suggest you consult with ConsumerLab first to see if your supplement passed independent testing.

Go to ConsumerLab to check your supplement

We choose Puritan's Pride because they score high in all categories with ConsumerLab

Here's one protein-supplement-drink that passed CL's tests:

Bottom Line:

Just don’t think there’s anything magical about the pre-made post-workout drinks, no matter what the marketing material or web site says to entice you to purchase it. Also, know how much protein you already get from your usual diet before adding a supplement and always check with your physician before taking ANY supplements if you are also taking prescription medications.

Learn how to use my online meal planner free for up to 14 days to find out if your current diet makes the grade.

Elliot TA, et al.Milk ingestion stimulates net muscle protein synthesis following resistance exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006 Apr;38(4):667-74.

Hartman JW, et al. Consumption of fat-free fluid milk after resistance exercise promotes greater lean mass accretion than does consumption of soy or carbohydrate in young, novice, male weightlifters. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Aug;86(2):373-81.

Karp JR, et al. Chocolate milk as a post-exercise recovery aid.Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2006 Feb;16(1):78-91.

Tipton KD, et al. Timing of amino acid-carbohydrate ingestion alters anabolic response of muscle to resistance exercise Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2001 Aug;281(2):E197-206.

Tipton KD, et al Stimulation of net muscle protein synthesis by whey protein ingestion before and after exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Jan;292(1):E71-6.

Cribb PJ, Hayes A. Effects of supplement timing and resistance exercise on skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006 Nov;38(11):1918-25.

Baty JJ, et al. The effect of a carbohydrate and protein supplement on resistance exercise performance, hormonal response, and muscle damage. J Strength Cond Res. 2007 May;21(2):321-9.

Reference: "Acute milk-based protein-CHO supplementation attenuates exercise-induced muscle damage," Cockburn E, Hayes PR, et al, Appl Physiol Nutr Metab, 2008; 33(4): 775-83. (Address: Division of Sports Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK).
Summary: In a study involving 24 healthy males, consumption of milk or a milk-based protein-carbohydrate supplement after exercise was found to attenuate exercise-induced muscle damage more effectively than both a carbohydrate sports drink and water. Delayed-onset muscle soreness was similar among all 4 groups (subjects who consumed milk, a milk-based protein-carbohydrate supplement, a carbohydrate sports drink, and water). However, peak torque (dominant) was significantly higher 48 hours after drinking the milk or the milk-based supplement, and creatine kinase was significantly lower. Myoglobin was significantly lower after consumption of the milk-based supplement, compared with the other interventions. These results suggest that consumption of milk or a milk-based protein and carbohydrate supplement after exercise may attenuate exercise-induced muscle damage.