# Endurox R4 vs Gatorade vs Milk - suprising results



## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

This is old news to some, but I thought I would bring up more accurate statistics regarding Endurox, Gatorade, and chocolate milk. From cbsnews on a WebMD article:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/24/health/webmd/main1342839.shtml

Chocolate Milk: The New Sports Drink?

Feb. 24, 2006 (AP)

(WebMD) During a 2004 Summer Olympics awash in controversies over steroids and supplements, one sportswriter wryly noticed that top American swimmer Michael Phelps was playing it safe -- he preferred to drink Carnation Instant Breakfast between races.

Now it appears that the six-time gold medalist may have been onto something. A new study shows that plain old chocolate milk may be as good -- or better -- than sports drinks like Gatorade at helping athletes recover from strenuous exercise.

The study, published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, was small in scale; it was partially funded by the dairy industry. But dietitians say the study should help to counter the notion that high-tech, expensive supplements are better than whole foods when it comes to athletic performance. They also note that milk contains key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, in quantities that sports drinks can’t match.

"[Milk] is a sports drink ‘plus,’" Keith Ayoob, EdD, a registered dietitian and associate professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, tells WebMD. "It will supply you with things you need whether or not you’re working out."

The study builds on findings that intense endurance exercise reduces the muscles’ supply of stored glucose, or glycogen, a key source of fuel for exercise. To maximize glycogen replacement, the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Dietetic Association recommend taking in a serving of carbohydrates within 30 minutes after a long and vigorous workout.

Milk vs. Sports Drinks

Common sports drinks such as Gatorade supply those carbs, as well as fluids and electrolytes lost through sweat. However, more recent research suggests that adding protein to the mix may further hasten recovery. Hence the new wave of drinks such as Endurox R4 that include protein as well as higher doses of carbs.

In the study, nine male cyclists rode until their muscles were depleted of energy, then rested four hours and biked again until exhaustion. During the rest period, the cyclists drank low-fat chocolate milk, Gatorade, or Endurox R4. During a second round of exercise, the cyclists who drank the chocolate milk were able to bike about 50% longer than those who drank Endurox, and about as long as those who drank the Gatorade.

The findings suggest that chocolate milk has an optimal ratio of carbohydrates to protein to help refuel tired muscles, researcher Joel M. Stager, PhD, Indiana University kinesiology professor, tells WebMD.

But the most puzzling result of the study, experts say, was why Endurox -- which has the same carb-to-protein ratio as the chocolate milk -- fared so poorly. Researcher Jeanne D. Johnston, MA, tells WebMD it may have to do with the different composition of the sugars in the milk. Another theory is that the sugars in the milk may be better absorbed in the gut than those in the Endurox.

Edward F. Coyle, PhD, a researcher on exercise and hydration at the University of Texas, tells WebMD the trial would have been stronger if the researchers had also tested the effect of flavored water or another dummy (placebo) drink.

The study was partly funded by the Dairy and Nutrition Council, an industry group. Coyle says that the study’s reliance on industry funding is not unusual in the world of sports research, as federal funding for such research is hard to come by.

A Cheaper Alternative?

While rapid nutrient replacement may not be important for casual exercisers, it can make a big difference in performance for competitive athletes who work out vigorously once or twice a day, says Roberta Anding, a sports dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

Anding has long recommended chocolate milk for young athletes who come to her practice at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. For children and teenagers from lower-income families, it doesn’t make sense to spend serious money on sports drinks when they can get milk as part of a subsidized lunch program, she tells WebMD. The only advantage of sports drinks, she notes, is that they never spoil.

Ayoob estimates that more than two-thirds of teenagers should be drinking more milk anyway because they don’t get enough calcium in their diets. He also recommends milk for its vitamin D and potassium content. “For me, this is a no-brainer,” he says.

By Richard Sine
Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, M.D.
© 2006, WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.


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## lavamantis (Apr 6, 2004)

*I'm just not sure about that right now...*

I guess the first thing I would as is, why don't we hear about the pros (in all sports) drinking chocolate milk instead of the allegedly more advanced drinks? Milk has certainly been around long enough for them to check it out, and I would imagine the pros probably are motivated to find the best drink possible.

Then I would ask - what is the purpose of something like Endurox R4? Personally, I thought it was for recovering for the following day, not racing again a few hours later (which I've never done). I'm not saying anything about the validity of the experiment, but rather whether the results are really relevant for what I'd assume most people are trying to get out of recovery drinks.


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## Spunout (Aug 12, 2002)

Stupid. Gatorade is not a recovery drink.

Next thing you know you'll see M*Donalds underwriting a story on how their products are great for recovery.


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## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

Spunout said:


> Stupid. Gatorade is not a recovery drink.
> 
> Next thing you know you'll see M*Donalds underwriting a story on how their products are great for recovery.


Cheeseburger and a beer


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*The why and wherefore*



lavamantis said:


> I guess the first thing I would as is, why don't we hear about the pros (in all sports) drinking chocolate milk instead of the allegedly more advanced drinks?


Just taking a wild guess here, but that would be because there's a huge marketing incentive to both research and publicize "engineered foods" whereas there is not much of a driver to do the same for milk. Even if chocolate milk were proven to better than any sports drink, it wouldn't stop the drink companies claiming all kinds of benefits and wouldn't provide much incentive to the chocolate milk companies since the increased volume would be tiny as a % of their existing sales. Just guessing


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## argylesocks (Aug 2, 2004)

iliveonnitro said:


> The study, published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, was small in scale; it was partially funded by the dairy industry.


do you really think the results from a study funded by the dairy industry would be any different??

come on, everything funded by the dairy industry concludes that milk is the worlds best drink & it can cure all deseases & ailments.


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## dez182 (Jul 11, 2002)

I've been using chocolate milk for almost a year now, and I like it a lot better than Endurox, etc. It goes down easier, it's cheaper, and it seems to help me recover better. I also don't get gut rot like I used to with engineered drinks.

You wonder why we don't see the pros drinking it? They're getting paid to push other products. Many of them may be using it behind the scenes.

FYI - This is NOT the first study to show such facts.


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## argylesocks (Aug 2, 2004)

dez182 said:


> I've been using chocolate milk for almost a year now, and I like it a lot better than Endurox, etc. It goes down easier, it's cheaper, and it seems to help me recover better. I also don't get gut rot like I used to with engineered drinks.
> 
> You wonder why we don't see the pros drinking it? They're getting paid to push other products. Many of them may be using it behind the scenes.
> 
> FYI - This is NOT the first study to show such facts.


im not commenting on whether or not milk works as a recovery drink...i was questioning an "unbiased" study funded by the dairy industry.


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

Milk in general is a GREAT recovery drink not a SPORT DRINK!

Fist off it's contains protein and carbs. Calcum cassinate and Whey awhich and the 2 most complete and best proteins. Acutally calium cassinate is better better than just pure whey fo many reasons, but it's too long to explain. I think the Met-Rx site explains this really well. Sure Whey has a higher biological number, but those can ofetn be skewed as you body does nt need such a high number.

Second, milk contains just enuff sugar to give you a slight insulin spike to boost the shuttling of protein to your muscles for quick recovery.

Now milk, wether chocolate, strawberry or natural is not a sports drink comparable to gatorade. drinking milke during a ride, might give you cramps and gas.
gatorde is not a recovery drink in a technical sense. yes you can drink it to replainsh the sodium, glucose and fluid lost durning exercise, but you should ingest some high quailyt protein with it from milk, eggs, chicken or beef.

Also carnation Instant Breakfast is not chocolate milk. it's an enginered food!
Very simlar to Slim-Fast, Ensure, Nutriment, etc.
It also simliar to Met-rx, Myoplex, Endurox RD4 or any other so called protein/carb recovery drink!!

These drinks are nice, cheap alternatives to highr price, more complex, complete and advance engineerd meals/recovery drinks.
You can also learn to make your own very easliy!
I leanrd all this too while working in the Sports Nutition Industry. Aslo learned some good info also from Bill Philips of EAS in the "old days."

Just the right ratio of protein, complex and simple carbs will do fine! whether it's liquid or solid. It's just liquid is easliy digested after exercise.

in my body building days to recover for a grueling traning session, I would gulp down high a carb drink, then within 30 minutes eat a nice nutritional and healty based meal! Worked very well...


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## lemmy999 (Apr 6, 2004)

I do not think this study makes sense. They claim that having a correct protein/carb ratio helps recovery. Then they claim that choc. milk worked for recovery ALMOST as good as Gatorade (which has no protein and is not a recovery drink anyway). So it sounds like they are saying that protein is not good for quick recovery. 

I used choc milk for a while, but I have to use the lactose free milk, so it ended up being fairly expensive. Also, usually it is easier for me to have cold water available (to mix endurox) after a ride than cold milk.


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## DIRT BOY (Aug 22, 2002)

well, gatorde and milk will have more carbs which will help you cycle longer than endurox. Maybe that's why. The sugar will give more of a bosst to tired muscles to help get going again, but not for full recovery. 4 hrs not me is not recovering from a strenous workout.

Recovery drinks don't help in recovering in 4 hrs, but more towards helping your body recover over the nest few days and maily help you rmuscles repair the damage from exercise.


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## danl1 (Jul 23, 2005)

*The part most folks will miss...*

_While rapid nutrient replacement may not be important for casual exercisers, it can make a big difference in performance for competitive athletes who work out vigorously once or twice a day, says Roberta Anding, a sports dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association._

The vast majority of folks (and probably a majority of those reading this post) have no need whatever for a 'recovery drink' of any sort, because they exercise only to an extent already adequately covered by their normal diet. But they'll read the sensationalizations of a study like this, ignore the details (are you planning on riding to exhaustion in the next four hours?) and start downing a quart of full-fat chocolate milk after their bi-weekly 15-miler. Never mind that they're 20 lbs overweight and have already onboarded far more calories, protein and fat (along with electrolytes, amino acids, and all the other trace bits) than the ride expended before the milk arrived.

20 years ago, America discovered that 'elite' runners, cyclists, and so on carb-loaded before big events. Somehow that got interpreted as "Eat lots of Fettucini Alfredo and you'll look like one of these toothpicks." Nevermind they were eating like that because their low weight made it necessary, not the other way around. So everyone's carrying around trash-can lids of pasta and wondering why they're getting fat.

10 years ago, America discovered that 'elite' bodybuilders ate lots of protein to help build muscles, and noticed that all these pasta eaters were lardbutts. Somehow that got morphed into "eat as much bacon and cheese as you can stand. As long as you don't touch a carb, you'll look like Ahnold in no time."

Unless you are doing two-a-days and have single-digit body fat, 'recovery drinks' are a triumph of marketing over common sense. 

Besides, everyone knows that sausage gravy is the real man's recovery beverage.


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## KonaRider (Jul 20, 2005)

*danl1 has it pegged*

Great post.  

Cheers

KavuRider 

(mmmm...gravy!)


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## 53T (Jul 20, 2002)

*There's bias, and there's bias.*



argylesocks said:


> im not commenting on whether or not milk works as a recovery drink...i was questioning an "unbiased" study funded by the dairy industry.


The people who funded the research are "interested" or they have "an interest" in the outcome. Casually you could say they are biased toward milk if they would promote it despite any scientific evidence for or against their claims. 

It is difficult to say the research was biased, i.e. the conclusions were a result of something other than the actual experimental data.

As for anectodal evidence, I have always known chocolate milk (1% for me) to be the best recovery drink, even without factoring in the cost. I do use recovery drinks, as do my teammates who will train hard for several consecutive days, and sometimes race two or three days in a row. My nutrition-expert team mates are appaled at my choice of such an 19th century potion.

Unlike many readers here, I find the experiment very interesting. The inclusion of Gatorade (BTW, when diluted, my prefered energy drink on the bike, very cost-effective) is not "stupid" but rather provides a good control to the other two protien-fortified drinks. There is an old saying I just made up: "There is no stupid data, just stupid researchers."

For the record, I do not work in the dairy industry, nor do I own any cows.


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## sianne (Mar 11, 2006)

53T said:


> My nutrition-expert team mates are appaled at my choice of such an 19th century potion.


I just gotta laugh because the other day some guys in the pack were saying how great their electrolyte drink was, since it was custom mixed specifically for them and all that. They told me I should try it, and I deadpanned: "I just use the powdered gatorade I buy at the wholesale club."

It was priceless, really priceless!


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## BeeCharmer (Apr 30, 2003)

Did anyone notice the size of the n? 9. That would be 3 for each test group. If I picked the right three groups of three from our club, I could guarantee that rat piss, sorry, lemon lime-flavored HEED, would either be the best or worst for recovery.

chris


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

BeeCharmer said:


> Did anyone notice the size of the n? 9. That would be 3 for each test group. If I picked the right three groups of three from our club, I could guarantee that rat piss, sorry, lemon lime-flavored HEED, would either be the best or worst for recovery.
> 
> chris


Unless they used a repeated measures design and each subject performed all 3 trials. The article doesn't read like that is what they did but that probably doesn't mean much. Unfortunately I can't seem to access the article from the journal's webpage and I can't find it via Pubmed. It would be interesting to see if they matched each drink on volume or on carbs or calories or what? Milk may have faired so well simply because it supplied the most cal/carbs.

Edit: They did use a repeated measures design so each subject performed all 3 conditions.


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## DaveN (Jun 25, 2005)

http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache...rkout+recovery+drink&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2 will get you to a copy of the report with details of the study, selection, etc.


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## lemmy999 (Apr 6, 2004)

53T said:


> As for anectodal evidence, I have always known chocolate milk (1% for me) to be the best recovery drink, even without factoring in the cost.


Why do you use 1% instead of skim? 

Milk is in general difficult to digest, more for some than others. Most Asians and many blacks are lactose intollerant.


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

lemmy999 said:


> Why do you use 1% instead of skim?
> 
> Milk is in general difficult to digest, more for some than others. Most Asians and many blacks are lactose intollerant.


Makes you wonder how difficult Endurox is to digest 

The study doesn't say anything about screening subjects for lactose intolerance. Although poor digestion could explain why the chocolate milk didn't do any better than the gatorade which supplied fewer carbs. Still the fact that both outperformed Endurox makes that stuff look like a total rip off.


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