Drinking milk helps gain muscle and lose fat after exercise
Posted by: Snowcrash on: August 9, 2007
Part of an ongoing study into the impact of drinking milk after heavy weightlifting has found that milk helps exercisers burn more fat.
The study by researchers at McMaster University and published today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was conducted by the Department of Kinesiology’s Exercise Metabolism Research Group, lead by Stuart Phillips.
The researchers took three groups of young men 18 to 30 years of age – 56 in total – and put them through a rigorous, five-day-per-week weightlifting program over a 12-week period. Following their workouts, study participants drank either two cups of skim milk, a soy beverage with equivalent amounts of protein and energy, or a carbohydrate beverage with an equivalent amount of energy, which was roughly the same as drinking 600 to 700 milliliters of a typical sports drink.
Upon the study’s conclusion, researchers found that the milk drinking group had lost nearly twice as much fat – two pounds – while the carbohydrate beverage group lost one pound of fat. Those drinking soy lost no fat. At the same time, the gain in muscle was much greater among the milk drinkers than either the soy or carbohydrate beverage study participants.
“The loss of fat mass, while expected, was much larger than we thought it would be,” says Phillips, associate professor of kinesiology at McMaster. “I think the practical implications of these results are obvious: if you want to gain muscle and lose fat as a result of working out, drink milk.”
As reported in the first phase of the study, the milk drinking group came out on top in terms of muscle gain with an estimated 40 per cent or 2.5 pounds more muscle mass than the soy beverage drinkers. In addition, this group gained 63 per cent or 3.3 pounds, more muscle mass than the carbohydrate beverage drinkers.
“I think the evidence is beginning to mount,” says Phillips. “Milk may be best known for its calcium content in supporting bone health, but our research, and that of others, continually supports milk’s ability to aid in muscle growth and also promote body fat loss. To my mind – with milk being a source of nine essential nutrients – it’s a no brainer: milk is the ideal post-workout drink for recreational exercisers and athletes alike.”
Link to scientific article abstract: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/86/2/373
Source: McMaster University
56 Responses to "Drinking milk helps gain muscle and lose fat after exercise"
August 9, 2007 at 7:19 am
if what i read is true, i think i may try it in my daily workouts for now on.
[...] Sure it works, if you’re a twentysomething weight-training guy… Just what we need, on top of all the promotional hoopla from the milk industry about milk helping weight loss: Milk apparently aids in fat-burning and muscle-building. [...]
August 9, 2007 at 9:33 am
i can agree that this is true, as a sufferer of lactose intolerancy
August 9, 2007 at 11:55 am
Is it just me, or did anyone think of possible hormonal effects? I’d hate to see growth hormones in milk creating this kind of effect.
And yes, I know that technically rBST doesn’t change milk detectably. Still… Makes me wonder.
August 9, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Isn’t it interesting that humans are the only species that continue to drink milk well after they get weaned? It is basically an elixir, filled with nutrients and plenty of growth hormones meant to make baby calves grow and develop. Then the farmers give the cows even more growth hormones, which end up in the milk. That doesn’t just affect your muscles and fat burning. Why do you think girls are getting their periods at younger and younger years. You used to get them at 15-16, now they start at 11-12. I doubt it’s the vitamins.
August 9, 2007 at 6:15 pm
The PROB comment is full of pseudoscientific bullshit.
August 9, 2007 at 6:38 pm
Justin: They’re not convinced that rBGH is really a problem in conventional milk; however, it seems to increase the level of insulin-like growth factor (IGF), which *may* be a problem.
That said, this isn’t news. Weight-trainers in the know have been using whey protein for years–decades now, really. Whey has one of the, if not THE highest bioavailability of any protein supplement, especially if you take it right after a workout.
Incidentally, whey protein powder has no lactose in it, so lactose-intolerant folks should be able to use it. Also, because there is no lactose, low-carbers like me can use it not only to supplement exercise but also as a baking ingredient. This should not be a problem in terms of fat-burning and muscle gain because they showed in this study that carbohydrates by themselves don’t do squat for muscle gain or fat loss–which completely does not surprise me, given what I’ve read in the LC literature–so I think it’s safe to say you can leave the lactose out.
Good article.
August 9, 2007 at 8:38 pm
This isn’t anything new; milk contains the protein casein; protein is known most basically as a structure that is used in the formulation or repair of new muscular tissue. If this had been posted 70 years ago, maybe i’d be more impressed.
August 9, 2007 at 10:04 pm
I would also like to see this study done comparing regular commercial milk, organic milk, and grass fed milk. It has long been suspected that CLA (conjugated linolenic acid) may be the substance in milk responsible for helping convert nutrition to lean muscle mass. But the amounts of CLA in commercial, organic, and grass fed milk are not the same (generally better in grass fed milk or cows fed feed with soy and other grains not typically fed to commercial dairy cows). It is typical of a conventional scientific study to ignore these differences and assume that commercial milk is equivalent to all milk.
Since CLA is found in the fat in milk, the weight loss effect found in this study may also be (paradoxically for many) stronger in higher fat content milk. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that only high fat content dairy products had a weight loss benefit. The study above uses skim milk and ignore the possible greater benefits of whole milk and cheese. See: http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=73082-dairy-weight-gain-cla
[...] Drinking milk helps gain muscle and lose fat after exercise Part of an ongoing study into the impact of drinking milk after heavy weightlifting has found that milk helps […] [...]
August 10, 2007 at 2:16 am
what about other variables that is related to the participant like their food, place to sleep and other condition? is it being controlled as well?
August 10, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Look at the a milk ad, see her mustache glued above the smile?
Milk is like glue.
And because milk acts like glue, your intestines will soon get heavy with gunk and you get a belly like Santa.
He drinks a lot of milk— just a coincidence most likely.
So this is a counter productive study. Someone hasn’t done their homework.
August 11, 2007 at 1:46 am
milk after exercise … interesting … i think i’ll give it a try …
[...] in Uncategorized at 1:53 pm by satsumasalad This article talks about a small study which found that drinking milk after working out promoted muscle gain and [...]
August 12, 2007 at 4:20 pm
I read your post the other day, and then yesterday after going to the gym, I went to the market and bought some milk and I drank it right then and there. I hope I’m already looking more svelte.
August 12, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Re: John~I can’t remember where I heard the “recipe” used for those milk mustaches, but it’s not actually plain milk they are drinking! (((((HUGS))))) sandi
August 31, 2007 at 4:50 am
Don’t listen to John. He doesn’t believe a scientific study but he believes in Santa!
January 4, 2008 at 1:44 am
I agree with jayfish- I would like to know the difference between regular milk and organic milk for purposes of this test. Either way I can’t wait to tell my wife about this since I love milk so much….now I can say I am just trying to lose weight!
January 8, 2008 at 11:53 am
“Editor: do you have scientific evidence that there are steroids in the cow milk? Please back up your comments with science, thanks.”
We live in a world where a TV network chooses a country’s president, and you want someone posting a comment to your wordpress blog to vet their opinion with empirical studies?
SUPER LOL.
February 7, 2008 at 9:03 am
I don’t like milk at all, can I drink water after exercises.
February 10, 2008 at 6:22 am
This is a great post and wonderful research. I have opted to use milk for my post workout whey protein shakes to enhance the muscle building and fat burning effects of the protein powder for a while now, and though I obviously don’t have a scientific study to back my claim up, anecdotally, “milk does a body good!”
February 15, 2008 at 7:23 am
I find that milk creates a great deal of flem for me, and causes my body to gain weight. I have found other foods that are more effective in helping me burn fat and lose weight.
My wife started reading a book on foods and how they interact with a persons blood type. I’m note sure milk is digested the same way for everyone. I plan on reading the book to see if I’m eating the right things for my blood type, and to see how my fat loss efforts are afffected by following those recommendations.
March 3, 2008 at 4:36 am
I would like to add something:
The chronic postexercise consumption of milk promotes greater hypertrophy during the early stages of resistance training in novice weightlifters when compared with isoenergetic soy or carbohydrate consumption.
March 20, 2008 at 4:15 am
While doctors, your family, and/or your friends may tell you that you
need to lose weight, the one person that is the most important in your
decision to follow through is YOU. YOU must want to lose the weight for
yourself – FIRST!
March 26, 2008 at 9:19 am
Drinking milk helps gain muscle and lose fat after exercise
its really good info, thanks
March 31, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Milk, Pwns. Seriously. I drink about three to four liters a day. Cheap, and fills you up, helps do all this crazy stuff like make you drowzy (I doubt it’s from the melatonin production based off of the protein found in the milk though)but I do think that’ because you’re just filled up on milk. It tastes awesome, goes good with almost anything, and I do think that it fairs much better than sports drinks or carbohydrate/protein drinks. Listen to this, Milk, per 100ml, has 3.5g of protien. 1 liter cartons. 35g’s protien, and just about all your daily value for Vitamin D, Riboflavin, B12, calcium and iodine. Just drink a liter of %(!”#)# milk guys. Your dick will also get bigger, scientifically proven. By me.
April 10, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Hi , thanks 4 this post. It opens some new ways of looking to muscle building and fitness in general. it is just very sad when people are not open for learning new ways and tactics. problem is people are getting confused and even negative about weight lifting when those people start teaching others and preaching their “visions” . it is therefore important to have places like you have here . I wish you best results !
April 22, 2008 at 7:58 pm
I agree with anonymous. if this was published like 80 years ago, i would be kind of excited……….where have you all been, in a cave.
May 10, 2008 at 6:30 am
Just curious, does anyone know if the ethnicity was all the same? Because if it wasn’t, that could also have been something that would have changed the outcome.
People of different backrounds will lose more weight/gain more muscle faster, than others. I’m not being racist or anything, its just genetically people who’s ancestry originated from africa is a lot better when it comes to physical development and such.
Of course, the amount of work is also important. But what I’m saying is, people ARE NOT equal.
May 12, 2008 at 5:22 pm
The story on fat loss “research” supposedly conducted by McMaster Univerity is no more than an attempt to support cow milk drinking by adult humans. A valid study woulod be double blind and sate so in the article. Anythi9ng less is simply not credible. Drink milk if you like but don’t lie to me.
[...] This information comes to us from the blog Biosingularity. [...]
May 20, 2008 at 12:01 am
I just noticed someones post above about Organic Vs Regular milk. My bf and his dad both developed an intolerance to milk in the mid 90’s. For the past 15 years they have been drinking Lactose Free Milk. We did a little test this past week to see how they would react to organic milk…NEITHER of them felt ill or had to go to the washroom after drinking it. There were no side effects to the organic milk at all! Its amazing what a difference it makes when our foods are pumped with hormones and preservatives! Has anyone else tried organic over regular and lactose free milk?
May 31, 2008 at 3:09 pm
The research was done with skim milk, don’t just go around drinking whole milk expecting to lose weight.
July 22, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Hi. Just wanted to say that I believe that 1% and skim milk does help lose body fat and gain. My entire life I have been drinking mostly skim milk, and sometimes 1%. Also my entire life I have been able to eat as much of any food as I want and consistently at the 200 lb range. I have, however, start to limit my fat and carb intake. In a 2 month period I have lost a total of 19 pounds, with only limited exercise, not including cardio. Also if anyone has comments on this, the relation between drinking fair amounts of milk and increased risk of Prostate cancer, bulls**t or no????? Lastly, being a man of science, any research I have done has been on my own body. With that said, never, Never, NEVER, ever take someones word for it. Always do your own research, with your own 2 hands.
July 22, 2008 at 10:01 pm
I was at Indiana University during the time they did the first studies on chocolate milk as post-exercise drink.
It’s certainly cheap and readily available. While it’s a good source of protein and simple carbs, I tend to think some of the designer post-workout shakes are better.
But it’s certainly better than nothing!
Train Hard,
Tony Schwartz
http://www.AthleticMuscleBuilding.com
July 24, 2008 at 1:35 am
it is EASY to obtain milk that does not have RBST in it, these comments are just assanine vegan dogma. save the animals — eat a vegan. anyway, there is hormone free and/or organic milk available in every sizable town in the whole country, give me a break.
this is a very interesting study — the bigger question to me is the digestibility of pasteurized milk. i have never tried skim milk though, i may experiment with this, it is hard to argue against using such a cheap and easy source of recovery if it works. in general i have found milk to be difficult to digest unless it’s raw — perhaps after exercise is a different story? i will def try the organic milk after seeing patricia’s comment.
August 17, 2008 at 1:15 pm
This is very inspiring post and place you have here. I know that all those who are serious about muscle mass building and even about the general fitness only , in deed need all as much genuine and usefull real life informations and guidelines in order to advance fast. Steel things are not allways flat and just the same 4all…. We nned at least few options / diet plans approaches in order to come to the best one 4 each of us. I had troubles to gain muscle before getting to 84 weeks meal fast gain plan . Anyhow this is very importannt peace of information you have here, I hope people will use it too.
Sasha James
August 20, 2008 at 9:28 am
Sweet great Weight training write up!
Very impressive that this blog is syndicated through Google and is it something that is just up to Google or you actively created?
August 23, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Yumm. Nothing tastier than an ice cold glass of milk. Your Blog is chock full of great information and thanks.
Your readers might also like to know that I have created a Blog to follow all the latest news on the new exercise pill that is being discussed by science.
I have no idea if it will work or not, but I promise to keep up with the latest skinny.
Penny.
September 9, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I always drink milk after working out with my protein shakes because I can’t stand that stuff mixed with water. So.. two birds with one stone!
September 17, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Hm, I’ve never heard that before, I’ll try it out sometime.
October 7, 2008 at 12:02 am
That’s interesting… I’ve been following a program for the last 6 months with a lot success, however it never mentioned this, I’ll have to give it a try.
Thanks,
Jake
February 8, 2009 at 1:46 am
I agree were those cows tested for hormones or steroids? and when you’re in your 18-30 years you’re still growing naturally, i don’t trust that study!
February 12, 2009 at 10:43 am
It’s been well known for years that drinking milk is a good thing as part of a muscle gaining diet, what i find interesting in this article is the comparison between soya and particularly the benefits over carbohydrate drinks which are also common.
Looks like milk is certainly something that people should be drinking after their workout rather than just anytime.
Mike Thompson
http:/www.bestworkoutreviews.com
March 4, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Just as drinking milk even taking 3 to 5 boiled eggs after heavy weight lifting would help excercisers to promote muscle growth.
March 12, 2009 at 12:18 am
I have to be completely honest, you do make some really good suggestions in your post about drinking milk.
In the same light, I never used to like the elliptical fitness machine because I thought it was an obsolete piece of machinery, but I’ve since changed my position on that way of thinking.
You see, I changed my mind because of a ridiculously simple way to melt fat off my body I recently came across, without doing much extra. I wrote a short blurb about it here: Hassle Free Fat Loss
April 8, 2009 at 3:47 pm
To control the pain we must attend to the specialist because we can give him what is appropriate and what we need, for example I take hydrocodone, vicodin which is medicine used to counter the chronic pain that I have for years, but I rioja prescribing doctor, I take it in moderation because I read in findrxonline which is a medicine that causes anxiety, and we must control it as it can affect your nervous system, so do not take medicines without consultation because it really can be dangerous.
April 23, 2009 at 7:06 am
people here are discussing the importance of drinking low fat milk to promote muscle mass and weight loss….ever wondered that most of the estrogen from outside come from dairy products..
excess of everything is bad!…this study doesnt conclude that now you should go on drinking milk for you gains!!!
the more you have dairy products=more estrogen in your body=lowering testosterone(fr males) ,more fat=will store further more estrogen..!!!
milk is pretty good as my own experience but you should not overdose it!!!
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August 9, 2007 at 7:06 am
I’d like to see organic vs. grass fed vs industrial dairy milk comparisons.
The milk they had is probably the stuff with steroids given to the cows for increased milk production that go directly to the milk and the muscle guys.
Editor: do you have scientific evidence that there are steroids in the cow milk? Please back up your comments with science, thanks.