Cereal vs. Specialized Sports Drinks

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FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:

NewsTarget.com printable article

Originally published October 29 2007

A bowl of cereal just as good for exercise recovery as expensive

sports drinks

by Gutierrez

A bowl of whole-wheat flake cereal was found to be as or more

effective than a specialized sports drink at aiding the recovery of

the body after intensive exercise in a new study. The research was

funded by Wheaties and the General Mills Bell Institute of Health and

Nutrition, and presented at the 54th annual meeting of the American

College of Sports Medicine.

Researchers had 12 cyclists, eight of them men, fast for 12 hours

before undergoing two hours of cycling exercise. The participants were

then given either a carbohydrate-containing sports drink or a bowl of

whole-wheat flake cereal with skim milk.

Both cereal and drink treatments raised the body's blood glucose and

insulin levels, but the cereal was more effective at raising insulin

and preventing a rise in blood lactate levels. The cereal was also

more effective at inducing the body to synthesize protein and

increasing its ability to store glycogen.

Lactate levels after exercise correlate with an increase in blood

acidity but do not cause it. They formerly were thought to cause the

muscle soreness often experienced days after exercise, but this theory

is now mostly discredited.

Glycogen is the body's short-term energy storage mechanism, and is

burned during exercise.

" We were surprised that blood lactate was lower after cereal, possibly

due to glycogen storage, " said lead researcher Lynne Kammer of the

University of Texas-Austin. " In addition, the muscle was ready to

store additional glycogen after the cereal-and-milk regimen, even

after glycogen had already been synthesized. "

The global market for athletic performance foods and drinks was $19.37

billion in 2006, according to the food research institution

Leatherhead Food International. Drinks currently dominate this market.

Kammer does not necessarily expect cereal to challenge this dominance

any time soon.

" Sports drinks may have an advantage in convenience, " Kammer said.

Consumer health advocate Mike isn't satisfied with either

option. " The best recovery from physical exercise comes from drinking

raw superfood smoothies made with celery, fresh greens, plant-based

fats and nutrient-dense superfoods, " he said. " Anything processed or

made in a factory is a joke compared to what Mother Nature already

provides us for recovery from physical exertion. "

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W.G.

Ubermensch Sports Consultancy

San Diego, CA.