Are Sugar and Milk Killing Your Athletic Performance and Health?

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Iya Zorina understands scientific research on these products.

Looking ahead, let's say that sugar and milk can really cause damage, but not for everyone and not always. On the contrary, in some cases, both of these "harmful" products can be beneficial.

Can I drink milk

Does milk really lower performance and slow down progress?

We were unable to find a single study in which milk consumption was associated with reduced performance in any sport. On the contrary, scientific work supports its benefits for recovery and productivity.

For example, consuming milk after strength training provides more muscle gains than the same amount of soy protein and carbohydrates.

This is not surprising: cow's milk is rich in protein - a macronutrient, without which it is impossible to build muscle. What's more, unlike plant-based counterparts, whey protein and casein from milk are highly absorbed by the body and contain many of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) needed for muscle growth and recovery.

By drinking milk after strength training, you shift the balance in the body towards anabolism - protein synthesis, which helps to build muscle faster. Moreover, milk with any percentage of fat is equally effective for this - both whole and non-fat.

In addition, consuming milk immediately after strength training can help reduce delayed muscle pain and associated loss of strength 24 and 72 hours after exercise. In the long term, this can increase your performance in the classroom, and therefore, have a positive effect on muscle growth.

True, not all studies have similar results. For example, in one experiment, 18 months of additional intake of 400 ml of milk per day did not affect the strength or size of the participants' muscles. Scientists have suggested that if people eat well, eat enough protein, calcium and vitamin D3, then they can do without milk: it will not affect their performance in any way. But whether you are getting enough of these substances is a big question.

Milk is good for endurance sports too. Due to its high electrolyte content, skim milk can easily replace special sports drinks, the purpose of which is to increase performance, reduce perceived effort and time to fatigue.

Can milk harm the figure?

Milk can negatively affect your figure, but only if you consume large quantities of it and therefore exceed your calorie intake.

Likewise, you can get fat on fruits, chicken and other healthy foods.

What's more, one study found that milk is even beneficial for weight loss. In the experiment, young people exercised five days a week, and after exercise they consumed either two cups of milk, or a sports drink with carbohydrates, or a soy protein shake equal to milk in terms of protein and carbohydrates.

Participants who consumed milk lost twice as much fat and gained 1.5 kg more muscle mass in 12 weeks of the experiment than those who drank a carbohydrate sports diet. The soy protein group also gained more muscle than the carbohydrate group, but did not lose fat at all.

Scientists have suggested that calcium is the cause. With a reduced calorie intake, this macronutrient weakens the accumulation of fats and stimulates their breakdown, which significantly accelerates the loss of extra pounds on the diet.

So, despite its relatively high carbohydrate content in the form of lactose, milk can be beneficial for those looking to lose weight and maintain muscle mass.

Can milk harm your health?

Milk really cannot be called a safe product, but the data on this matter is ambiguous.

A fresh 2020 study found that regular consumption of cow's milk increases the risk of breast cancer. Scientists got really frightening numbers: one cup of milk a day on an ongoing basis increases the risk by as much as 80%, and 2-3 cups a day - by 50%.

However, previous scientific studies have not found such a strong relationship. For example, in a 2017 analysis of more than 3,000 women, dairy consumption, by contrast, reduced the risk of breast cancer by 15%.

There is also evidence that milk may increase the risk of prostate cancer, but it also protects against bowel and bladder tumors. The topic requires further research, but for now, scientists do not advise drinking milk to those who are at risk for breast cancer.

It is better to replace it with yogurt: this fermented milk product also contains a lot of protein and at the same time is associated with a reduced risk of cancer.

Is sugar allowed

Does sugar really reduce athletic performance?

While sugar is considered an absolute evil in the fitness world, it can be beneficial during strenuous exercise. Sugary drinks increase performance in soccer and basketball, team sports where short periods of intense work occur, and improve sprint speed and serve accuracy in soccer and tennis.

In endurance sports like marathon or triathlon, fast carbs help keep liver glycogen stores longer and slow down fatigue. With 30-60 g of sugar in a sugary drink, athletes can last longer and improve performance.

During long races and grueling workouts, the sugar in sports drinks increases thirst, which makes people drink more, and saves from dehydration - the loss of large amounts of fluids and electrolytes.

In addition, sugary drinks reduce perceived effort levels and the hormonal response to stress. Perhaps this is due to the brain's reaction to carbohydrates: they increase the level of serotonin in the brain, which provides a sense of pleasure.

Reducing stress levels has a positive effect on immunity suppressed by hard and prolonged training. If you exercise for 90 minutes or more, 30g of sugar in a sugary drink or bar can help avoid a sharp drop in blood glucose levels and reduce the stress response to exercise and the subsequent mobilization of immune cells.

By drinking sugary water, you are less likely to catch a cold on the way from a grueling workout.

Sugar also helps during anaerobic training - sprints, jumping (plyometric) loads and strength exercises.

Several studies at once confirm that a drink with added sugar maintains high performance during resistance work - it helps to perform,,, more sets and maintain muscle glycogen stores for longer.

And the more you can tire the muscles during training, the more muscle fibers will receive mechanical stress and increase in volume. Of course, if you provide them with a building material from dietary protein.

Is sugar really harmful to the figure?

Sugar can really negatively affect the figure, and we have repeatedly written that it is better for those who are losing weight to refuse this product altogether. However, as with other foods, it’s not because it has magical fat-building properties, but the amount of energy you get from it.

If you do not control the calorie content of your diet, leaning on sugar and sweets, then you are much more at risk of exceeding the norm than getting carbohydrates from other sources: cereals, whole grain breads, vegetables and fruits.

These foods fill your stomach and keep you feeling full, so eating a good serving of buckwheat or a plate of fresh vegetables is unlikely to ask for a supplement.

But in the same portion of sweets or cakes, there will be several times more calories. And by the time of saturation, you will receive much more energy than the body needs.

Thus, high sugar intake increases the risk of exceeding caloric intake, and all unused calories are stored in fat cells and lead to excess weight over time.

Can sugar harm your health?

Essentially, glucose and fructose that make up table sugar are the same molecules that you get when you consume fruits, honey, and other uniquely healthy foods. However, unlike them, sugar does not contain anything else: no fiber, no vitamins, no trace elements and antioxidants. Therefore, it is often referred to as "empty calories".

Replacing a bowl of vegetables or fruit salad with a few candies will give you the same amount of energy, but also deprive your body of the fiber it needs for digestion, as well as vitamins and minerals that are important for health.

In addition, sugar has been linked to chronic inflammation in the body - the cause of many dangerous diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart and vascular problems, metabolic diseases and cancer.

Several scientific papers have noted that people who consume more sugar have higher levels of inflammatory markers. Scientists suggest that this may be due to the production of fatty acids in the liver during the absorption of sugar and their further metabolism in the body.

When you eat a spoonful of honey, an apple, or a handful of berries, the body works the same way, but along with glucose and fructose, you get a dose of antioxidants that reduce inflammation.

Thus, sugar can really harm health and it is worth limiting its use in everyday life.

Around 36 grams of sugar per day is considered safe for health. And this is enough to maintain high performance in strength or long-term cardio training, reduce the level of perceived effort, and partially relieve stress from the load.

If you're looking for health, keep this free sugar serving as the only one in your diet.

What is the bottom line

Drink milk if you are looking to build muscle and are not sure if your diet is getting enough protein, calcium and vitamin D3. You can also try the fat-free version on long aerobic workouts if you hate electrolyte sports drinks. However, it is worth giving up milk if you have an increased risk of cancer. Replace it with yogurt or other fermented milk products.

Consume 30-60 g of sugar in a sweet drink during heavy training - aerobic or strength training, which lasts 90 minutes or more. It will help you do more and feel better at the same time. Eliminate sweets from your diet the rest of the time.