Q. Should I drink chocolate milk after strenuous exercise instead of a sports drink?

A. Whether you're a hard-core endurance athlete like Lance Armstrong riding in the Tour de France or you play soccer on the weekends, liquids should not only be consumed during activities, but also afterward. As to which liquid is the ideal recovery drink, it depends on how intense your workout is and how often you do it.

For activities lasting less than an hour, water is the beverage of choice. If activities are longer than an hour, but only undertaken a few days each week, a carbohydrate-replacement drink such as Gatorade is often recommended.

If you train for more than an hour almost every day or compete in multiple events in one day, the goal is not only to hydrate, but also to help muscles recover and prepare for the next workout or competition. After your activity, a drink containing both carbohydrate and protein may be the best choice. The protein helps muscles begin repairing, while the carbohydrates replace glycogen needed to fuel the next workout.

Low-fat chocolate milk contains high-quality protein and carbohydrate, which could make it an excellent sports drink. Two recent studies in endurance cyclists showed that after a strenuous cycling session, subjects given low-fat chocolate milk for recovery were able to pedal longer during the next endurance session than those given sports drinks.

A recent study of college soccer players also showed that chocolate milk provided equal or better muscle recovery compared to a high-carbohydrate recovery beverage. Participants had lower levels of an enzyme that indicates muscle damage after drinking chocolate milk than after drinking a carbohydrate-replacement beverage. There were no differences between the two groups on soccer-specific performance tests, fatigue or muscle strength.

Experts suspect one reason for chocolate milk's effectiveness in helping athletes recover is its carbohydrate-to-protein ratio, which is approximately 4:1. White milk would not work as well because it has less carbohydrate than chocolate milk. Also, it may be easier to get people to drink chocolate milk because of the taste.

Milk is a natural source of potassium and sodium, which athletes lose in sweat. Calcium and vitamin D in milk may help prevent fractures. This could be especially helpful for child and teen athletes as incidence of bone fractures has increased in this group in recent years.