Beneficial role of milk for athletes
Article Type: Food facts From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 41, Issue 3
Health professionals were joined by rising tennis star Tom Farquharson at a conference held at Wimbledon to hear the latest research on the role that milk can play in re-hydration during exercise, fitness training and competitive sport. The Dairy Council (Great Britain) and The National Dairy Council(Republic of Ireland) as part of a three-year, EU-funded campaign, “Milk It For All It’s Worth”, aimed to raise the awareness of the benefits of milk to young athletes in the run up to the Olympics, hosted the event.
Tom Farquharson won the 2010 Wimbledon boy’s doubles. He said: “Diet is very important in recovery and performance for all athletes. Tennis players have to eat the right foods to recover quickly and properly but also to give us the energy to withstand long matches. I incorporate milk into my training, it is a nutritious product and I think it is a great idea for young people to be educated on its nutritional benefits”.
Professor Ron Maughan is a leading scientist in the sports nutrition field. Professor of Sport & Exercise Nutrition at Loughborough University, England,he discussed his thinking on the role of milk to re-hydrate athletes after sport. Professor Maughan said that priorities for recovery after exercise include carbohydrate repletion, stimulation of adaptive processes and the restoration of water and salt balance.
