Is it true that sugar and milk are killing your athletic performance and health?

We were unable to find any studies in which milk consumption was associated with reduced performance in any sport. On the contrary, scientific papers support its benefits for recovery and productivity.

This is not surprising: cow's milk is rich in protein, a macronutrient without which it is impossible to build muscle. Moreover, unlike plant-based counterparts, whey protein and casein from milk are well absorbed by the body and contain many branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) necessary 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 mass faster. In addition, milk with any percentage of fat is equally effective for this - both whole and skimmed.

In addition, consuming milk immediately after strength training helps reduce delayed muscle soreness and associated strength losses 24 and 72 hours after exercise. In the long run, this can increase your performance in classes, which means it will have a positive effect on muscle growth.

However, in their entirety, studies have similar results. For example, in one experiment, 18 months of additional intake of 400 ml of milk per day had no effect on the strength and size of the participants' muscles. Scientists assumed that if people eat well, eat enough protein, calcium and vitamin D3, then they can do without milk: it will not affect their indicators in any way. But whether you have enough of these substances is a big question.

Milk can have a negative effect on the figure, but if you consume it in large quantities and therefore exceed your caloric intake.

You can also fill up on fruit, chicken and other healthy products.

Moreover, one study found that milk is even good for weight loss. In the experiment, young people trained five days a week, and after the exercises consumed either two glasses of milk, a sports drink with carbohydrates, or a soy protein shake, which is equal to milk in terms of protein and carbohydrates.

During the 12 weeks of the experiment, the participants who consumed milk lost twice as much fat and gained 1.5 kg more muscle mass than those who drank the carbohydrate sports drink. People in the soy protein group also gained more muscle than the carb participants, but didn't lose any fat.

Scientists assumed that calcium is the cause of everything. With a reduced caloric content of food, this macroelement weakens the accumulation of fats and stimulates their breakdown, which significantly accelerates the loss of extra pounds on the diet.

Thus, despite the rather high content of carbohydrates in the form of lactose, milk can be useful for those who want to lose weight and maintain muscle mass.

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

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

However, previous scientific studies did not reveal such a strong relationship. For example, in a 2017 analysis involving more than three thousand women, consumption of dairy products, on the contrary, reduced the risk of breast cancer by 15%.

There is also evidence that milk can increase the risk of prostate cancer, but at the same time protects against tumors of the intestine and bladder. The topic requires further research, and so far scientists do not recommend drinking milk to those who are at risk of breast cancer.

It is better to replace it with yogurt: this fermented milk product contains a lot of protein and is associated with a reduced risk of oncology.

While sugar is considered an absolute evil in the fitness world, it can be beneficial during heavy workouts. Sugary drinks increase performance in soccer and basketball, team sports that involve short bursts of intense work, and increase short-distance running speed and serve accuracy in soccer and tennis.

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

In addition, sugary drinks reduce the level of perceived exertion and the hormonal response to stress. Perhaps this is related to the brain's response to carbohydrates: they increase the level of serotonin in the brain, which provides pleasure.

Reducing the level of stress has a good effect on the immune system, suppressed by hard and long training. If you exercise for 90 minutes or more, 30 g of sugar in a sweet drink or bar will 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 sweet water, you're less likely to catch a cold on the way back from a grueling workout.

At once, several studies confirm that a drink with added sugar supports high performance during resistance training - it helps to perform more sets and preserve glycogen stores in the muscles for longer.

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

Sugar can really have a negative effect on the figure, and we have repeatedly written that it is better to give up this product altogether. However, as with any food, it's not that it has magical fat-building properties, but the amount of energy you get.

The listed products fill the stomach and provide a feeling of satiety, therefore, after eating a good portion of buckwheat or a plate of fresh vegetables, you are unlikely to ask for a supplement.

But the same portion of sweets or cakes will have several times more calories. And at the moment of saturation, you will get much more energy than the body needs.

By replacing a plate of vegetables or a fruit salad with a few candies, you will get the same amount of energy, but at the same time you will deprive your body of fiber necessary for digestion, as well as vitamins and trace elements that are important for health.

Several scientific papers have highlighted that people who consume more sugar have increased levels of inflammatory markers. Scientists suggest that this may be related to the production of fatty acids in the liver in the process of assimilation 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 the 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.

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

If you want health, let this portion of free sugar remain the only one in your diet.

Drink milk if you want to build muscle and are not sure if your diet is getting enough protein, calcium and vitamin D3. You can also try a low-fat version for long aerobic workouts if you can't stand sports drinks with electrolytes. However, it is worth giving up milk if you have an increased risk of cancer. Replace it with yogurt or other fermented milk products.