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While SOing at the June PSC IDPA match I became dehydrated even while consuming large amounts of water. Symptoms included cramps, headache, and extreme exhaustion.
In the last couple years (after turning sixty) this has become a problem for me when the temp gets around 100 degrees.

After the match a pharmacist friend of mine said to drink chocolate milk and explained the benefits in terms that I didn't understand. I tried it and the results were amazing.

Long story short, I have been drinking chocolate milk in three matches in similar conditions
including ROing the last USPSA match at PSC and not had any problems.

I freeze chocolate milk in 8 oz plastic bottles and as it melts it becomes like a "slushy".
I drink three of these during the match along with water and do not even become heat fatigued.
I am a believer.

Info here:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=17484" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://nutrition.suite101.com/article.c ... orts_drink" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

mmmm...tastes good , and good for you .
i may have to try that . i spend a large amount of time outside for work .
the heat never bothered me much ,but the older i get ,the more i make sure to be careful .

TxD, thanks for the links. I guess it's true "Milk does a body good."

just had some choco milk.....i thought about this thread as i was guzzling it down....
....i feel better already

Dehydration is serious business. The old adage goes that if you feel thirsty, it's already too late. You were definitely exhibiting the signs of dehydration and if allowed to continue could have progressed to heat exhaustion and then heat stroke. Drinking water and sports drinks and the ilk at the moment when you are dehydrated will not help because dehydration occurs on a cellular level. The best remedy would be to prepare the day before by hydrating as much as possible so that you're almost super-saturated.

That being said, the benefits of chocolate milk on dehydration is a first for me. It's very interesting to say the least! I'll definitely have to consider it the next time I'm outdoors at the range on a sweltering Saturday afternoon.

I'd be curious to run it by a nutritionist, there would have to be a physiological explanation. I'm guessing it's the relationship between the sugar, sodium & protein combination. I remember looking at a carton of chocolate milk recently and saw there is 27 GRAMS of sugar in a 1 cup serving of chocolate milk!!It's got 140 mg sodium. There is 8 grams of protein per serving - which I believe would also help stabilize the metabolism of the sugar.

There is a relationship with sugar conversions to glucose which causes the liver releases insulin -> which somehow down the line affects availablity of water to cells. I just don't remember all the physiology.



I'm also guessing there would be a difference related to the absorption rates of the sources of sugar - lactose vs dextrose (Compared to gatorade - 12 oz serving has 43 gr sugar/ 340 gr salt / 0 protein).

Just a lot of loose rambling = possible ideas. Fluid and electrolyte imbalances was my worst course in school -- so I may be completely off track. I never really learned how it all worked = but it is a truly facsinating science!

I will be outside this weekend and give it a try, also.

I wear a 100 oz. bladder/soft/back pack similar to a camel back while cycling. It has a tube running from the bladder to a bite valve for easy drinking.

I completely fill it with ice cubes and then water to the top. I sip on this continually as Igrind out the miles and stay comfortable as my body core stays cool and I stay hydrated. In addition, I drink water before I leave too in order to have an already hydrated system.

Wearing one of these at the range might work for some. You could also fill it with chocolate milk, but cleaning the bladder might be a pain...

MrsFosforos wrote:I'd be curious to run it by a nutritionist, there would have to be a physiological explanation.

I agree Mrs F.
It would be interesting to get the Feb 2009 issue mentioned here.

"In the most recent study, eight of the nine subjects cycled for longer in the endurance trial after drinking chocolate milk than after drinking the other two drinks. The study, which was funded by Runner’s World and Masterfoods, was published in February 2009 in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism."

Although my own limited research has been more along the lines of hydration/rehydration,
I found this statement interesting.

"Chocolate milk drinkers were found to have significantly lower levels of creatine kinase – an indicator of muscle damage – compared to when they drank the carbohydrate beverage."

Quotes are from this link:
http://nutrition.suite101.com/article.c ... orts_drink" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

MrsFosforos wrote:I'd be curious to run it by a nutritionist, there would have to be a physiological explanation. I never really learned how it all worked = but it is a truly facsinating science!

Nutrition is not an exact science, so nobody knows exactly how it all works. I don't find it hard to believe that a mixture of foods such as chocolate and milk could work to supply energy and rehydrate better than a mix of chemicals concocted by the Gatorade people. I also don't find it hard to believe that a study sponsored by a food company might be a little biased. I admit that I am a little biased too - I like chocolate milk. It tastes much better than Gatorade.

There's a tribe in Africa that subsists primarily on sour milk.

They sour it deliberately as that's their preference. They thrive on this food with almost no addition to their diet.

Sadly for them, chocolate is not available as an additive.