Comparing A2 chocolate milk to standard chocolate milk as a post exercise recovery aid.

This study used a repeated measures double blind cross over design which aimed to compare A2 semi skimmed chocolate milk with normal semi skimmed chocolate milk as a post exercise recovery aid, following an exhaustive bout of netball specific exercise. The study involved the use of eight female netball players (age; 21.6 ± 1.8 years, height; 165.8 ± 9.8 cm, mass; 68.9 ± 12.89 kg and years playing netball; 8.0 ± 4.5) who participated in two specific netball tests: The Netball Specific Fitness Test (NSFT) and the Octorepeater Test. Both tests incorporated movement’s specific to netball. The participants consumed 400ml of either A2 semi skimmed milk with 26g of Cadburys chocolate powder 15 minutes after the exercise and then again 2 hours after the exercise. The exercise protocol was then repeated 24 hours after the first day. As the study was a repeated measures design, the second condition was completed one week later. Measurements of motivation, heart rate, rate of perceived exertion and quadriceps muscle soreness were taken. NSFT measurements were taken, which included the level and stage attained and also Octorepeater measurements, which included total time and fatigue rating. Results showed an increase in mean NSFT score difference following ingestion of both A2 and normal chocolate milk, with a main effect found between the drinks (F1, 7 = 8.077, p 0.05, p = 0.065). Mean Octorepeater total sprint time difference decreased following ingestion of both A2 and normal chocolate milk, with a main effect found between the drinks (F1, 7 = 11.343, p 0.05, p = 0.950). No significant interaction was found for the fatigue rating between the drinks (F1, 7 = 0.131, p > 0.05, p = 0.728) or the days (F1, 7 = 0.002, p > 0.05, p = 0.966). There was also no significant interaction found between the drink and the day (F1,7 = 3.974, p > 0.05, p = 0.086). There were no significant interactions found in the end of performance heart rate and RPE, other than for Octorepeater2 where there was a main effect found between the days (F1, 7 = 7.000, p 0.05); 48 hours after (t(7) = -0.552, p > 0.05) and 72 hours after the second bout (t(7) = -1.528, p > 0.05. The results highlight the effectiveness of A2 milk as a post exercise recovery aid for netball athletes who perform over consecutive days in competitions. A2 milk is a relatively unexplored recovery beverage which needs more attention