Effect of Milk Consumption on Endurance Performance

Abstract

Nine trained trackmen were divided into experimental (nonmilk) and control (milk) groups. Both groups participated in eight weeks of training. The experimental group was not permitted any milk, cheese, or ice cream except in those dishes in which milk was used in cooking. The controls consumed a minimum of three pints of milk daily and about two pints of ice cream each week. Steady state and all-out treadmill measures were obtained as well as diet recall records. During the period of this investigation no significant effects which might be attributed to milk were observed on performance. With exclusion of milk from the diet the intake of calcium, vitamin A, and riboflavin dropped significantly and below the recommended minimum allowances.