Appropriate rehydration and nutrient intake in recovery is a key component of exercise performance. This study investigated whether the recovery of body net fluid balance (NFB) following exercise and thermal dehydration to −2 % of body mass (BM) was enhanced by a metered rate of ingestion of milk (M) compared with a carbohydrate-electrolyte solution (CE) or water (W). In randomised order, seven active men (aged 26·2 (SD 6·1) years) undertook exercise and thermal dehydration to −2 % of BM on three occasions. A metered replacement volume of M, CE or W equivalent to 150 % of the BM loss was then consumed within 2-3 h. NFB was subsequently measured for 5 h from commencement of rehydration. A higher overall NFB in M than CE (P = 0·001) and W (P = 0·006) was observed, with no difference between CE and W (P = 0·69). After 5 h, NFB in M remained positive (+117 (SD 122) ml) compared with basal, and it was greater than W (−539 (SD 390) ml, P = 0·011) but not CE (−381 (SD 460) ml, P = 0·077, d = 1·6). Plasma osmolality (P osm ) and K remained elevated above basal in M compared with CE and W. The change in P osm was associated with circulating pre-provasopressin (r s 0·348, P < 0·001), a biomarker of arginine vasopressin, but could not account fully for the augmented NFB in M compared with CE and W. These data suggest that a metered approach to fluid ingestion acts in synergy with the nutrient composition of M in the restoration of NFB following exercise and thermal dehydration. Normal physiological and behavioural perturbation of net body water (fluid) balance changes daily total body water (TBW) by <1 % (1) . The demands of physical activity perturb whole-body fluid balance and results in a net water deficit (dehydration) that may affect exercise tolerance and/or performance (2)(3)(4) . Physical activity accelerates the rate of substrate oxidation and the depletion of body energy stores. Particularly during intense exercise, the preferential use of carbohydrate as a substrate leads to accelerated use of muscle glycogen and an increase in branched chain amino acid oxidation by muscle that is inversely related to muscle glycogen content (5) . After exercise, amino acids, particularly the essential amino acids (EAA), are required in support of tissue repair and remodelling. A recovery beverage should, therefore, fulfil both fluid and nutrient requirements. Supported by evidence that milk can act as an effective rehydration fluid (6,7) , it is reasoned that the nutrient composition of milk offers a superior recovery fluid than water or carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions (CE).A common, laboratory-based, experimental paradigm to investigate the optimal strategy for fluid replacement is to undertake prolonged (approximately 90 min) exercise and thermal dehydration to a fixed decrease in body mass (−2 % BM), a surrogate of change in TBW (8,9) . The outcome of these studies recommends a fluid replacement regimen that requires the ingestion of a fluid volume equivalent to 150 % of the BM loss during exercise to be consumed ...