Lactose-free milk prolonged endurance capacity in lactose intolerant Asian males

Abstract

BackgroundSeveral studies on Caucasian volunteers have proven that milk is an effective recovery drink for athletes. Such benefit, however, cannot be directly applied to the lactose-intolerant Asian population. This study investigated the effects of ingesting water (WT), sports drink (SPD) and lactose-free milk (LFM) on cycling capacity.MethodsTen healthy young men completed 3 randomized experimental trials. Each trial consisted of an intermittent glycogen depleting session, a 2 h recovery period during which they ingested the test drink, followed by cycling at 70% of their maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) to volitional exhaustion. Each trial was separated by at least one week.ResultsThere were no complaints or symptoms of lactose intolerance during any of the trials. The cycling periods were different (p < 0.05) amongst the 3 trials, namely, lactose-free milk (LFM; 69.6 ± 14.0 min), sports drink (SPD; 52.1 ± 11.6 min), and water (WT; 36.0 ± 11.1 min), respectively. The VO2 and VCO2 of LFM (30 ± 4 and 29 ± 4 ml/kg/min) were lower (p < 0.05) than that of SPD (34 ± 4 and 34 ± 4 ml/kg/min) and WT (35 ± 4 and 33 ± 5 ml/kg/min). There were no differences (p = 0.45) in VO2 and VCO2 between SPD and WT. Mean rating of perceived exertion was lowest in LFM (14 ± 5; p < 0.05), while no difference was found between the other two trials (SPD: 16 ± 4 and WT: 16 ± 4; p = 0.18).ConclusionLactose-free milk is likely to be an effective recovery drink for enhancing subsequent cycling capacity in lactose intolerant Asian males.

Cognitive Performance and Mood Following Ingestion of a Theacrine-Containing Dietary Supplement, Caffeine, or Placebo by Young Men and Women

“…Our data for subjective feelings ( Table 3 ) support the existing research involving theacrine use in human subjects [ 8 ]. The current study indicates trends for higher self-report measures of attentiveness, alertness, focus, and energy, with lower scores noted for lethargic in the TheaTrim condition compared to the caffeine and placebo conditions.…”

“…Examining a range of dosages for theacrine in a larger cohort may also be warranted. As discussed in the introduction, 200 mg was shown to be more effective than 100 mg and 400 mg in a smaller sample of human subjects [ 8 ].…”

“…It is structurally similar to caffeine and has been reported to have antioxidant [ 3 ], anti-inflammatory/analgesic [ 4 ], anti-depressive [ 5 ], locomotor [ 6 ], and sedative/hypnotic properties [ 7 ]. Collectively, this agent may have wide-ranging effects in human subjects but to date has only been evaluated in two pilot studies [ 8 , 9 ]. The initial two-part pilot study involving 15 human subjects found that theacrine (Teacrine™, Compound Solutions, Inc., Carlsbad, CA, USA) delivered at an acute dose of 200 mg promoted a significant increase in energy, a reduction in fatigue, and a trend ( p = 0.07) towards improved concentration (based on a subjective questionnaire) compared to a placebo group.…”

“…The initial two-part pilot study involving 15 human subjects found that theacrine (Teacrine™, Compound Solutions, Inc., Carlsbad, CA, USA) delivered at an acute dose of 200 mg promoted a significant increase in energy, a reduction in fatigue, and a trend ( p = 0.07) towards improved concentration (based on a subjective questionnaire) compared to a placebo group. The same study included data for a group of six subjects who were dosed 100, 200, or 400 mg of theacrine over a seven-day period where they noted moderate to large effect sizes for energy, fatigue, concentration, anxiety, motivation to exercise, and libido with the 200 mg dose [ 8 ]. However, in the latter portion of this study, it is difficult to draw firm conclusions about the differential dosage effects using such a small sample of subjects and only seven days of treatment.…”

Milk: An Alternative Beverage for Hydration?

“…For individuals with hypolactasia diagnosis, may be prescribed the lactose-free milk [39] as an alternative. Lactose-free milk was described as good recovery drink when compared to water and sports drink [40]. However, there are no studies that compared the effects of this type of milk on post-exercise hydration.…”