What is muscle milk and how does it work?

One of the most commonly consumed types of milk today is cow's milk. Muscle milk helps to gain weight, gain muscle if used properly after training. So, if you want to gain muscle, how much should the practitioner maintain?

Cow's milk is the most commonly consumed milk, containing carbs, fat, protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals. Cow's milk comes in a variety of fat ratios, including skim milk, 1% fat, 2% fat, and whole milk. 240ml of milk provides 12 - 15g of carbs and 8g of protein. The amount of fat and the number of calories will vary depending on the type of milk.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, dairy protein is a better choice for people who want to gain muscle and gain weight. Specifically, milk protein after participating in endurance training exercises has a good effect in increasing muscle strength. In another study, only people who consumed dairy protein were able to lose fat.
2.1 Milk protein for muscle gain Milk protein is high in leucine and branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) that are easy to digest and absorb. Leucine is the main amino acid in the BCAA composition, responsible for muscle growth protein synthesis. In addition, whey protein derived from milk, which is a by-product left over from cheese production, is also high in leucine, which improves muscle growth. Thus, the consumption of protein from milk helps stimulate muscle improvement.

2.2 Drinking milk helps with fat loss A 12-week study was conducted to look at the effects of drinking fat-free milk on women who exercise. The results of the study showed that women who drank milk gained more muscle than those who did not drink milk (only consuming carbohydrates with similar nutritional content). At the same time, women who drank milk also lost better fat. Another study was conducted on 90 women of premenopausal age and overweight. They were divided into 3 groups, consuming different levels of protein and dairy. At the same time, the women were asked to do aerobic exercise daily for 16 weeks. The results showed that high protein and dairy consumption had better effects on muscle gain, strength gain, and reduction in total body fat and visceral fat.
2.3 Better protein from cow's milk than soy milk A study was done on 56 healthy young men who exercised 5 days/week. Participants were asked to drink fat-free milk, fat-free soy milk, or a carbohydrate equivalent after exercise.
The results showed that the milk drinkers gained more muscle, greater bone density and better fat loss. Research also shows that drinking milk after exercise promotes muscle growth better than soy milk or equivalent nutrients.
MORE: What to eat to gain muscle?

Recently, Danish researchers found that men whose diets were rich in whole milk had a slight increase in LDL cholesterol (a type of bad cholesterol). What is remarkable, however, is that these men drank six 236ml glasses of milk per day (equivalent to 1.4 liters of milk) - an unusually high amount. Even so, triglycerides (risk of heart disease) were reduced by 22%.
Therefore, each person should drink milk in a reasonable amount, namely drinking 2-3 glasses of milk/day, whether skim milk or whole milk to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. For those who are on a diet, drink low-fat milk to reduce calorie consumption. For those who want to gain muscle, they should drink whole milk. Scientists have found that drinking whole milk after lifting weights promotes muscle protein synthesis 2.8 times more than drinking low-fat milk.
The above studies show that consuming milk after exercise has an effect on muscle gain, fat loss and increased strength in the body. However, each person needs to drink milk in the right amount and have a scientific exercise plan to get the greatest effect.

References: healthline.com, verywellfit.com, menshealth.com