Originally Posted by
redlude97
Thats not really how it works though, water is not a good placebo in such a study, it depends on the question being asked. if added 3:1 carbs to fat would recovery be improved even though calories increased? What about if the recovery drinks were isocaloric?We know about mechanisms involved in metabolism, muscle synthesis, and glycogen replenishment etc to guide the questions being asked In general, I find the main issue is not with the science/research itself but rather the conclusions drawn, but if you take the time to analyze the data you can draw your own conclusions
The title of the article is "No, chocolate milk does not improve the recovery of athletes." Which is a stupid. Of course chocolate milk improves the recovery of athletes. And even water isn't a true placebo because it has a physiological effect, that of hydration. If one were testing aspirin vs. ibuprofen, is the aspirin a placebo? Of course not. A placebo does nothing. From the Latin:
placebo "I shall please," "a harmless pill, medicine, or procedure prescribed more for the psychological benefit to the patient than for any physiological effect."
A true title and conclusion might be, "Chocolate milk improves the recovery of athletes no more than this researcher's favorite substitute for it." I would have no problem with that as long as the research continued through at least a couple weeks of hard training and follow-up.