An Objective Comparison of Chocolate Milk and Surge Recovery

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Today’s article is a guest piece by Alan Aragon. Alan is one of the few in this field that I really respect; while he and I
occasionally disagree on some bit of minutiae, it’s never anything more than a minor disagreement. This piece was
originally run in Alan’s Monthly Research Review which I did my own review of last year. You can read my review in Alan
Aragon Research Review – Product Review.

Much of what Alan talks about in this piece is actually discussed in the article I did on Milk: The New Sports Drink? – A
Review but, Alan, in an obsessive way that I can only admire, gets into much more detail.

Enjoy.

Lyle

An Object ive Comparison of Chocolat e Milk and Surge Recovery.

By Alan Aragon

INTRODUCTION TO CENSORSHIP

Recently, a member of the t- nation.com forums posted a question about whether or not it’s safe for her 12 year- old son
to have a postexercise product called Surge instead of chocolate milk. Bill Roberts, a product formulator for Biotest (the
supplement company behind t- nation.com), said essentially that the carb source in chocolate milk (sucrose) was inferior
to the carb source in Surge (dextrose). I then challenged him to justify his position. My position was that using sucrose
isn’t any more of a nutritional compromise than using dextrose. His answer was that “everyone knows” dextrose is
superior to sucrose for postworkout glycogen resynthesis, and that sucrose is inherently unhealthier than dextrose. I
countered his position by presenting scientific research refuting his claims. He then got all bent out of shape and started
hurling ad hominems at me, obviously frustrated that he was losing a public battle.

“Everyone knows”

In one of Bill’s posts, he literally said “everyone knows” more than a doz en times – while failing to provide a single trace
of scientific research supporting his claims. If indeed everyone knew, and was in agreement with him, he would have
had at least a handful of cronies sticking up for him, if for nothing else but to pad his fall to the mat. But alas, he received
support from no one except one moderator, who I’ll quote as saying, “I refuse to back up my claims, so sue me”.

To Bill’s credit, the soccer mom who asked the original question wouldn’t listen to anyone but him, so kudos to Bill on
his politician- like rhetorical skills. In the mean time, several members expressed their disappointment in Bill’s neglect for
citing research evidence to back his stance. I also know for a fact that a good handful of posts from innocent observers
(supporting my side of the debate) were censored from posting in the thread. This was presumably because their posts
made Bill look even more uninformed.

It’s not surprising that people’s posts were blocked from appearing in the thread because eventually, my own posts
never made it into the thread. At that point, I knew that continuing the debate was just not going to happen. Nevertheless,
all of the key posts made it through; all of the posts that clearly showed Bill’s inability (and unwillingness) to engage in
scientific debate were right there, plain as day. Ultimately, Bill ended up looking as prideful as he was ignorant. In order
to save face, either Bill or administrators of t- nation.com had the thread deleted.

Ironically, I recently wrote an article for t- nation.com (A Musclehead’s Guide to Alcohol). If I may say so myself, it was a
hit, judging by the reader feedback and frequent links back to the article. Given that, it was downright humorous to be
censored by the forum administrators shortly after contributing to their library of wisdom. In the following sections, I’ll
compare the components of Surge with chocolate milk for postexercise recovery. For the sake of simplicity and context-
specificity, I’ll judge the application of the two products to the target market of Surge, which consists of general fitness
and bodybuilding fans.
MEET THE COMPETITORS

In the brown corner, we have chocolate milk. The ingredients of chocolate milk vary slightly across brands, but in
general, the ingredients are: milk, sugar (or high fructose corn syrup), cocoa processed with alkali, natural and artificial
flavors, salt, carrageenan, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3. Like regular milk, chocolate milk is available in varying levels
of milk fat. For the purposes of this comparison, I’ll use the one most consumers are most likely to choose, the low- fat
variety.

In the red corner, we have Surge Recovery (which I’ll continue to abbreviate as Surge). The ingredient list is as follows:
d- glucose (dextrose), whey- protein hydrolysate, maltodextrin, natural and artificial flavors, sucralose. Other ingredients
include L- leucine and DL- phenylalanine.

Research behind the products

What’s exciting about this comparison is that both of these products have been highly heralded and hyped in their
respective arenas. Surge in its exact formulation doesn’t have any peer- reviewed research behind it. However, Berardi
et al reported that a solution of similar construction to Surge (33% whey hydrolysate, 33% glucose and 33%
maltodextrin) was slightly superior for glycogen resynthesis at 6 hrs postexercise compared to a 100% maltodextrin
solution[1]. Effects on muscle protein flux were not measured.

Chocolate milk has thus far had an impressive run in the research examining its applications to various sporting goals
[2,3]. It has performed equally well for rehydration and glycogen resynthesis compared to carb- based sports drinks,
and it has outperformed them (and soy- based drinks) for protecting and synthesiz ing muscle protein. A standout study in
this area was a comparison of chocolate milk, Gatorade, and Endurox R4 (a sports drink with a 4:1 carb to protein ratio)
[4]. Chocolate milk was equally effective as Gatorade for total work output and prolonging time to exhaustion.
Interestingly, both of the latter products outperformed Endurox R4 in both tests. The researchers speculated that the use
of maltodextrin rather than sucrose (yes, you read that correctly) as the dominant carbohydrate source was the Achilles
heel of Endurox R4. More on the virtues of sucrose instead of straight glucose for exercise applications will be covered.

QUANTITATIVE MACRONUTRIENT COMPARISON

Product Serving Kcal Protein Carbohydrate Fat

Surge 3 scoops 340 25 grams 46 grams 2.5 grams

Chocolate Milk 17.3 oz 340 17.3 grams 56.3 grams 6.5 grams

When isocalorically matched, Surge and lowfat chocolate milk have the expected similarities and differences. The
suggested serving of Surge has 7.7 g more protein than chocolate milk, while chocolate milk has 10.3 g more
carbohydrate. While the lesser protein content of chocolate milk might on the surface seem like a point scored for Surge,
this is actually a non- issue.

Recent research by Tang et al found that as little as 10g whey plus 21 g fructose taken after resistance exercise was
able to stimulate a rise in muscle protein synthesis [5]. Considering that an isocaloric serving of lowfat chocolate milk
has 17.3 g protein plus 56.3 g carbohydrate, a hike in muscle protein synthesis (as well as inhibition of protein
breakdown) would be easily achieved. Chocolate milk has 4g more fat than Surge. Again, this might be viewed as a
detriment for those conserving fat calories, but it’s still a low absolute amount of fat. This also may have a potential
benefit which I’ll discuss in a minute. Bottom line: there’s no clear winner in this department; there’s too many
contingencies to make a blanket judgement.

QUALITATIVE MACRONUTRIENT COMPARISON

Protein

Surge uses whey protein hydrolysate (WPH). In theory, WPH is favorable because it’s already broken down into peptide
fragments. This spurred the assumption that it would have faster absorption and uptake by muscle, which in turn would
result in greater net anabolism. However, a recent study by Farnfield et al observed the exact opposite when WPH was
compared with whey protein isolate (WPI), which consists of intact whole protein [6]. WPH not only was absorbed more
slowly, but its levels in the blood also declined more rapidly, resulting in a much weaker response curve. Leucine and
the rest of the BCAAs were significantly better absorbed from WPI than WPH. The researchers concluded that total
amino acid availability of WPI was superior to WPH.

Of note, Surge is fortified with leucine, a branched chain amino acid (BCAA) that plays a critical role in muscle protein
synthesis. An isocaloric serving of chocolate milk has 1.7g leucine. This may or may not have any impact, especially
within the context of a high protein intake typical of the athletic population. It’s important to keep in mind that most high-
quality animal- based protein is 18- 26% BCAA [7]. Adding a few grams of supplemental BCAA to a pre- existent high
intake within the diet is not likely to yield any magic. Surge is also fortified with phenylalanine, presumably for the
purpose of enhancing the insulin response. Again, this is an unnecessary tactic since insulin’s primary action is the
inhibition of muscle protein breakdown. This antiproteolytic effect of nutrient- mediated insulin response is maximal at
elevations just slightly above fasting levels [8].

Chocolate milk’s protein is no different than that of regular milk. Milk protein is roughly 20% whey and 80% casein. Thus
far in the scientific literature, comparisons of casein- dominant proteins with whey for sports applications are evenly split.
Some studies show casein as superior (in spite of a higher leucine content in the whey treatments) [9,10], while others
point to whey as the victor [11,12]. The only certainty is that it can’t be assumed that faster is better when it comes to
promoting net anabolism. An acute study on post- ingestion amino acid kinetics by LaCroix suggests that milk protein is
best left as- is rather than isolating its protein fractions [13]. Compared to total milk protein, whey’s amino acid delivery
was too transient, and underwent rapid deamination during the postprandial period. The authors concluded that milk
proteins had the best nutritional quality, which suggested a synergistic effect between its casein and whey. Bottom line:
chocolate milk gets the edge; WPH has thus far bit the dust compared to WPI in a head- to- head comparison, and whey
has not been consistently superior to total milk protein.

Carbohydrate

Surge has dextrose (synonymous with glucose) as its sole carbohydrate source, while chocolate milk has an even mix
of sucrose (in the form of either sucrose or high- fructose corn syrup) and lactose. While it’s common to assume that
dextrose is superior to sucrose for postexercise glycogen resynthesis, research doesn’t necessarily agree. A trial by
Bowtell et al showed a glucose polymer to synthesiz e more glycogen by the 2- hr mark postworkout [14]. However, two
other trials whose postexercise observation periods were 4 and 6 hours respectively saw no significant difference in
glycogen storage between sucrose and glucose [15,16].

Perhaps the most overlooked advantage of a fructose- containing carbohydrate source (sucrose is 50% fructose) is that
it supports liver glycogen better than a glucose- only source, as in the case of Surge. A little- known fact is that hepatic
glycogenolysis (liver glycogen use) occurs to a significant degree during exercise, and the magnitude of
glycogenolysis is intensity- dependent [17]. Illustrating the potential superiority of sucrose over glucose, Casey et al saw
no difference in muscle glycogen resynthesis 4 hrs postexercise [15]. However, there was more liver glycogen
resynthesis in the sucrose group, and this correlated with a slightly greater exercise capacity.

One of the potential concerns of consuming a large amount of sucrose instead of glucose is how the 50% fructose
content in sucrose might be metaboliz ed from a lipogenic standpoint. Answering this question directly, McDevitt saw no
difference in de novo lipogenesis (conversion to fat) between the massive overfeeding of either glucose or sucrose at
135g above maintenance needs [18]. Another potential concern is the use of high- fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in
chocolate milk. The common fear of HFCS being some sort of special agent that undermines health is simply not
grounded in science. HFCS is virtually identical to sucrose both in chemical structure and metabolic effect [19].
Independent researcher John White eloquently clarified HFCS misconceptions in a recent review, which I’ll quote [20].

“Although examples of pure fructose causing metabolic upset at high concentrations abound, especially when fed as the
sole carbohydrate source, there is no evidence that the common fructose- glucose sweeteners do the same. Thus,
studies using extreme carbohydrate diets may be useful for probing biochemical pathways, but they have no relevance
to the human diet or to current consumption. I conclude that the HFCS- obesity hypothesis is supported neither in the
United States nor worldwide.”

It bears mentioning that lactose intolerance can prohibit regular milk use for certain susceptible individuals. However, this
can be remedied by using Lactaid brand milk, or by using lactase pills or drops. Bottom line: For those who can digest
lactose or are willing to take the extra step to make it digestible, chocolate milk wins. But since there are those who can’t
or won’t do what’s required to tolerate lactose, I’m calling this a tie.
Fat

Coincidentally, Surge and chocolate milk have identical proportions of saturated fat. Lowfat chocolate milk has more fat
than Surge, which would cause some folks to call a foul for postworkout purposes. However, a trial by Elliot et al found
that postexercise ingestion of whole milk was superior for increasing net protein balance than fat- free milk [21]. The most
striking aspect about this trial was that the calorie- matched dose of fat free milk contained 14.5g protein, versus 8.0 g in
the whole milk. Apparently, postworkout fat intake (particularly milk fat) is nothing to fear, and may even be beneficial
from the standpoint of synthesiz ing muscle protein. Bottom line: it’s a tie, since there is very little evidence favoring one
fat profile/amount versus the other. On one hand, you can be saving fat calories by going with Surge. On the other hand,
postworkout milk fat might potentially enhance protein synthesis. Things come out even.

MICRONUTRIENT COMPARISON (per 340 kcal serving)*

Surge Recovery Chocolate Milk

Calcium 180 mg 624 mg

Cholesterol 75 mg 16 mg

Leucine 4000 mg 1714 mg

Magnesium 20 mg 70 mg

Phenylalanine 2000 mg 844 mg

Phosphorous 120 mg 558 mg

Potassium 400 mg 920 mg

Sodium 200 mg 329 mg

*This comparison is limited to the micronutrients on the Surge label. And yes, I realiz e that not all of the above are
technically micronutrients.

A quick glance at the above chart shows that chocolate milk is markedly more nutrient- dense, with the exception of a
higher content of leucine and phenylalanine in Surge, whose significance (or lack of) I discussed earlier. As an
interesting triviality, both have a low cholesterol content, but Surge has 4.6 times more. Chocolate milk has more sodium,
but it also has a significantly higher potassium- to- sodium ratio. Bottom line: chocolate milk wins this one decisively.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Price

Chocolate milk by the half gallon (64oz , or about 2000 ml) is approximately $3.00 USD. Sticking with our 340 kcal figure,
this yields 3.7 servings, which boils down to $0.81 per serving. A tub of Surge costs $36.00 and yields 16 servings (3
scoops, 340 kcals per serving). This boils down to $2.25 per serving. That’s 277% more expensive than chocolate milk.
Even on a protein- matched basis, Surge is still roughly double the price. Bottom line: chocolate milk is many times
easier on your wallet.

Convenience & taste

Convenience is the single area where Surge wins. Being a powder, it’s non- perishable, requiring no refrigeration. This
makes it more easily portable. Taste will always be, well, a matter of taste. I highly doubt that in a blinded test that Surge
would win over chocolate milk. Bottom line: Surge is more convenient, but I’ll go out on a limb and guess that chocolate
milk would taste better to most people.

CONCLUSION

I have no vested interest in glorifying chocolate milk, nor do I stand to benefit by vilifying Surge. My goal was to
objectively examine the facts. Using research as the judge, chocolate milk was superior or equal to Surge in all
categories. The single exception was a win for Surge in the convenience department. So, if the consumer were forced to
choose between the two products, the decision would boil down to quality at the expense of convenience, or vice versa.
I personally would go for the higher quality, lower price, and strength of the scientific evidence. Chocolate milk it is.

REFERENCES CITED:

1. Berardi JM, et al. Postexercise muscle glycogen recovery enhanced with a carbohydrate- protein supplement.
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006 Jun;38(6):1106- 13.
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3. McDonald L. (Review of) Milk the new sports drink? a review. Bodyrecomposition.com, 2008.
4. Karp JR. Chocolate milk as a post- exercise recovery aid. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2006 Feb;16(1):78- 91. [
5. Tang JE, et al. Minimal whey protein with carbohydrate stimulates muscle protein synthesis following resistance
exercise in trained young men. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2007 Dec;32(6):1132- 8.
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Nutr. 2008 May 8:1- 11.
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sustain the anabolic postprandial amino acid requirement. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Nov;84(5):1070- 9.
14. Bowtell JL, et al. Effect of different carbohydrate drinks on whole body carbohydrate storage after exhaustive
exercise. J Appl Physiol 2000; 88 (5): 1529- 36.
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Dec;88(6):1738S- 1744S.
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