Is Muscle Milk Good for You?

I found this interesting and I thought it would be good to share with you all.  sparkpeople.com



Performance enhancing supplements have become big business. Many drinks, powders and bars promise a competitive edge through increased strength, development of an ultra lean body or increased recovery responses so you can work out harder and more effectively. We encourage all our readers to use care when selecting and taking any pre- or post-workout supplement and to only use them as pre- and post-workout snacks and not as meal replacements for dieting purposes. Recently a reader contacted us about a new type of supplement called Muscle Milk, wanting to know if it was different than other supplements and a good option for her and her husband. Here is what we learned.

Cytosport has created a line of supplements for athletes with the nutrition of human milk in mind. There are 32 different products designed to help active individuals get bigger and stronger as they strength train or run and bike further and faster to live better, healthier, leaner and livelier lives. Sounds like a pretty tall order for a nutritional supplement that is supposed to only provide you with a couple hundred calories and some vitamins and minerals pre- or post-workout.

Human milk has an ideal formulation to meet the rapid and steady growth and development requirements of infants. Muscle Milk has used the same philosophy and similar composition as a supplement to aid in lean muscle mass weight gain and repair. One of the biggest differences between Muscle Milk and other supplements is the amount and source of fat that is used because of the intention to mimic human milk compositions. Just as human milk contains small chains of fat that are easily absorbed and used as an energy source, so does Muscle Milk that derives 35% of its calories from fat. The "lean lipid" fats used are in the form of MCT (medium chain triglycerides), which serve as readily available energy sources for use by the body instead of being stored. Muscle Milk also includes long chain polyunsaturated fats from canola and sunflower oils, which can have an anti-inflammatory property from the omega-6 fatty acids, which are thought to help with post-workout recovery and repair.

Human milk is lower in protein than the milk of other mammals; however, the composition is ideal. Mother's milk consists of 60% whey protein and 40% casein protein, which provides an ideal balance for quick and easy digestion and utilization. Muscle Milk also provides a similiar composition in the form of micellar casein and whey protein isolate as well as other specific amino acids such as L-glutamine, taurine and lactoferrin which is believed to be involved specifically in muscle development. Muscle Milk does not contain creatine or creatine precursors like many of the other protein supplements. If you are diabetic, care is necessary with Muscle Milk or any other products containing L-glutamine.

The Bottom Line: Cytosport Muscle Milk is widely used by body builders and endurance athletes and has received very positive reviews. With a composition that is very close to that of human milk, it seems to be a unique supplement option. Muscle Milk contains a blend of 20 vitamins and minerals, balanced in carbohydrates, specific proteins and specialized fats that provide approximately 230 calories in a 14 oz ready-to-drink serving. Because of its special formulation, it has the nutritional balance closer to a small meal instead of a pre- or post-workout replacement supplement.

If you are an elite athlete training for a big competition looking for a quality supplement to augment your nutrition and assist with your increased nutrient needs, Muscle Milk might be something you would want to consider. However, if you walk several days a week for your cardio workout and do a little Pilates or yoga for strength training, this is probably not worth the calories or fat, and you would be better off drinking a glass of chocolate milk.


Have you tried Muscle Milk and if so, what did you think of it? Did you know that the goal was to mimic human milk?

Interesting info. I tried the lite vesion for the protein content. I thought it was OK. It is not one of my favorites. I just use it as a back-up source of something quick.

I drink muscle milk light all the time and love it.  I think it depends on what works for you.

I think I will stick with my body fortress advance whey from walmart.  I might consider taking this when I am ready to build muscle sometime in the future. I want to get fit before I have plastics in the next couple of years or so.

 I keep muscle milk in my fridge.  I actually like it especially ice cold.  I had no idea it was supposed to mimic human milk which I think makes it all the better for me.  I pretty much only use it when I'm low on my protein that I get from food for the day.  I almost never use protein shakes or any protein supplements when I have three meals a day that i can get my protein in.  At this stage post-op it's still the best thing to try to get all your protein from food because you have to be careful and not fall into that habit of going back to protein drinks and powders because they slide right through and you may not get all the positive affects from the protein drink/shake and that is money wasted.

Maybe this is something I will look into to build the muscle I lost during my weightloss. I am hopeing to get PS sometime in the future so when I am ready to lift weights and tone maybe I will give it a try.  In the meantime I think my good ole body fortress protein powder from walmart is the way to go for me.

 I have body fortress and my shaker.......it's just as good.....I just get lazy when i don't wanna mix things up and get muscle milk.  but be careful honey....try try TRY to get your protein from food.  it will stick to you better and it'll discourage snacking. since it won't wash right through.

Good morning Aaron,

I don't really drink a protein shake unless I see by the end of the day that I never got close to the required amount of grams of protein that I need.  The last time I had a protein shake was after I came out of the hospital over a month ago.  I normally get in 90 to 100 grams of protein a day.  I am not a protein shake person so I really avoid it as much as possible.  If I see tht I only ha about 50 or 60 grams I will definitely have one of those high protein bars or a shake to get me where I need to be. Especially since I am still nursing I can't afford to be under.

Thank you honey..

Have a wonderful day it is pouring and thundering over here.

I have not tried it.

to be honest I'm still trying to get rid of the notion that liquid protein is not acceptabe in my diet.

it's a hard habit to break.

the thing that stands out for me is the following statement:

If you are an elite athlete training for a big competition looking for a quality supplement to augment your nutrition and assist with your increased nutrient needs, Muscle Milk might be something you would want to consider. However, if you walk several days a week for your cardio workout and do a little Pilates or yoga for strength training, this is probably not worth the calories or fat, and you would be better off drinking a glass of chocolate milk.

To me this says that unless you are a power athlete you don't need a supplemental work out drink

besides  as a retired La Leche Leader  I know that  human milk is meant for BABY humans.  Once we are weaned we don't need milk...

 One of the things you will need to take note of nessa is that once you have surgery, you start ALL over again with your eating.......you eat like a baby right after surgery.  allbeit it's an accelerated rate than a real baby but a baby nonetheless.  In the course of a month and a half, you start eating like a baby to adult.  Quick behavior modification eh?  LOL  True, most protein supplements are MARKETED to power athletes, but when you first come out of surgery, there is no way that you will get your daily amount of protein in without supplements.  Musle milk is an easy way to do it with.  it's ready to drink and has all kinds of good things in it.  You will need it or your protein of choice at the beginning.  You won't be able to get all your protein in from food until you're a couple months out.  As we all say, the first month and a half are the hardest.