Can Lactose Intolerant People Drink Chocolate Milk?

You’ve heard that chocolate milk is a great post-workout and competition recovery drink, but you notice unpleasant digestive symptoms after drinking milk and eating certain dairy foods. What could be the problem? While it may be lactose intolerance, many athletes with this condition can reap the performance benefits of chocolate milk and other dairy foods by choosing low-lactose or lactose-free options.

What is Lactose Intolerance?

As an athlete with lactose intolerance, you have difficulty digesting lactose, the natural sugar found in milk and certain dairy foods. This happens because your body doesn’t produce enough of the enzyme lactase needed to break down lactose during digestion. It can also occur when you are unable to absorb lactase properly. When dairy foods are eaten, you may experience uncomfortable symptoms like stomach pain and bloating.

Dairy for Athletes

Athletes depend on strong, healthy bones for growth, development and overall performance and dairy foods deliver what they need.  In addition to providing calcium and other key nutrients needed for post-activity recovery, milk also contains electrolytes that help restore fluid balance after a workout. Research[1] also suggests that milk may play a role in reducing exercise-induced muscle damage and supporting muscle gains in resistance training athletes. For endurance activities such as running, cycling, or other long-duration sports, chocolate milk provides an effective carbohydrate-to-protein ratio that helps refuel energy stores and support recovery.

Here are other useful tips to help manage lactose intolerance:

Drink lactose-free milk products.

• Reduce your risk of having a reaction by replacing “regular” milk with a lactose-free dairy product. Lactose-reduced milk still has all of nutrients found in milk, including protein, calcium, potassium and vitamin D and should not cause any digestive issues.

Research the lactose content—and the effect of—your favorite dairy foods.

• Reaction to lactose can differ from person to person. One person may have severe symptoms after drinking a small amount of milk while another person can comfortably drink milk in the presence of food. Some people can easily eat yogurt and hard cheeses such as cheddar and Swiss, while other milk products cause them to have symptoms. Determine your level of tolerance and incorporate dairy foods in your diet as able.

Don’t confuse lactose intolerance with a milk allergy. 

• A true milk allergy involves the immune system, while lactose intolerance means you don’t have enough of the enzyme lactase to break down the milk. Symptoms of a milk allergy include hives, wheezing, vomiting, runny nose, itchy rash, abdominal cramps, diarrhea and watery eyes. The inability to break down the lactose leads to an upset stomach. These two issues are often confused, and you should consult your doctor if you think you may have a milk allergy or lactose intolerance.