MILK OUTPERFORMS SPORTS DRINKS

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/milk-outperforms-sports-drinks-20100908-150xr.html

Image taken from:
http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/milk-outperforms-sports-drinks-20100908-150xr.html

Milk better than sports drinks?

Researchers are giving scientific backing that milk may be equally as good or even better than sports drinks for athletes recovering from exercise.

This was an interesting and informative piece. I liked how they opened the story with a scene of gym trainer Matt Whitmore drinking a carton of milk after a heavy training session. Rather than opening the story with facts (the 5 W’s and 1 H), the SMH used a colour introduction to capture the reader’s interest and to personalise the story.

The story provided useful information and facts for the reader on the health benefits of milk such as vitamin D, calcium, electrolytes and carbohydrates.

According to researchers, milk contains casein and whey - two essential proteins that are optimal for rebuilding muscles after exercise such as running, football and cycling. This was supported by quotes from Glenys Jones- a nutritionist at Britain’s Medical Research Council, who gives the story credibility. She asserts that milk is an ideal drink for regenerating new muscles damaged during exercise, while sports drinks merely replace lost carbohydrates and electrolytes.

However, I think the story could be improved by providing a definition of these scientific terms to aid readers who may be unfamiliar with these terms. In addition, the SMH could have provided a brief description of the benefits of these specific nutrients and proteins that are found in milk content.

A strength of this article is that it manages to hold the reader’s interest to the end by providing a variety of quotes from different sources and integrating different perspectives and research pertaining to the benefits of milk. The article incorporated another study into the piece to reinforce and substantiate the advantages of milk for athletes. A study published by Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, found that people who drank milk were able to train longer during their next session, than people who opted for water or a sports drink.

The story provides further interesting factual information by providing details of another study conducted in Canada, which found women who drank milk after lifting weights, lost more fat and built more muscle than those who had a sports drink. This further corroborates the benefits of milk for athletes.

The story also has prominence - referring to how gold medallist swimmer Michael Phelps regularly drank flavoured milk between his races during the Beijing Olympics.

Another strength of this article is that it provided different and opposing views, which generated conflict in the story and covered one of the key news values in journalism. Nutritionist Glenys Jones believes milk is an ideal drink for post-exercise, however, dietician Catherine Collins contends that whilst milk can provide benefits for professional athletes who expend thousands of calories each day through intensive training, it would be more ideal for sporadic gym-goers to drink plain water or a sports drink, because milk - particularly flavoured chocolate milk can add calories and is more difficult to digest.

Overall, this was a good story.