Elite athletes joined nutrition experts at the Olympic velodrome track yesterday to discuss the role of dairy in performance nutrition.
Three time Olympian Goldie Sayers, a javelin thrower, and double Olympic gold medalist Philip Hindes MBE, a track cyclist, were among guest speakers of The Dairy Council’s seminar “Recovering from Rio: an insight into performance nutrition” to celebrate the success of Team GB at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The afternoon included a presentation from Dr Emma Cockburn, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science at Middlesex University, where she discussed new research on milk and its role in muscle recovery after sport.
"Milk is a beneficial recovery intervention from strenuous exercise particularly that involves an eccentric component in both males and females," Dr Cockburn explained.
Dr Kevin Currell, Head of Performance Nutrition at the English Institute of Sport (EIS), also joined The Dairy Council to give delegates an insight into the power of food in elite sporting performance.
Dr Currell said: "Dairy is such a crucial part of an Olympian’s diet because they need a lot of calcium for bone strength to prevent injury. Also, the protein found in milk and yogurt helps to promote muscle strength."
Peak performance
The audience also heard from top athlete Goldie Sayers who gave an insight into what nutrition means to athletes, and its role in attaining peak performance.
Philip Hindes, who recently returned from competing in the Rio Olympics, also shared his experiences and strategies for recovering from major sporting events.
He said: "A glass of milk helps to replete my energy levels after a race and ensure that my muscles recover quickly."
Goldie Sayers said: "Milk and dairy foods are great at providing the right amount of carbohydrate and protein required to boost performance and recovery."
Erica Hocking, Senior Nutrition Scientists from The Dairy Council, added: "We’ve had an exciting summer of sport and yesterday’s event highlighted some of the most cutting edge research being carried out in dairy nutrition and sports recovery.
"Dairy foods have an important role to play in sports nutrition thanks to their wide range of essential nutrients, plus it tastes good."
