Is it bad to drink milk before running?
It's not bad to drink milk before running, in fact, it's the opposite. Milk has fluid, electrolytes and energy and can be good to drink before running, especially longer distances when your body needs extra carbohydrate to fuel muscles.
Last updated 31/01/2025
When planning what to drink before a run, it’s important to choose foods that are familiar and easily digested to avoid stomach upset. Dairy foods like milk provide fluid and electrolytes to replace losses from sweat and carbohydrate to help fuel muscles. Milk is also low in fibre, making digestion easier.
Some athletes worry that eating dairy foods like milk before exercise will cause gut issues but recent research has shown otherwise. A study in competitive female cyclists compared gut comfort and performance when they ate either a breakfast containing three serves of dairy or a similar meal that was dairy free. The study found there were no negative effects on gut comfort or sporting performance, even when all three serves of dairy were concentrated into a single meal before a strenuous cycling workout.1
Drinking milk before a run will not only provide benefits from the fluid, electrolytes and carbohydrate but it will also give your bones a rich source of calcium and help to ensure that you meet your daily dairy serve recommendations. Compared to commercial sports drinks, milk provides additional nutrients and vitamins and can be a great choice to drink before a run.
References
- 1. Haakonssen EC et al. Dairy-Based Pre-exercise Meal Does Not Affect Gut Comfort or Time-Trial Performance in Female Cyclists. Int J Sport Nutr and Exerc Metab, 2014, 24, 553-558
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