AFL rookie midfielder Jason Gillbee has become an overnight social media sensation after revealing that he had replaced drinking water with milk. Sure, it’s not the only story about an Aussie athlete that has broken the internet of late. But while this one might not include any dramatic late-night park scuffles, it remains just as confounding. One has to ask… why?

According to the moo-juice-mad teen, he prefers the taste of milk to the taste of water. On a hot day, he tells The Age, he’ll chug upwards of 2.5 litres of full-cream milk. The dairy diehard also says that milk is more hydrating. And on this particular point, he could be right.

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The 30-second science lesson

Several studies from the US and the UK have looked at how effective different fluids are at maintaining hydration, and found that milk was more effective than water. Milk is about 90 percent water, yes, but it also contains some other key elements, including the electrolytes sodium and potassium, which you lose when you sweat. Milk also contains fat, proteins, carbs and vitamins, and when you knock back a glass of liquid ivory, your body is naturally going to take a while to process all of that before expelling it – hence greater fluid retention when compared with water. 

The clot thickens

So yes, the lad has something there, and doesn’t appear to be any worse off for the experience. But before you rush out to the supermarket to stock up on 3-litre bottles of Dairydale Farm Fresh, remember that this rather odd young man is an 18-year-old athlete. He could probably drink bong water all day long and be totally fine. He’s also tearing up the training field, sweating buckets and burning calories like a madman. So a few litres of milk aren’t likely to do too much damage right now. Although we would like to be a fly on the wall when he gets his cholesterol levels checked in 10 years’ time…

The glass half full

Our take on this infinitely forgettable episode is simple: milk is good for you. Too much milk is not good for you. So drink some water once in a while, sheesh.

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