In New York City, school food officials report that nearly 60 percent of the 100 million cartons served each year contain fat-free chocolate milk.

[3] Some nutritionists have criticized chocolate milk for its high sugar content and its relationship to childhood obesity.

Separation can be slowed by any of the following:[6] Carrageenan is used at very low concentrations to form an imperceptible weak gel that prevents the large, dense particles of chocolate from sedimentation.

[7] However, more recent studies show that fat-free and low-fat milk may actually increase body fat and contribute to obesity.

[9] A November 2009 study conducted by scientists in Barcelona, Spain, suggests that regularly consuming skimmed milk with cocoa rich in flavonoids may reduce inflammation and slow or prevent the development of atherosclerosis.

[11] A study published in 2009 compared chocolate milk to a commercial recovery beverage (matched for carbohydrate and protein content) administered to cyclists after intense workouts.

The researchers found no difference in post-workout plasma creatine kinase levels and muscle soreness, nor in cycling time to exhaustion.

[12] A May 2010 sports nutrition study concluded that "exercise recovery during short-term periods of heavy soccer training appears to be similar when isocaloric CM (Chocolate Milk) and CHO (Carbohydrate) beverages are consumed post-exercise".

[13] Yet another study in 2011 at Kean University in New Jersey concluded similar results in male soccer players, discovering that there was an increase in time to fatigue when chocolate milk was consumed.

The Kean University study also viewed chocolate milk's effects on female soccer players undergoing morning and afternoon practices during preseason.

The study concluded that chocolate milk is just as beneficial as the carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage in promoting recovery in women.

[19] The Natural History Museum lists Anglo-Irish botanist Hans Sloane as the inventor of drinking chocolate with milk.