Dairy products while sick?

[borrofburi]

I was taught growing up (and I think personally decided) that milk is a bad idea while sick. Primarily that it increases congestion...

So now that I'm all grown up and trying to make decisions based on actual evidence, I'm trying to find evidence either way. I can't. Anyone know anything?

 

[obsidianavenger]

well i know singers aren't supposed to drink milk (or have any dairy) right before they perform because its supposed to make your throat phlemy. that could be undesirable while sick i suppose...

 

[RichardMNixon]

To answer both concerns, Lennon chugged milk prior to this recording because he was sick and had a sore throat.


I doubt there's anything to it though.

This article says they didn't get any statistically significant increase in mucus even though people claimed to have gotten worse on a questionnaire: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2154152

I also saw a few mentions that fat might increase mucus, but then low-fat dairy wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Netheralian]

http://www.news-medical.net/news/2004/10/05/5272.aspx

"There is no clinical evidence that reducing or eliminating dairy products will improve asthma symptoms or control unless there is a clear history of milk allergy."

"Furthermore, milk does not cause mucus production. When you drink milk, your saliva is temporarily thickened and many people confuse this with mucus."

In a clinical trial of 20 patients with asthma (10 believed dairy foods exacerbated their asthma and 10 did not), patients were given a 'milk challenge' and both symptoms and lung function tests were recorded before and after challenge. The results showed that none of the patients reported an increase in cough or sputum production following the dairy challenge.

 

[Darkchilde]

When I am sick, and especially when my throat hurts, I like a hot glass of milk.

 

[Deleted member 619]

I'm a singer by profession, and my favoured tipple when I had a sore throat was brandy and port. If you have a sore throat, though, the best I've found to ease it is two soluble aspirin and a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in warm water, gargled and swallowed.