The claim researchers have sought to answer centered on the question,
"Does drinking milk really generate an increased mucus production?"
Most people have held onto the deeply held belief since their childhood
days that drinking milk while you have a cold should be avoided
due to the excess mucus it produced. This belief dates back as far
as the Middle Ages when Moses Maimonides wrote about this association
in "Treatise on Asthma." Another cold remedy he offered
that was also included in the same book was chicken soup.
Despite these beliefs that have persisted over the years, researchers
stated there hasn't been any proven correlation between drinking
milk and excess mucus production. Researchers backed up their claims
by performing several double-blind studies that evaluated the mucus
production in different people after they drank either a glass of
milk or a placebo that tasted like milk. They didn't discover any
differences in mucus production in either of the groups.
Other studies involving people with asthma or those suffering from
a cold revealed similar results.
The one complaint researchers found in a study on milk were the
participants reporting to have a "coating" sensation in
the back of their throats after drinking a glass of milk, however
there weren't any signs of increased mucus production.
Based on the results from all of their findings, researchers came
to the consensus that drinking milk does not contribute to an increased
mucus production.
The
Arizona Republic August 11, 2004
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