{"id":13852,"date":"2021-01-15T16:57:29","date_gmt":"2021-01-15T21:57:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pentadocs.com\/?p=13852"},"modified":"2023-12-11T10:05:56","modified_gmt":"2023-12-11T15:05:56","slug":"does-drinking-milk-increase-mucus-production","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pentadocs.com\/does-drinking-milk-increase-mucus-production\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Drinking Milk Increase Mucus Production?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Do you avoid giving your child milk when they have a respiratory infection or if they have asthma? If so, you\u2019re not alone. There\u2019s an old wives\u2019 tale that drinking milk triggers excessive mucus production and is dangerous for children with breathing problems<\/a>; however, a body of research shows this is untrue and that milk consumption does not impact mucus production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The idea that milk can cause congestion likely stems from the 12th<\/sup> century when Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides wrote that milk causes a \u201cstuffing in the head.\u201d This idea has lingered for centuries and was even published in the 2011 edition of Dr. Spock\u2019s Baby and Childcare<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Dr. Ian Balfour-Lynn, a respiratory specialist from the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, one survey of American parents found that 59% believed drinking milk increases mucus production, 20% weren\u2019t sure and 22% asserted it does not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The answer is simple: \u201cMilk does not cause lots of extra mucus to be produced when someone has a cold or any chest disease, including asthma,\u201d said Balfour-Lynn<\/a>. \u201cMilk is an important source of calcium<\/a>, vitamins and calories in the young. It should not be avoided.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A 2012 study by the BC Children\u2019s Hospital<\/a> confirms this, reporting that \u201cstudies have not been able to provide a definitive link\u201d between milk and increased mucus production, and that \u201cmilk should not be eliminated or restricted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhere Did This Myth Come From?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What the Studies Show<\/h2>\n\n\n\n