WEBVTT - Does Milk Really Make Mucus Worse?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain stuff. From how Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren vogelbam here. Medical myths are stubborn. Going back to

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<v Speaker 1>ancient China, texts associated the consumption of milk with a

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<v Speaker 1>thickening of phlegm, and twelfth century Jewish physician Moses Maimonds

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<v Speaker 1>wrote in his Treatise on Asthma that milk could cause

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<v Speaker 1>quote a stuffing in the head that exacerbated symptoms of asthma.

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<v Speaker 1>Eight hundred years later, Dr Spock, a twentieth century American

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<v Speaker 1>pediatrician who wrote a popular book about baby care, directed

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<v Speaker 1>parents to limit dairy while babies were sick, especially with

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<v Speaker 1>upper respiratory infections. For new only a thousand years, medical

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<v Speaker 1>professionals have been telling us to lay off the dairy

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<v Speaker 1>or face the mucus consequences. But is it true. A

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<v Speaker 1>review of the literature published in September eighteen in the

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<v Speaker 1>journal Archives of Disease in Childhood concludes that there is

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<v Speaker 1>virtually no connection between dairy products and upper respiratory mucus,

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<v Speaker 1>and that the myth might actually be preventing children with

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<v Speaker 1>conditions like asthma, cystic fibrosis, or even the common cold

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<v Speaker 1>from getting enough nutrients like calcium. According to the review,

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<v Speaker 1>studies dating back to have indicated that there's no link

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<v Speaker 1>between milk and phlegm, but the myth is pervasive. A

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<v Speaker 1>two thousand three study in the journal Appetite asked three

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and forty five random Australian shoppers whether they thought

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<v Speaker 1>milk causes mucus. Of the hundred and eleven shoppers who

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<v Speaker 1>drank whole milk, almost half of them were of the

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<v Speaker 1>opinion that it did, but only of the one reduced

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<v Speaker 1>fat milk drinkers said that they believed milk caused mucus.

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<v Speaker 1>The difference in perception might have something to do with

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<v Speaker 1>how milk feels in the mouth. It is, after all,

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<v Speaker 1>just droplets of fat suspended in water, the current researchers

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<v Speaker 1>wrote in their review. This could well affect the sensory

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<v Speaker 1>perception of milk mixed with saliva, both in terms of

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<v Speaker 1>its thickness coating the mouth and the after feel when

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<v Speaker 1>small amounts of emulsion remain in the mouth after swallowing.

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<v Speaker 1>This may explain why so many people think that more

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<v Speaker 1>mucus is produced, when in fact it's the aggregates of

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<v Speaker 1>milk emulsion that they are aware of lingering in the

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<v Speaker 1>mouth after swallowing, so it's really just a feeling, not

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<v Speaker 1>a fact. And Furthermore, the researchers suggest that since milk

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<v Speaker 1>is a good source of calories and minerals like calcium,

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<v Speaker 1>the long standing cultural belief that milk is bad for

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<v Speaker 1>children with respiratory problems could mean kids aren't getting the

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<v Speaker 1>nutrients they need. This could lead children growing up with

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<v Speaker 1>weaker bones and shorter stature. Today's episode was written by

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<v Speaker 1>Jescelin Shields and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on

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<v Speaker 1>this and lots of other myth busting topics, visit our

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<v Speaker 1>home planet, how Stuff Works dot com.