Drinking milk aggravates seasonal flu.

Drinking milk aggravates seasonal flu.

The researchers recruited 26 men and 82 women at Lister Hospital, who complained of increased mucus secretions. All were subjected to a dairy-free diet, with no milk, cheese, or even butter for 6 days.
On the third day, half of the participants drank 350 ml of whole-milk cow milk in each of the remaining four days, while the rest drank 350 ml of soy milk. Participants were asked to assess mucus secretions on a single scale.
All participants experienced a decrease in mucus levels in the first 2 days of milk, but during the next four days, symptoms continued to contract in the group that drank soy milk, while those who drank cow's milk worsened."This effect was significant in a relatively short period of time, and it is reasonable to conclude that the feeling that drinking milk increases the production of mucus, calls for reduced intake, or a dairy-free diet to see if this alleviates symptoms "He said.One theory of the apparent effect of milk on mucus is its containment of beta-casein A1, which activates genes responsible for producing mucus. But this can only happen if proteins are released through the gut and enter the bloodstream, where the genes involved can be activated.
It is noteworthy that for almost a thousand years, the Jewish physician, Moses Maimonides, wrote that milk causes "head stuffing" and increased symptoms of cold. Since then, the idea continued and gained ground in 1946 when the American pediatrician, Dr. Benjamin Spock, published more than 50 million copies of his book around the world calling on children with chest problems to avoid drinking milk.
 A number of previous studies have indicated that the link does not exist, but Mr. Frouche says: "I have been asked about this by many patients over the years, and I felt I needed to study it, and the results were the opposite of what I expected."According to the study, published in the journal Laryngoscope, the results were very surprising, as they were expecting to expose the ancient myth that links the milk to the secretion of sputum or mucus.
"I was skeptical and I did not think it was real," said Adam Frouch, an ear, nose and throat consultant at Lister Hospital in Stevenage.But now, a study (for the first time) shows that drinking milk increases symptoms worse, at least in patients who already have excessive secretion of mucus.