is milk good for cold and cough

It is a widely held belief that drinking milk increases phlegm production. Phlegm is a thick, sticky substance made up of mucus.

It is produced by your respiratory system and tends to drip down the back of your throat when you have a cold. Some people shun milk and other dairy products because they are firmly convinced it increases phlegm. And individuals with asthma are sometimes advised by some alternative medicine practitioners to avoid so-called “mucus-forming” foods, particularly dairy products.

According to a study published in the American Review of Respiratory Disease where people were inoculated with the common cold virus, milk intake was not associated with increased nasal secretions, symptoms of cough, or congestion. Various investigations have also shown no relationship between milk intake and the occurrence or exacerbation of asthma symptoms. In rare cases asthma can occur in individuals with an allergy to cow’s milk, but this is not typical for people with asthma.

Interestingly, people who were convinced that a relationship exists between milk consumption and mucus formation reported more respiratory symptoms, thicker saliva and increased swallowing after drinking milk, compared to people not convinced of this relationship. And they also reported these effects with a soy-based drink that was used as a placebo in this experiment.