I have read on here that it doesn’t produce mucus. I haven’t seen any definitive statement on whether it thickens mucus, though.
Furthermore, I have read it coats the throat. This is supposed to be bad for singers and public speakers. What exactly is meant by dairy coating the throat? Is this true?
Thanks
Try this in Google:
myth that dairy products produce mucus
gr
What I want to know is, does it thicken mucus/saliva and does it coat the throat? Also, what exactly is meant by dairy coating the throat?
Milk doesn’t do anything physically to or about mucus.
I found three posts from the Planet Lactose blog that address this, each quoting medical journal articles or specialists:
I’ll bet large sums that what’s happening is that the milk haters have been shot down for years whenever they talk about milk producing mucus. But they haven’t stopped irrationally hating milk. So they shifted the goalposts slightly to say that milk “thickens” mucus, whatever that might mean. But that is subject to exctly the same objections that the testing has already shot down. Soy milk gives the same sensations as liquid cow’s milk. But other forms of cow’s milk don’t.
A shifting the goalposts claim can and should always be assumed nonsense without enormous evidence. There’s no evidence at all. Make of that what you will.
thanks. Exapno mapcase. Could you answer this query as well please?
It’s hard to answer because “coating the throat” has no physiological meaning. It’s a subjective feeling from the way that milk feels in some peoples’ throats. Notice that in the Udder Confusion link only a third of people reported any version of this effect.
Milk has a high fraction of “solids” in it. Solids are fats, proteins, carbohydrates, and minerals. My guess is that fats produce some of the coating effect, since they are not soluble in water. This is noticeable with a mouthful of cheese, but the effect from a liquid is psychologically the reverse: liquids are expected to clear the throat.
In a sane world, people who make the claim that milk coats the throat should have to prove that such a thing is real. That’s not the world we live in, sadly.
This is really interesting to me. I’m one of those people for whom milk does create an odd, back-of-the-throat coating feeling, which I would describe as “thick mucus.” Sure as hell feels like mucus to me. I just assumed this happened to everyone. It happens to me with orange juice, too. I guess it must be the texture of the milk itself. Come to think of it, it doesn’t happen with skim milk; only whole. And not any other dairy products, so far as I’ve noticed.
Excellent, question solved, thanks.
Fat’s do indeed coat the throat. You can take any fat and pour it into a container and see this. It’s not rocket science. As far as creating mucus, many people are allergic to cow milk and it will absolutely cause an increase in mucus production just like any other food allergy can do.
Anybody with acid reflux knows that a glass of a anything with fat in it will coat the esophagus and bring temporary relief.
I need a medical journal cite for this, since all the reports I’ve seen claim the opposite.
Is the warning not to drink milk when you have a cold an old doctor’s tale? Yes and no. Some people do make more mucus when they drink milk, and any high- fat food may produce a sensation of thicker secretions in the back of the throat. Yet, the mucus-producers are probably those that are allergic to milk. Separating out milk-allergic persons, research fails to show any correlation between drinking milk and mucus production during a cold. In conclusion, you need extra fluids during a cold, anyway, so if you’re not allergic it’s okay to drink a few glasses of lowfat milk.
I asked specifically for a medical journal cite because you find lots of nonsense online. That Sears column is not nonsense, but doesn’t come close to a cite. “Yet, the mucus-producers are probably those that are allergic to milk.” has null content.
Estimates of the the percentage of adults who are actually milk allergic range from 1-2%. The major symptoms of milk allergy are listed as:
No mention of mucus production. Since allergies are known for producing a great variety of symptoms, it may be possible that a few people may indeed have increased mucus production. But I doubt if we’re talking about 2%. That’s 2% of 2% of the adult population.
The notion that milk allergy causes mucus is a myth of the anti-milk community, as unlikely in reality as the notion that milk causes mucus in anybody at all.
Milk allergy symptoms differ from person to person and occur within a few minutes to a few hours after ingesting milk.
Immediately after consuming milk, signs and symptoms of a milk allergy might include:
* Hives
* Wheezing
* Vomiting
Signs and symptoms that may take more time to develop include:
* Loose stools, which may contain blood
* Diarrhea
* Abdominal cramps
* Coughing or wheezing
* **Runny nose**
* Watery eyes
* Itchy skin rash, often around the mouth
* Colic, in babies
I’m not sure why you think milk allergies are any different than other allergies.
I think milk allergies are exactly like other food allergies, which is an excellent way of saying that milk doesn’t cause mucus production in the throat.
I don’t think anyone confuses a runny nose with increased mucus production in the throat. Before you say it, I know that mucus produced in the nose can run into the throat. However, I know of no cite or claim that associates the “coating” that milk in the throat supposedly creates with a runny nose or mucus running down from the nose.
And you can’t mistake the effects of a true food allergy, says allergy specialist Dr Ray Mullins.
The people who talk about getting mucus from milk manifestly don’t have a true milk allergy, don’t have runny noses, and don’t know what they’re talking about. You’ve obviously never read the crank literature on milk.
Here’s a good, i.e. insane, example:
You asked for a site and I gave you one from the Mayo Clinic even though it’s common knowledge.
That wasn’t the question posted by the op. Milk, as an allergen creates excess mucus. so not only will drinking fat laden milk coat the throat but so will additional mucus depending on the severity of the allergic reaction.
That Sear’s link is no cite and has no more value than my stating something without documentation. The Mayo cite does not respond to the question in any meaningful way and appeal to “common knowledge” is laughable.
While milk allergy is common for a food allergy, it is still not so common (certainly not the 75% that Sears states), primarily respiratory manifestations less common yet, and most that does occur occurs only in infancy and is outgrown.
So at most 3% cow milk allergic in infancy, at most 1% with respiratory symptoms, and as little as 0.04% to at most 0.4% with any respiratory symptoms that persist past age 3 years of age. Respiratory symptoms also do not equal “thickens mucus”; usually allergic respiratory symptoms are a increased production of thinner mucous and congestion of the mucousa and/or sneezing.
Food allergies are very different than other allergies and milk allergies are different than many other food allergies. (Some food allergies develop later in childhood and persist; milk allergy shows up early and almost always resolves during early childhood.)
It is certainly not impossible for a rare adult to have a milk allergy that manifests primarily with respiratory symptoms that are somehow perceived as thick mucous - but it would be a very rare occurrence. It is also possible for an occasional adult to have milk trigger some mild gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) symptoms which can be perceived as a feeling in the back of the throat, but again, it would be an exceptional circumstance.
There is no medical justification for avoiding milk before singing, unless one has lactose intolerance and does not want to be also singing some unintended extra notes from some … lower registers (although any singer is always prepared to be told they stink). That said, I would never contradict a singer’s personal experience of what they find is true for them.
He’s not a reliable source of information. He’s proven that year after year after year. He’s the Dr. Phil of Pediatrics.
Here is an actual source of information if you were interested.
Anecdotally, my pediatrician swears on the milk/mucus myth as does my father-in-law who is an MD. The 2 year old has been tested for milk allergies and the results were negative - but I’m still not supposed to give cow’s milk because of this stupid misconception.
The nice part about cow’s milk is that it’s an extremely convenient source of protein for kids.
You are correct about the link between milk and mucous production being a myth, and here are some articles from medical journals that say so. Some of these were linked to in the articles Exapno cited. (All bolding is mine)
same for me. definitely something to how much milk fat there is in what you’re drinking.
i was in radio for seven years and at the time, i quit drinking 2% milk altogether because of that odd feeling at the back of the throat you mentioned - especially when i was about to speak on-air. you lower the pitch of your voice in radio and the milk seemed to cause all kind of phlegm issues that interfered with my ‘radio voice.’
after i moved on to another career, i began drinking it again, but this time skim milk only and never had that problem again.