Does Going Off Dairy Help with a Cold or Cough?

My post the other day that mentioned taking Nina and Pinta off of dairy because they had coughs confused one of my readers. In responding to her, I wondered where I got this idea, and whether or not it is true that going off dairy helps with a cold or a cough.

Santa Maria believes that dairy consumption increases congestion, and an old football coach once claimed the same thing (I know that football coaches aren't necessarily authorities on this subject, but he also said, while fitting me for a helmet, that my head was shaped like a watermelon, and I hate to admit that he was right).

On the other hand, a short article in the New York Times from last year testing this hypothesis came to the opposite conclusion. "There may be a link between milk and phlegm in some people, but for now it is only hypothetical," it stated.

But, Tara Parker-Pope's Well column linking to that article is full of countless comments from people who make the same claim as Santa Maria, and who have found a direct link. 

I think Santa Maria is right, and I'd like to hear about your experiences. Have you found that dairy increases congestion?

Comments

[Keely Bee]

I've heard that it doesn't increase production of mucus but can thicken it. That would probably make people think it's worse. I generally am put off by dairy when I'm sick so don't drink / eat it simply because I'm not hungry for it. I've generally very self indulgent when sick, I eat whatever I'm craving :)

[Kelley]

Dairy definitely affects my level of congestion! If I eat too much dairy (ie mostly cheese..) in the evening, I get "cheese-hangovers" the next day. I've read/heard that its an old wives tale, but it is true in my experience.

[Sherellen]

I have always found it to be true... Stick to water juice and tea (hot or cold). Jello always a cold staple when you don't really feel like eating - i like it warm to soothe a sore throat but some find this a bit gross. And of course the best liquid to have when sick... Chicken soup

[Nan]

Raw milk is an entirely different food from regular milk. We've bought ours from a farm for almost forty years and brought up our kids on it. When I drink milk at a restaurant then, and only then, do I get mucus.

[Kate]

Only when I laugh so hard the milk comes out my nose!

[Kelli Samson]

We totally stear clear of the dairy products when we have colds, too.

[john]

As i figured, the consensus seems to be that dairy causes trouble when one is fighting a cold. Interesting to hear about raw milk and chicken soup is always a good idea, but Kate's comment was my favorite.

[Henry Elliss]

Hmm, I've got a persistent cough/cold problem and several people have suggested ditching dairy to get rid of it - but I just love my cheese too much. Maybe I should finally give it a go...

[Margo]

What about soy milk? It's not technically dairy but it's hard to have my many cups of tea during a cold without it.