Should you avoid dairy products when you have a cold?

There are claims that drinking milk or taking ice cream worsens the symptoms of a cold.

Some people believe that ice cream, cheese and even milk should be avoided.

According to the BBC, we tend to feel disgusted by the whole idea of mucus even though it plays an important role in our physiology.

But no one wants too much of it, especially if they are already producing extra as a result of their cold.

A study reported in the Daily Telegraph said milk makes flu symptoms worse.

The research published in theLaryngoscope journal surveyed 108 volunteers half of whom were put on a dairy free diet for six days and the other half on soya milk.

They had complained of flu-like symptoms but after two days, the group that had drank soya milk reported reduced mucus secretion.

Those drinking cow milk reported that their symptoms had increased significantly.

This was attributed to beta-casein A1, a protein that activates mucus production.

However, critics have poked holes into the study questioning the supposed link between dairy products and the flu.

“There is absolutely no need to avoid giving this nutritious foodstuff to children with asthma, cystic fibrosis or chest infections. The milk-mucus myth needs to be rebutted firmly,” said Dr Ian Balfour-Lynn, a specialist in children’s respiratory illness at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London.

According to him, the idea that dairy products increases mucus secretion is imagination because of the thick, sticky, and semi-fluid consistency of milk.