I am a big fan of milk, I drink about 2 gallons a week all by my self! I heard many people saying milk increases the chances of upper respiratory congestion, bu personally I have never experience that but on the other hand I know some people who suffer with some respiratory congestion and they all blame on milk. I did not quite understand what was going on
The article from New York Times on health section published on April 12, 2010 reported possible explanation that only a small group of people are susceptible. Research pointed to studies showing that not all milk is the same it depend on breed of cow, some breed contain a protein called beta-CM-7, which reported to stimulate mucus glands in the digestive tract that are also found in the respiratory tract, where they are known to overproduce mucus in conditions caused by inflammation, like asthma.
After reading this article now I know why some people experience these type of symptoms while others do not experience them. I think I will try to find out how can we determine the brand of milk and the breed of cow related, and test this theory.
Posted by Anna Moreno
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I haven't paid much attention to different brands of milk and how they are prepared before. I had always thought that it was all pretty much the same. And milk causing problems other than for those who are lactose intolerant? I wish I knew more.
ReplyDeletePosted by Vinh Tran
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ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to this article. I too am a milk fanatic and I can always remember being sick and going to the fridge for a glass of milk and my mom always says "No, that's going to make you worse!". There are time where I heeded her warning and others where I just disregarded it. Funny thing is that sometimes I did get more phlegmy and other times I was fine. It makes sense seeing how we never stick to one true brand and buy all kinds of milk. It would be nice to know the exact brands that produced this protein so I could avoid it when I'm sick.
ReplyDeletePosted by Charly Almonte
I agree with you Charly, I is hard to know which milk is causing this problem and which one is not if you keep switching brands. I have always tried to stick to one or two brands most of the time may be that is why I never noticed any difference.
ReplyDeletePosted by Anna Moreno
This is interesting. I also love milk but this is the first time I have heard of this happening to others. I drink milk all the time and don't experience any difficulty I also only drink one brand of milk I wonder if that has anything to do with it. Maybe the store brands differ from brand names? I wonder what is the difference between the different types of cows that can cause this problem?
ReplyDelete-Valerie Silva-
I also love milk, whole milk at that. I was also unaware about the different breeds of cows producing different kinds of proteins, that is interesting. I am glad I have not experienced these symptoms. I still wonder though if that would stop me at all anyway? Is there a way to combat the symptoms or are you just pretty much out of luck?
ReplyDeleteI'm curious as to which brands of milk cause respiratory symptoms too and if babies are vulnerable to it if they drink the milk. If so, I then wounder if doctors make attempts to tell parents on which milk brands they should not give their child so they wouldn't experience respiratory congestion.
ReplyDeletePosted by Kayla Perry
I've noticed that milk effects my mucous if I'm sick. It increases when I'm sick but if I'm healthy I don't feel a difference. Like most proteins I feel as thought it is probably expressed differently in different people. It would be interesting if someone indeed put together a test to experiment with how this protein is expressed.
ReplyDeletePat salome
First of all, Anna, thats a lot of milk! You certainly do not have to worry about getting osteoporosis any time soon. I have heard about this same phenomena ever since I was young too. It is amazing that science and technology has become so advanced that "urban legends" like this can be scientifically analyzed. Maybe Hood can get rid of the cows making the culprit protein and sell "Mucous-Free Milk".
ReplyDeletePosted by Matt Grazewski
I have never actually really considered that cows are the issue, but I guess if the cow is having a problem then the milk will have a problem. This sort of thing happens with alot of our food sources. If anynthing is wrong with the plant or animal that has affect on its health we are just as greatly affected as the diseased. Everything seems to be passed on down the foodchain which is only logical. And does this only affect certain people or does the protein affect everyone? And if they knew this, would'nt they just take that breed of cow off of the milk market if they cause mucous problems?
ReplyDeletePosted by Amanda Hostetter
I really did not knew that it depends on the particular breed of cow who produce milk. I think the protein Beta-CM-7 can be associated with the diet of the particular cow. I myself drink lot of milk and I never been exposed to having trouble in breathing because of mucus. But yes, after drinking milk some times I do feel mucus in my throat, which can be because of Beta-CM-7 protein.
ReplyDeleteBy Ammar Zafar