Dairy asthma confusion concerning

The National Asthma Council Australia is calling for general practitioners and practice nurses to help debunk the asthma dairy myth in the wake of new research which shows that confusion and misinformation still exists amongst patients with asthma and some GPs.

An annual survey of Australian GPs, commissioned by Dairy Australia¹ , found:

• 60% of GPs surveyed reported hearing from their patients that they were severely restricting their intake of dairy, with 54% of those patients saying this was because of asthma;
• 15% of GPs surveyed agreed that patients with asthma should reduce their dairy intake;
• 7% of GPs surveyed said they did ‘not know’ if patients with asthma should reduce their dairy consumption.

According to National Asthma Council Australia Chair, Dr Noela Whitby, dairy foods, such as milk, cheese and yogurt, do not cause asthma and removing them from the diet on this basis is wrong and potentially even harmful.

“This is a dangerous myth that dates back to the 12th century and it shouldn’t be used as the basis for dietary decisions,” Dr Whitby said.

“There is no evidence that dairy products are associated with nose symptoms, cough or congestion and dairy products do not exacerbate the symptoms of asthma.”

In fact, the opposite may be true.

“There have been studies, both in Australia and overseas, that suggest  if you have a regular intake of dairy in childhood, you are less likely to develop asthma,” Dr Whitby said.

The survey also found that amongst those GPs who had been told by patients that they were restricting their dairy intake, mucus was one of the most common reasons for this behavior (73% GPs).

According to Dr Whitby, the milk/mucus myth is another old wives’ tale that needs to be addressed. 

She puts the milk/mucus misconception down to the mouth-feel associated with milk.

“What tends to happen is that people confuse the coating that milk can leave on the back of the throat with mucus, but there is no evidence that milk increases mucus or narrows the airways,” Dr Whitby said.

Further information for health professionals, including access to the gold standard Asthma Management Handbook, can be found at www.nationalasthma.org.au

Reference

1. Tracking the Effectiveness of Dairy Australia’s Health and Nutrition Strategy with GPs, 2011, conducted by Yellow Door International Pty Ltd, n=200 GPs.

For further information or to arrange an interview please contact:

Kelly Ward
Ogilvy Public Relations
Tel: 03 8638 2192
Mob: 0407 860 834
kelly.ward@ogilvy.com.au