CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina Rep. Jeff McNeely (R-Iredell) shared a post on Facebook about a new combo of milk and Benadryl being used in the fight against COVID-19 saying "Drink up people."
McNeely says he shared the original post on National Milk Day. In a statement he explained:
"I own a feed mill and we feed a lot of dairy farms. I never said take this option or not. The University of Florida research didn't get much media coverage. I think we need to look at all options including being vaccinated like myself."
THE QUESTION
Can milk and Benadryl treat COVID-19?
THE SOURCES
- Dr. Gretchen Coady, Piedmont Medical family physician
- Research study, The University of Florida
THE ANSWER
No, milk and Benadryl cannot treat COVID-19
WHAT WE FOUND
A study by researchers at the University of Florida used monkey and human cells to test to see if diphenhydramine found in Benadryl and lactoferrin found in milk could stop the spread of the COVID-19.
The study found combining the two compounds reduced the virus replication by 99%, but researchers specifically caution against self-medicating with milk and Benadryl.
“So not like a person took the drug, but they put it in a petri dish and it seemed to stop the cells from catching the virus or made it better in some way," Dr. Gretchen Coady said. "It’s just meant to be a stepping point for more studies and for the next step in testing it out in people.”
Instead, doctors say more proven treatments like vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and anti-viral pills are a better option.
Contact Briana Harper at bharper@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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