When Milk Does a Body Bad: Lactose Intolerance and Milk Allergies
Milk does not always do a body good, as the milk campaign would like us to believe. There are a large number of people that have allergies to one or more proteins in milk, and/or a lactose intolerance. The diagnosis and treatment for milk allergies and lactose intolerances can be confusing.
Lactose Intolerance
First let’s discuss lactose intolerance, which is when one does not make enough, or any, lactase enzyme. Lactase is the enzyme your body makes to digest lactose, the sugar that is in all milk products. The symptoms of lactose intolerance can be similar to those of milk allergies. Among the many symptoms that can be experienced by someone who is lactose intolerant are stomach pain when consuming milk, digestive problems such as diarrhea or indigestion, and excess gas.
In infants this can be difficult to diagnose, because most infants are on a daily diet that contains lactose from human, cow, or goat milk. In infants the symptoms are varied, and can present as a very whiney baby who folds up into a ball in an attempt to ease the stomach cramping. It is possible and common for people to start out their lives making adequate lactase enzyme to break down lactose, and then as they age, stop making adequate amounts.
Although all ethnicities have a large number of problems with lactose intolerance, it is most common for people of African ancestry to develop a lactose intolerance over time. The best way to diagnose a lactose intolerance versus a milk allergy is to take lactase enzymes when you eat anything that contains milk products. If your symptoms go away completely, then you will know that your milk problem is actually a lactose intolerance. Many people are familiar with lactaid, which is a lactose-free milk. This milk has been treated with a few drops of lactase milk, which has broken down the lactose, and makes it possible for lactose- intolerant people to drink it.
Milk Allergy
People who continue to have problems while consuming lactose-free milk products most likely have a milk allergy. The most common milk allergy is one to cow’s milk or, more specifically, the two proteins within it—lactoalbumin and casein. The best way to understand the differences between the two allergies is to better understand the processing of milk products.
When milk is allowed to sit after being collected, the fatty cream rises to the top. This can be removed off the top of the milk, and then can be used as cream or churned into butter. The cream and butter contain trace amounts of casein, and no lactoalbumin as long as no milk is added back. If the butter is then clarified into the form of ghee, the trace amount of casein in butter and cream that occasionally bothers people is removed. The remaining milk that settles below the cream is what people drink, and what is used to make cheeses.
Cheese is made by adding mold to the milk, which then, if aged long enough, will consume the lactoalbumin protein and leave casein behind. Only hard cheeses are fully aged to the point that all the lactoalbumin is removed. Soft cheeses are not fully aged and therefore contain lactoalbumin and casein. Therefore,
- people who can eat 100% cream, real butter, and hard cheeses, but not soft cheeses, milk, yogurt, ice cream, or half and half, are lactoalbumin allergic but not casein allergic.
- people who cannot eat cream, butter, hard cheeses, soft cheeses, half and half, or yogurt are allergic to both casein and lactoalbumin.
Because lactoalbumin is a protein, and proteins get denatured and change shape at high temperatures, there are some lactoalbumin-allergic people who do not have an allergic reaction when they eat foods containing cooked milk. However, due to the potential long-term damage caused by food allergies, it is my opinion that those allergic to lactoalbumin should avoid even cooked foods that contain milk.
Understanding lables
Reading labels on food is imperative to properly determine, and then avoid, what one is allergic to. Milk is used in most baked products, soups, and dressings. Unless consciously avoided by reading ingredients, then exposure is only a matter of when—not if. When looking for a hard cheese, the label should read “cultured milk” not “cultured milk, milk.” If there is a comma after the cultured milk, so that the ingredients read “cultured milk, milk,” then the product contains milk and will be problematic for lactoalbumin-allergic individuals. The same is true when shopping for cream and sour cream. If the cream or sour cream reads “cream,” then it is fine for lactoalbumin-allergic individuals. However, if it reads “cream, milk,” the product is not acceptable.
Food labels do not do a good job of enabling the general public to understand the difference between a lactoalbumin and casein allergy; therefore, if the product simply says that is contains milk in the food-allergy disclosure, that does not necessarily mean that the product is going to be allergenic. This is why people must learn to read the ingredients on products rather than just the printed allergenic disclosures.
Allergic Responses
Allergic responses are usually driven by proteins that people are exposed to in the environment, which their immune systems have marked as problematic. Food allergy responses are usually hereditary, and manifest in numerous ways that are often misdiagnosed as other problems. People who suspect or know that they have problems with milk would benefit from finding out what proteins they are allergic to so that they can more easily avoid only those allergens. In addition, if parents know that they have food allergies, then allergies should be considered in their children.
Children with milk allergies often develop chronic ear infections, asthma, and digestive problems, among many other symptoms that one may not otherwise attribute to a milk allergy. For these children, the best option is to get them completely off the food they are allergic to. There are many healthy alternatives to milk. Goat milk is usually not an allergy problem for people, and is a healthy substitute for milk products.
Choose Healthy Milk
If you determine that you are capable of tolerating milk, then choose healthy milk whenever possible. There is a large difference between conventional and organic milk. Organic milk is produced without antibiotics, synthetic hormones, or harmful pesticides, and is higher in beneficial fats. Whenever you are given the opportunity to choose milk from grass-fed cows, choose it over the product from those fed grains, such as corn.
Because dairy products are high in fat, they can become sources for concentrated toxins that the cows were exposed to. Many toxins are fat soluble, and therefore will store in the fat cells more readily than other food products. This makes it very important to buy organic cream, butter, milk, and yogurt whenever possible.
If you would like to learn more about milk allergies or lactose intolerance, or would like consult with Dr. Sutton about testing for food allergies, then please make an appointment with her at Austin Holistic Health: 512-328-4041.
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