What is a Dairy Intolerance?

We live in a “Milk is Good” culture, where post WW2, milk and milk products are marketed to us as ways to make sure we have strong bones, healthy teeth, can prevent diabetes and can also help make us slim. This wonder product is also essential for the healthy development of our children with many mothers choosing to give children cows milk based formulas instead of breast milk. However milk allergies can cause: asthma, eczema, constipation, rhinitis, diabetes, osteoporosis, crohns disease, IBS, arthritis, heart disease, colon and breast cancer & sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Why are so many of us intolerant to milk these days?

Although many people possess some enzymes to break down milk in our digestive systems, milk intolerances are becoming increasingly recognised. Usually people are intolerant to milk as they either do not have the enzymes required to break down the milk proteins of casein, lactalbumin and lactoglobulin or they do not have enough of the enzyme lactase required to break down the milk sugar lactose. The beneficial bacteria strain acidophilus helps us produce lactase, so low levels of this bacteria through courses of antibiotics or a high sugar diet may also inhibit our ability to digest milk sugars. It is estimated only 30% of us (usually people of scandinavian descent) continue to produce lactase past the age of 3yrs in sufficient qualtities to warrent a regular dietary income of milk products. The rest of the population (especially those of african or aisian descent) may be genetically disposed to lactose intolerance (due to low lactase production).

What are the symptoms of an intolerance/allergy to milk?

Symptoms of milk intolerance can be bloating, wind, griping pain, diarrhoea/constipation/alternating stools, eczema, skin rashes, hay fever, catarrh, sinusitis, rhinitis and nasal or lung weaknesses.

Symptoms in babies can also include sleeplessness, repeated ear infections, tonsilitis, vomiting and spitting up as well as those above. Babies can be intolerant to molecules of dairy protein passed through the mothers milk when breastfeeding.

Symptoms can start immediately or take up to 72 hours to manifest.

If you are intolerant to milk you will likely be intolerant of all dairy products. It takes 4 lbs of milk in 1 lb of chocolate, 12 lbs of milk to make 1 lb of ice cream, 21 lbs of milk to make 1lb butter, 10lbs milk to make 1lb hard cheese and most surprisingly 8lbs milk to make 1lb of sherbet! Anything with lactose, whey powder, dried milk powder, casein all come from milk, which ultimately comes from cows. They used to use casein as wall paper glue.

Been diagnosed with a dairy intolerance?

Click here for more information on alternative products to dairy in your diet.

How is milk produced?

Click here for more information on the production of milk and treatment of dairy cows.