Milk
Problems with milk are extremely common. Milk contains a number of proteins, such as casein, that can lead to allergies. Milk also contains lactose which many of us cannot digest and this also leads to problems. Lactose is the sugar in milk and it requires the enzyme lactase to digest it. Lactose intolerance is quite common and some have suggested that it arises because we were never intended to consume milk after infancy.
There are tests available to identify both milk protein allergy and lactose intolerance - your doctor will be able to advise on these if you wish to find out more.
For many the relief obtained from a milk free diet is so extensive that they simply give up all forms of milk. Milk is in fact not a natural food. It is produced by females for their young and was never intended as a food for those beyond infancy. Do you know of any animal that habitually drinks the milk of another animal especially when it is grown up?
The main symptoms linked with milk problems are recurring digestive problems such as excessive gas, bloating, cramps, pain, diarrhoea, constipation, and recurring catarrhal problems. It has also been linked with arthritis, asthma, chest complaints, colds, dermatitis, ear problems, hyperactivity, irritability, learning difficulties, migraine, sinusitis, and sleep disorders.
Rousquet et al reported that between 7 and 29% of asthma sufferers have a milk sensitivity (4). They also found it was often a cause of rhinoconjuctivitis in young children and may be implicated in serious otitis media. Elimination diets worked for migraine sufferers in a study by Mylek and the food most usually implicated was cow's milk (3). Kahn et al in a study of 146 children referred for sleep disturbance identified 15 whose sleep problems were resolved within 5 weeks of starting a diet free from cow's milk. In a subsequent challenge, the sleep disturbances returned within 4 days of reintroducing the cow's milk (1).
Using milk alternatives such as goat and sheep milk works for some individuals but cross reactivity has been reported. Soya milk is often used as a substitute for cow's milk and was considered safe for children intolerant of milk. This is no longer thought to be the case. Lee and Heiner found that about one-fourth of those sensitive to cow's milk went on to become allergic to soy protein (2).
For more information on food intolerance please see Change Your Diet and Change Your Life.
REFERENCES
(1) Kahn A, Mozin MJ, Rebuffat E et al. Milk intolerance in children
with persistent sleeplessness: a prospective double blind crossover
evaluation. pediatrics 1989;84:595-603.
(2) Lee EJ, Heiner DC. Allergy to cow milk 1985. Pediatrics in review
1986;7(7):195-203.
(3) Mylek D. Migraine as one of the symptoms of food allergy. Pol Tyg
Lek 1992;20-27;47(3-4):89-91.
(4) Rousquet J, Chanez P, Michel F-B. The respiratory tract and food
hypersensitivity. In: Metcalfe DD, Sampson HA, Simon RA. (eds) Food
Allergy: Adverse reactions to foods and food additives 2nd ed. Blackwell
science 1997.