MILK
ALLERGY and
LACTOSE INTOLERANCE
Milk
Allergy is an allergic
reaction of milk proteins such as casein, lactalbumin, and lactoglobulins.
During the allergic reaction, the body releases histamine, a chemical
which causes blood vessels to dilate and leak, mucous membranes to start
producing and other effects. The leaking blood vessels cause redness and itching over certain parts
of the body or even all of it. The increased mucous may make you
congested.Other reaction include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, behavioral changes,
wheezing, asthma or pneumonia. It can also lead to anaphylaxis in which the
patient's air passages swell and close and blood pressure falls abruptly,
leading, if untreated to death. In true milk allergy cases, it is possible to experience an allergic
reaction even before the milk taken in is digested.
One particular offending food in gastrointestinal and proven potent milk
allergens are the cow's milk proteins. Around 2.5% of infants experience
cow's milk allergy in the first years of life. Suggested alternative
sources of calcium for those with milk allergy or milk intolerance are soy
products, spinach and other leafy vegetables.
Lactose
Intolerance is
caused by an inability of the body to breakdown the sugar lactose. To
break lactose down into it's two simple sugars your intestine needs an
enzyme called lactase. If the body lacks this enzyme, there is the
tendency that the lactose will be broken down in the intestine by
bacterial fermentation. Bacterial fermentation products such as acids,
carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas, drive the patient to have lactose
intolerance.
The process of breaking
the food into smaller pieces during digestion helps our body to absorb the
food proteins and substances needed. Likewise, lactase breaks down milk
sugar (lactose) into the simpler form of sugar called glucose. This
glucose is the form absorbed into the bloodstream. When lactase is missing
or insufficient to complete the process, the situation leads to
lactose intolerance.
What causes
lactose intolerance?
Since lactose intolerance is caused by
the inability of the digestive system to breakdown lactose into glucose
through the enzyme lactase, thus, the lack of the lactase causes lactose
intolerance. Different individual have different amounts of lactase in
their system. Diseases and injuries in the small intestine can impede the
production of lactase while other individuals are born with lactase
deficiency.
Indications of lactose
intolerance involve stomach rumbles, stomachache, bloating, cramps, watery
diarrhea, nausea and wind. Individuals who suffer from lactase deficiency
but do not avoid lactose may suffer weight loss and malnutrition. The
severity of symptoms depends on the amount of lactose the person can
tolerate. Although similar to milk allergy symptoms, milk allergy symptoms
enables the body to react quicker and more often.
Lactose Intolerance Treatment
Lactaid tablet or drop can enable
lactose intolerant individuals to eat lactose containing foods. It has
special component that can get special digestive enzyme supplements to
process lactose products. Another effective option is to shut eating
lactose containing foods, as the saying "prevention is better than cure"
goes. Lactose Intolerance therefore is relatively easy to treat. The
symptoms can be avoided through proper diet.
In shopping food
products, be keen in looking for hidden lactose in the ingredients of the
product you are about to purchase. Prefer to buy non-dairy products
without lactose such as butter, yoghourt, cream, or Soya milk. If
you prefer to buy dairy products, consider taking lactase enzyme in the
form of drops to add with milk and in capsules to have before a meal.
These medications are now available in pharmacies.
What
then is lactose?
Lactose is the
sugar found in milk, either produced by human being or animals. Sucrose are the sugar made from
sugarcane which we mix with our coffees, teas or other typical drinks. Fructose are the sugar found in fruits
while maltose are sugar found in wheat
and oats used in brewing barley. Glucose,
on the other hand, is the only type of sugar our body is capable of
burning. All the mentioned sugars have to be biochemically converted into
glucose by our body enzymes capable of the conversion.
There are two basic types of lactase
enzyme deficiencies:
1. Permanent state.
The congenital form is rare while the delayed lactase disappearance
(primary hypolactasy) is common. The activity of lactase enzyme starts to
malfunction at the age of 2 but can also appear towards the age of 20.
2. Temporary state.
This type of lactase enzyme deficiency is common to individuals with
gastro-intestinal infection or malnutrition. The interruption of the lactasic
activity is caused by a failure of the mucous membrane of the
small intestine, recoverable after one week. It can also be caused by cow's milk allergy, drug allergy, gastro-intestinal surgery,
and other
digestive injuries.
REFERENCES:
http://www.cs.unc.edu/~kupstas/FAQ1.html#section3.2
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
http://www.lactose.co.uk/intolerance/index.html
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~ndobsonkeeffe/no_milk.htm
http://www.foodstandards.gov.uk/healthiereating/allergyintol/foodall/milkallergy
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