Milk Allergy Vs. Lactose Intolerance

Many people confuse milk allergies and lactose intolerance for the same problem. However, they are quite different. As should be obvious, lactose intolerance only involves lactose. Now while this is in milk, people suffering from this ailment (caused by a lack of lactase, the enzyme used to break down lactose sugars) will incur mild to serious stomach cramps, followed by diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal problems from drinking or eating anything with lactose.

Sufferers of lactose intolerance though are usually only intolerant to the lactose in cows. So they may be able to ingest goat's milk without the gastrointestinal repercussions. Also weight lifters in those category, if they are using whey protein for their post work-out meal, are generally able to digest pure whey protein without any fuss.

However, those with milk allergies are of a different category. While they may suffer from cramps and diarrhea, that is the only connection.

Milk, of any kind, will cause the allergy to occur. Unlike the singular problem from lactose intolerance, other allergic reactions that can spring up from ingesting milk is skin disorders (rash, eczema, swelling of the mouth), and respiratory track (runny nose, itching, asthma like symptoms, and in severe cases swelling of the throat constricting air). For the most severe cases, people can fall into anaphylaxis shock, where they will become unconscious and can possibly die.

For these people, there is no derivative. No goat's milk, they have low tolerances for milk and milk products unlike lactose intolerance which tends to have a higher tolerance before problems arise, nor any whey. Whey, which is a protein isolate from milk, is still considered the same by the body, so weight lifters watch out! There is also the increasingly famous casein protein which can also affect people with this allergy, so again practice caution.

Also, unlike lactose intolerance, taking any form of lactase pills (such as Lactaids) will not help someone with a milk allergy at all.

The reason is that with a milk allergy the body considers milk a malignant intruder, not unlike a disease, and attacks it. The histamines excreted to attack the milk is what causes all the reactions. With very mild cases, a histamine blocker may help ease the symptoms, however most people will find this ineffective against milk.

If you live with someone who has a milk allergy, do not cook any food that contains milk. If their allergy is bad, the milk heating up and going into the air will effect them and cause them the same allergic reaction as ingesting.

Those that have this allergy should carry around an EdiPen (which administers a dose of epinephrine, a form of adrenaline) in case they are prone to anaphylaxis shock will need this to come back to consciousness.

So know the difference and make sure you are taking the correct precautions in what you're eating and how serious you take your allergy.