Question About Casein

[yllehs91]

I read that casein was allergy to dairy products. So is this the same thing as lactose intolerance? At the doc. yesterday they tested me for lactose intolerance & said it came out positive. (I have celiac disease too.. diagnosed 9/27) Is it possible I have Casein intolerance & lactose intolerance? I'm supposed to take lactose pills before having dairy, so will this stop the side affects of casein intolerance? If i do have casein intolerance, would it have made the lactose intolerance test come out positive (if they're not the same thing)? Sorry so many questions. I'm 13 and this stuff is really confusing to me. Plz help! Thanks

[tarnalberry]

Casein is one of the main proteins in milk. If you have a casein allergy or a casein intolerance (different things), it means that your body reacts to the protein molecule in various ways.

Lactose is one of the main sugars in milk. If you are lactose intolerant, it means your body doesn't produce enough of the lactase enzyme to break apart the sugar and the bacteria in your gut digest it instead, giving gas and bloating. You can take the enzyme to break it down with your food, in the case of a lactose intolerance.

[gf4life]

If you are strictly gluten free for a few months and you are taking the Lactaid supplements, but are still experiencing stomach issues when eating dairy, then it might be a good idea to try dairy free to see if casein might be an issue with you.

Certainly there is no need to assume you are casein intolerant just because you are lactose intolerant. Many newly diagnosed Celiacs have lactose intolerance, but that will usually go away once the villi in the intestines starts to repair itself. The tips of the villi is where the enzyme to break down lactose is found, and of course that is the first part to get damaged when you consume gluten. So being lactose intolerant sort of comes with the territory. But like I said before, it goes away in most people. If it doesn't, then worry about casein.

God bless,

Mariann

[tom]

I'm supposed to take lactose pills before having dairy, so will this stop the side affects of casein intolerance?

The pills only provide the enzyme (lactase) needed to digest the lactose.

The casein is a separate issue.

I've found many lactose-free products which are not casein-free. Even the so-called "non-dairy" creamers typically have sodium caseinate and they even put in parenstheses on the label "(a milk derivative)". I still don't get how this came about that a single label can say non-dairy AND milk derivative.

SO anyway, they are 2 separate things but you should be able to find out pretty easily whether going casein-free for a couple days makes u feel better.