Dairy Intolerance Symptoms Besides Gi Issues

[munchkinette]

I'm on the fence about whether I can have dairy. It seems like lactaid helps me a lot, but sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes I feel gassy and I think my skin gets worse (acne and eczema). Other than that- it has been hard for me to tell.

What else happens to people besides GI stuff? I think my belly gets big sometimes, but I don't have the same symptoms (mainly fatigue) that I do with gluten. Sometimes I cheat because I can't always tell and I only have problems half the time. Shouldn't I get the same problems if I am casein intolerant? Do some forms of dairy give more problems? I definitely try to stay away from some things, but I don't want to limit myself if I don't have to. I just don't know how to test.

[jerseyangel]

With dairy, I get very clear cut symptoms. Every time I challenge it (I really wish I wasn't intolerant), I get breakouts on my face (I'm 52, and this is the only time my face breaks out), foggyheadedness, and bloating. I'm afraid if I were to eat it regularly, my GI symptoms would get worse.

I still have a spot on my forehead from using a bit of cheese on my pasta Friday night

[lizard00]

Dairy breaks me out too. It has by far been the HARDEST thing to give up. It also gives me a headache, sometimes with sinus pressure. Sometimes it will give me GI symptoms, but not always. I find that if I do just a little, it doesn't seem to bother upset my stomach. But if I eat too much, which is not much, then everything just feels inflamed, and all foods bother me.

I've not tried lactaid, and I don't know that I will. To me it seems more of an allergy or intolerance to the casein rather than to the lactose. I'm not sure which one it is, and I guess it doesn't really matter to me. Either way I need to avoid it. It took me a while to figure out the connection with my complexion and dairy since my face broke out at 9 and has stayed that way since. But, I'm being patient and with the elimination of dairy I have seen a great improvement.

[jerseyangel]

I've not tried lactaid, and I don't know that I will. To me it seems more of an allergy or intolerance to the casein rather than to the lactose.

I feel this is the case with me, too. I'm also having a really bad attack of sinusitis--bad enough to use my steroid spray. I wonder if this has anything to do with the cheese? I wouldn't be surprised.

[ArtGirl]

I'm casein intolerant. My skin becomes itchy. No breakouts or hives. However, if I scratch my skin, the scratched area welts up almost immediately but goes down after about 10 minutes. That's after one ingestion of dairy - usually cheese on a pizza. I'll also have foul smelling poop for a couple days, but no D.

My husband, who is not gluten intolerant but is casein intolerant, gets head congestion after ingesting dairy - usually within 20 minutes and it last several hours. (It was continuous before we found out about the casein because he ate a lot of ice cream!).

That said, my husband and I have a pizza night every couple months. With cheese--in moderation.

[lizard00]

I feel this is the case with me, too. I'm also having a really bad attack of sinusitis--bad enough to use my steroid spray. I wonder if this has anything to do with the cheese? I wouldn't be surprised.

I should add too, that my sinus pressure went away with the removal of dairy. Normally, at this time of the year down here in NC, I would be dying. But, it's been a relatively easy allergy season for me. I was taking allergy medicine daily earlier this year. When I finally cut out the dairy, I discovered that I didn't need it anymore. And there were times when I felt like a person was standing on the bridge of my nose. Horrible!! I'm still affected by the season change, but not nearly as much as last year.

But now, since I'm not ingesting it regularly, it doesn't cause as much pressure as it used to. So, the two for you could most definitely be related.

Hope you feel better soon!!! That is a yuck feeling!

[Mtndog]

Could you have the lactose intolerance breath test done? I had it done (you do have to consume dairy during the test because they measure your stomach bacteria levels to see if they rise) and it told me I was lactose intolerant. It does not tell you whether or not you are casein intolerant.

I eat dairy but in moderation gave up milk but can't give up cheese). I think dairy intolerance is DEFINITELY harder than gluten too!

[jerseyangel]

I should add too, that my sinus pressure went away with the removal of dairy. Normally, at this time of the year down here in NC, I would be dying. But, it's been a relatively easy allergy season for me. I was taking allergy medicine daily earlier this year. When I finally cut out the dairy, I discovered that I didn't need it anymore. And there were times when I felt like a person was standing on the bridge of my nose. Horrible!! I'm still affected by the season change, but not nearly as much as last year.

But now, since I'm not ingesting it regularly, it doesn't cause as much pressure as it used to. So, the two for you could most definitely be related.

Hope you feel better soon!!! That is a yuck feeling!

Thanks

The more I think about this, the more I think you are right. I don't eat dairy often, like I said, but I do use things like Coffee Mate and once in a while Cool Whip--which contain small amounts of casein. I ate the cheese on Friday, and the sinus pressure came back over the weekend.

Sometimes it helps just to hash things out, even when they should be obvious. Thanks again!

Bev--I agree wholeheartedly that dairy is much harder than gluten to cut out. I'd be perfectly happy gluten-free if I could consume dairy

[munchkinette]

Dairy causes some congestion for everyone. That's the reason why singers never/rarely eat dairy. I cut way back anyway when I started singing again.

I do have breakouts that are noticeable, but my acne is bad enough anyway that it isn't always obvious. I can't figure out how to get rid of it!

lizard00: Lactaid isn't for an allergy. Lactaid is lactase, or the enzyme that breaks down lactose into monosaccharides (simple sugars) that can be absorbed. Many people don't produce enough lactase, especially when the intestines are damaged from other stuff, like gluten. I can't really tell if this is my issue because it only helps sometimes... that makes me think I have a combination of dairy issues, and it's the reason why I can't figure out what my deal is.

[lizard00]

lizard00: Lactaid isn't for an allergy. Lactaid is lactase, or the enzyme that breaks down lactose into monosaccharides (simple sugars) that can be absorbed. Many people don't produce enough lactase, especially when the intestines are damaged from other stuff, like gluten. I can't really tell if this is my issue because it only helps sometimes... that makes me think I have a combination of dairy issues, and it's the reason why I can't figure out what my deal is.

Let me rephrase that: I am not going to try lactaid because I think that my problem is either an allergy or intolerance to the casein rather than the lactose. I don't get any of the common symptoms associated with lactose intolerance, and the effects of dairy on me seem to cause allergy/sinus problems. The gluten protein and the casein protein are very similar in nature, and many celiacs cannot tolerate casein.

Either way for you, it seems that you will do better to avoid it, at least for now.

[munchkinette]

Let me rephrase that: I am not going to try lactaid because I think that my problem is either an allergy or intolerance to the casein rather than the lactose. I don't get any of the common symptoms associated with lactose intolerance, and the effects of dairy on me seem to cause allergy/sinus problems. The gluten protein and the casein protein are very similar in nature, and many celiacs cannot tolerate casein.

Either way for you, it seems that you will do better to avoid it, at least for now.

Ah, ok. I misunderstood.

I guess I should avoid dairy. I really just want to find out what my issue really is. If I'm doing the same kind of damage as gluten does, I want to avoid. If all I really get is acne, I'm more inclined to cheat.

[lizard00]

Ah, ok. I misunderstood.

I guess I should avoid dairy. I really just want to find out what my issue really is. If I'm doing the same kind of damage as gluten does, I want to avoid. If all I really get is acne, I'm more inclined to cheat.

No prob

Things always make perfect sense in my head, but sometimes I'll go back and reread something, to which I'll think... could I have not found a better way to write that? LOL

I asked my GI to tell me that eating dairy was destroying my intestines like eating gluten, so I would be motivated to cut it completely. He just laughed and said "I wish I could." He's using that assumption that I'm lactose intolerant, and I guess unless I either come up neg on the lactose intolerance test OR show up pos on an allergy test, that's what he'll think. Oh well... what fun this food intolerance problem is!!

[aikiducky]

If it feels like lactase sometimes helps, maybe it's a dosage problem? It can also depend on timing, because obviously the lactase and lactose have to be in the same place at the same time in order for the lactose to be broken up.

You can safely take more lactase than most packages recommend as far as I know.

Btw, soy gives me terrible acne. As far as I can tell, it doesn't give me any other symptoms, but if I eat soy products like soy milk or desserts regularly, I start to break out like a teenager.

Pauliina

[Nancym]

Acne is very common in dairy intolerance. Loren Cordain wrote a book about it.

I get muscle spasms, light acne out breaks, and nasty post-nasal drip.

[ArtGirl]

I guess I should avoid dairy. I really just want to find out what my issue really is. If I'm doing the same kind of damage as gluten does, I want to avoid. If all I really get is acne, I'm more inclined to cheat.

Environmnetal and food sensitivities/intolerances/allergies have an accummulative effect on the immune system, which is already compromised from issues relating to gluten. If you eat an allergen, you might not see an immediate reaction, or you may find it only mildly annoying. BUT, it is still adding to the load placed on your immune system. You may find that you catch too many colds and they last too long or get too severe, or you are fatigued all the time, or you skin breaks out.

To give your system a chance to heal well from damages done by gluten, keeping the toxic load from allergens as low as you can will only help. It also helps to make you feel the best you can and have the most energy.

I hope you take the casein sensitivity seriously and don't cheat very often.

[lizard00]

Environmnetal and food sensitivities/intolerances/allergies have an accummulative effect on the immune system, which is already compromised from issues relating to gluten. If you eat an allergen, you might not see an immediate reaction, or you may find it only mildly annoying. BUT, it is still adding to the load placed on your immune system.

That was pretty much the way I was able to rationalize why I needed to avoid dairy and finally make the decision to do it. In Dr Green's book about celiac disease, he states the reason why it is so important to make sure even trace amounts of gluten are kept out the diet; because those trace amounts are enough to keep an immune response going, therefore never allowing complete healing to occur.

I figured the same with dairy, if I'm allergic to it, it's still an immune response. And even though small, continuous amounts will continue to tax my immune system and continue to cause irritation and I'll never totally be well.

[munchkinette]

I hope you take the casein sensitivity seriously and don't cheat very often.

That's just it- I don't know if that's what it is or not. I tend to avoid it both because I sing and because of acne. For a while I tried eating a lot of different types to experiment (yogurts, cheeses from other animals, etc) but I still couldn't come to any conclusion. All I know is that a huge dish of ice cream is BAD. I had cheese the other day and it wasn't a big deal. Who knows.