Milk intolerance and lactose intolerance
A milk intolerance has often been confused with lactose intolerance but these conditions are very different.
Lactose intolerance sufferers have a lifelong deficiency of the enzyme lactase, which helps to break down lactose – the sugar in milk. This can cause symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhoea, which are also known effects of a food intolerance.
A milk intolerance meanwhile refers to the body’s reaction to the protein found in milk. The sufferer’s immune system wrongly interprets the proteins as a harmful invader and sends IgG antibodies to ‘attack it’, resulting in a range of inflammatory responses.
Whilst food intolerance in kids is much more common than lactose intolerance, the good news is that it does not have to be forever.
Our experts recommend substituting trigger foods with nutritional alternatives for a period of 12 weeks, before gradually reintroducing them back into the diet after this time.
Some children will find that their immune system has then “reset” and that they no longer experience the same symptoms when consuming their problem food.