Dairy allergies are caused by cow’s milk protein and can cause a variety of symptoms, including anaphylactic shock. Treatment involves avoiding all dairy products, including those with trace amounts, and reading food labels carefully. Calcium supplements may be necessary for children.
When people are allergic to dairy products, they have allergies to cow’s milk protein (and occasionally goat’s milk). These allergies are distinctly different from being lactose intolerant, which some people refer to as “allergic” to milk. With lactose intolerance, people cannot tolerate the sugar in milk, called lactose, because they lack the corresponding digestive enzyme, lactase, to cope with the sugar lactose. Triggered by the digestive system, the body can respond in many ways and usually with noticeable stomach upset. With true dairy allergy, the body’s immune system responds whenever it is exposed to cow’s milk proteins.
Those with a true dairy allergy can have a variety of symptoms when exposed to any type of dairy product, including those derived from milk such as whey or casein. They may have skin rashes, asthma, hives, and stomach upset in the form of vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation. Some will go into anaphylactic shock after initial exposure to milk protein, and this is medically urgent because it can impair breathing as the throat swells. A true dairy allergy can mean carrying an adrenaline injection called an epi-pen at all times, if you’ve experienced anaphylactic shock in the past.
The way to treat a dairy allergy is to totally avoid any products that contain dairy, and that can be difficult. Traces can also trigger allergies in some people, which means that some dairy allergy sufferers may need to be certain that the foods they eat could not have come into contact with dairy products. Also there are many things in foods that are derived from dairy products and these too must be carefully avoided.
Essentially, a dairy allergy means reading packaging carefully and looking for products like lactic acid, whey, caseinate, sodium caseinate, casein, and butter flavoring, as well as the more obvious products like milk, cream, butter, and ghee. . People shouldn’t be fooled by foods labeled “non-dairy” as they may still contain half a percent of dairy products. Instead, the “dairy-free” label may be more helpful. It may also be important to ensure that food is not processed or created in facilities where dairy products are used, as trace elements on the equipment can transfer to food that technically shouldn’t contain dairy.
Some people actually outgrow their dairy allergy, but others remain severely allergic to milk proteins. There can certainly be issues with avoiding milk, since it’s a great source of protein especially in growing bodies. The problem can be addressed readily when bottle-fed babies use soy formula. Breastfed babies can do this safely, but mothers may need to follow a dairy-free diet if the baby has shown a dairy allergy.
In older children, it is essential to give calcium supplements to replace the calcium that occurs naturally in milk. This can be given in fruit juices and there are some vegetables with high levels of calcium. Children with extreme forms of this allergy may also need to wear an identification band. They should be warned against accepting food from others in settings such as school as this can lead to serious illness and any school or other place caring for the child should be made aware of the allergy and the consequences of light handling.
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