Food allergies, food sensitivities, and food intolerances are three types of reactions you can have to foods.  They can wreak havoc in your body and occur without you even realizing it. 

What does this have to do with milk and dairy products?  Milk and other foods made from it, like cheese and yogurt, are allergenic foods.  In fact, cow’s milk foods are among the eight foods that account for 90% of all food allergies.  But, in spite of this, dairy products have been promoted as real “super foods,” with reports claiming that milk and dairy products help build strong bones.  More recently, dairy products were touted as helping with weight loss.  Yogurt (containing certain strains of probiotics) is claimed to relieve gas and bloating.

You read about the food and the claimed health benefits and you automatically think the food will be good for you.  The problem is, the claims cannot be broadly applied to everyone. If you have any type of sensitivity to milk, dairy products could be the cause of the very symptoms you are trying to prevent. 

For example, a woman I know had been drinking the recommended 3 to 4 glasses of milk a day and had not lost any weight.  When she stopped her dairy consumption, she lost 20 pounds within a few weeks (with no other diet or exercise changes)!

One of the little known side effects of food sensitivities can be weight gain.  Because she lost weight when she stopped cow’s milk, this woman was, in all likelihood, sensitive to cow’s milk. I have had numerous patients who have had this same experience.  And the truth is, not all studies have shown that consuming milk and other dairy products helps with weight loss.2,3

Needless to say, this woman was quite disillusioned, and she’s not the only one. In the news last week was a report of a woman suing a yogurt company because she feels that the claims that their yogurt will reduce gas and bloating are overstated (apparently it didn’t help her!).5 Frankly, I am surprised there is not more fallout from this kind of functional food hype.

Here’s why — not only can foods induce allergies or sensitivities, another category of food reactivity called intolerances can cause gas and bloating. Lactose intolerance, an inability to digest the sugar in cow’s milk, is the most common food intolerance.  (Estimates are that 15 to 70% of people are lactose intolerant.)

Probiotics in yogurt predigest some of the lactose, but for a very intolerant person it may not be enough to prevent the gas and bloating. So whether it is from allergies, sensitivities, or intolerances, dairy products may not live up to what you read in the headlines.

In fact, food allergies in general are on the rise and some researchers feel this is one of the most under-explored areas in medicine today.1 Dairy products are only one of the most common allergenic foods.  Wheat, different types of nuts, fish, shellfish, eggs, and soybeans are others.  

When your body reacts negatively to foods, it can contribute to a wide array of health problems beyond the classic symptoms (watery eyes and runny nose).  These can include weight management difficulties, fatigue, joint pain, worsened asthma, and skin problems.

Food sensitivities can even contribute to the development of an array of autoimmune conditions like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, which are now affecting up to 1 in 5 Americans, making it more common than cancer or heart disease.4

Because the disruptions in the body from food reactions can seriously compromise your health and send your metabolism in a downward spiral, you should take the time to find out if they might be an issue for you.  But it isn’t always easy.  A problem with overcoming food sensitivities is that they can be difficult to identify.  

One immune response in particular, elevated IgG antibodies, often brings a delayed response.  You can eat the food and not get a symptom for 2 to 3 days.  In the case of weight gain — another symptom of food sensitivity — it just occurs gradually over time. 

Testing is available for two of the immunoglobulins (called IgG and IgE) that can become elevated in response to foods.  A home test kit called a blood spot analysis is available for IgG.  You can also get a comprehensive workup from a health practitioner in your area. 

Today, at LMI, we estimate that at least a third of the people we treat are affected by some type of reactivity to foods. So, be aware.  Food allergies could be an underlying cause of health problems for you.

References

1. Taylor, S.  http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/X7133M/x7133m03.htm.
2. Rajpathak S, et al.  Mar. 2006 Am J of Clin Nutr.
3. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-03-08-got-milk_x.htm.
4. http://www.aarda.org/about_aarda/aarda_mission.php.
5. http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/01/24/probiotics-dannon.html.

[Ed. Note: Jim LaValle is an educator, clinician and industry consultant in the field of integrative healthcare. He is a licensed pharmacist, board certified clinical nutritionist and doctor of naturopathic medicine with more than 20 years clinical practice experience in the field of natural therapeutics and functional medicine. Named one of the "50 Most Influential Druggists" by American Druggist for his work in natural medicine, LaValle has authored 13 books, including his latest, Cracking the Metabolic Code. For more information, Click here.]