Lactose Intolerance vs. Dairy Allergy: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Living With

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

• Symptoms
• Am I More Likely to Have Dairy Allergy?
• Getting Tested
• Testing for Lactose Intolerance
• Testing for Dairy Allergy
• Living With Lactose Intolerance
• Living With Dairy Allergy
• More

Lactose intolerance and dairy allergy sound a lot alike. Many people think they’re the same thing. But, how they’re caused (and how they affect your body) are very different.

Lactose intolerance involves the digestive system: If you have it, your body doesn’t make lactase, the enzyme needed to digest lactose. That’s the sugar in milk. Instead of digesting normally in your stomach and small intestine, undigested lactose moves into your colon, where it’s broken down by bacteria and causes bloating and gas. It can be uncomfortable, but it’s not dangerous.

Lactose intolerance is common in adults – about 30 million Americans have it by age 20. It’s more common in people with Asian, African or Native American heritage and less common in people with a northern or western European background.

Dairy allergy involves the immune system: If you have it, your body reacts to the proteins in milk and other dairy products as if they’re dangerous invaders. It releases substances that cause allergy symptoms. This allergic reaction can be mild (rashes) to severe (trouble breathing, loss of consciousness).

Dairy allergy is one of most common allergies, especially in children. As many as 2 in every 100 children under 4 years old are allergic to milk. It’s even more common in babies.

Some symptoms of lactose intolerance and dairy allergy may be the same:

• Diarrhea
• Nausea; sometimes vomiting
• Abdominal cramps
• Bloating
• Gas

But dairy allergy can also cause a reaction in other parts of your body, including the skin and lungs:

• Rash
• Hives
• Swelling, often in the lips and face
• Wheezing
• Tightness in throat
• Trouble swallowing

There may be blood in the stool (poop) too, especially in babies.

Anaphylaxis is a serious, life-threatening allergic reaction and often begins minutes after you eat a food you’re allergic to, but sometimes it can happen hours later. It usually involves more than one symptom in more than one part of your body at the same time.

If you have a severe allergy or if you’ve ever had anaphylaxis in the past, talk to your doctor about carrying an injectable epinephrine (Adrenaclick, Auvi-Q, EpiPen, a generic auto-injector, Symjepi) to slow down or stop the allergic reaction.

You’re more likely to develop dairy allergy if:

• You have other allergies
• You have eczema
• One or both of your parents has a food or other allergy, like hay fever, eczema or asthma
• You’re young. Milk allergy is more common in children. As you get older, your digestive system is less likely to react to milk, but you’re likelier to have lactose intolerance.

First your doctor will take your medical history to understand your symptoms and how your body reacts to dairy foods. Then you’ll be tested to confirm whether it’s lactose intolerance or a dairy allergy.

Lactose tolerance test: You’ll drink a liquid that contains a lot of lactose. About 2 hours later, the amount of glucose (sugar) in your bloodstream will be measured. If your glucose level doesn’t rise, you’re not digesting the lactose in the drink.

Hydrogen breath test: You’ll drink a liquid that contains a lot of lactose. Then, the hydrogen in your breath will be measured at regular intervals. If you’re not digesting lactose, it will be broken down in your colon, releasing hydrogen that can be detected in your breath.

Stool acidity test: Babies and children who can’t be tested otherwise can have their stool tested for lactic acid caused by the breakdown of undigested lactose in the colon.

Skin prick test: A small drop of liquid containing the dairy allergen is placed under your skin on your forearm or back. If a raised bump surrounded by itchy red skin appears, a dairy allergy is likely.

Your doctor might have you take a blood test too, which measures the amount of certain antibodies in your blood.

Both tests can have “false positives.” You can test positive for an allergy even though you really don’t have it. Your allergist will explain the results.

If an allergy is still suspected but not confirmed, your doctor may have you take an oral challenge. You’ll be fed different foods that may or may not contain milk in increasing amounts to see if you react to food that contains milk.

Lactose intolerance is easily managed, mostly by limiting the amount of dairy food and drink you consume. You can also try lactose-reduced ice cream and milk, or take lactase enzyme supplements when you eat dairy products to help your body digest lactose.

If you have dairy allergy, you’ll need to avoid all dairy foods and other foods that contain dairy products.

Staying safe means reading food labels to see if milk or ingredients containing milk are included. Milk proteins are found in many foods you wouldn’t expect. Some canned tuna, energy drinks and even chewing gum contain them. And don’t eat lactose-reduced foods if you have dairy allergy. They still contain the milk proteins that can cause allergic reactions.

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Lactose Intolerance vs. Dairy Allergy: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Living With

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

• Symptoms
• Am I More Likely to Have Dairy Allergy?
• Getting Tested
• Testing for Lactose Intolerance
• Testing for Dairy Allergy
• Living With Lactose Intolerance
• Living With Dairy Allergy
• More

Lactose intolerance and dairy allergy sound a lot alike. Many people think they’re the same thing. But, how they’re caused (and how they affect your body) are very different.

Lactose intolerance involves the digestive system: If you have it, your body doesn’t make lactase, the enzyme needed to digest lactose. That’s the sugar in milk. Instead of digesting normally in your stomach and small intestine, undigested lactose moves into your colon, where it’s broken down by bacteria and causes bloating and gas. It can be uncomfortable, but it’s not dangerous.

Lactose intolerance is common in adults – about 30 million Americans have it by age 20. It’s more common in people with Asian, African or Native American heritage and less common in people with a northern or western European background.

Dairy allergy involves the immune system: If you have it, your body reacts to the proteins in milk and other dairy products as if they’re dangerous invaders. It releases substances that cause allergy symptoms. This allergic reaction can be mild (rashes) to severe (trouble breathing, loss of consciousness).

Dairy allergy is one of most common allergies, especially in children. As many as 2 in every 100 children under 4 years old are allergic to milk. It’s even more common in babies.

Some symptoms of lactose intolerance and dairy allergy may be the same:

• Diarrhea
• Nausea; sometimes vomiting
• Abdominal cramps
• Bloating
• Gas

But dairy allergy can also cause a reaction in other parts of your body, including the skin and lungs:

• Rash
• Hives
• Swelling, often in the lips and face
• Wheezing
• Tightness in throat
• Trouble swallowing

There may be blood in the stool (poop) too, especially in babies.

Anaphylaxis is a serious, life-threatening allergic reaction and often begins minutes after you eat a food you’re allergic to, but sometimes it can happen hours later. It usually involves more than one symptom in more than one part of your body at the same time.

If you have a severe allergy or if you’ve ever had anaphylaxis in the past, talk to your doctor about carrying an injectable epinephrine (Adrenaclick, Auvi-Q, EpiPen, a generic auto-injector, Symjepi) to slow down or stop the allergic reaction.

You’re more likely to develop dairy allergy if:

• You have other allergies
• You have eczema
• One or both of your parents has a food or other allergy, like hay fever, eczema or asthma
• You’re young. Milk allergy is more common in children. As you get older, your digestive system is less likely to react to milk, but you’re likelier to have lactose intolerance.

First your doctor will take your medical history to understand your symptoms and how your body reacts to dairy foods. Then you’ll be tested to confirm whether it’s lactose intolerance or a dairy allergy.

Lactose tolerance test: You’ll drink a liquid that contains a lot of lactose. About 2 hours later, the amount of glucose (sugar) in your bloodstream will be measured. If your glucose level doesn’t rise, you’re not digesting the lactose in the drink.

Hydrogen breath test: You’ll drink a liquid that contains a lot of lactose. Then, the hydrogen in your breath will be measured at regular intervals. If you’re not digesting lactose, it will be broken down in your colon, releasing hydrogen that can be detected in your breath.

Stool acidity test: Babies and children who can’t be tested otherwise can have their stool tested for lactic acid caused by the breakdown of undigested lactose in the colon.

Skin prick test: A small drop of liquid containing the dairy allergen is placed under your skin on your forearm or back. If a raised bump surrounded by itchy red skin appears, a dairy allergy is likely.

Your doctor might have you take a blood test too, which measures the amount of certain antibodies in your blood.

Both tests can have “false positives.” You can test positive for an allergy even though you really don’t have it. Your allergist will explain the results.

If an allergy is still suspected but not confirmed, your doctor may have you take an oral challenge. You’ll be fed different foods that may or may not contain milk in increasing amounts to see if you react to food that contains milk.

Lactose intolerance is easily managed, mostly by limiting the amount of dairy food and drink you consume. You can also try lactose-reduced ice cream and milk, or take lactase enzyme supplements when you eat dairy products to help your body digest lactose.

If you have dairy allergy, you’ll need to avoid all dairy foods and other foods that contain dairy products.

Staying safe means reading food labels to see if milk or ingredients containing milk are included. Milk proteins are found in many foods you wouldn’t expect. Some canned tuna, energy drinks and even chewing gum contain them. And don’t eat lactose-reduced foods if you have dairy allergy. They still contain the milk proteins that can cause allergic reactions.

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Harm of milk: how dairy products affect the skin

We have all heard at least once how someone we know completely refused “milk”, and a miracle immediately happened to the skin. Milk is increasingly considered the cause of eczema, acne, dullness and is regarded as the number one enemy for our face.

This is confirmed by data from the Vegan Society, according to which the number of vegans in the UK has quadrupled over the past six years. Of those, almost 600,000 eliminated dairy products to improve their health, skin condition, and energy levels. The breakfast menu now includes oat milk, vegan cheeses are widely available in supermarkets near the house, and ice cream is made not from cream, but from cashew nuts. The vegan diet has become more varied, but the question still remains – will cutting out animal milk make for healthy skin?

“Despite the suggestion that dairy products contribute to skin problems, current evidence is very limited and conflicting,” says nutritionist Megan Rossi. “Most of the studies done so far are observational—they can be useful, but you still can’t make a final decision based on them. There are a number of factors that make it difficult to assess the relationship between nutrition and skin condition. For example, people who drink a lot of milk may consume less fiber and more sugar, and this is what negatively affects their health and appearance.”

Beautician Debbie Thomas asks her clients with acne to analyze their diet and lifestyle. “Yes, dairy can cause some skin problems, but not all,” says Thomas. – Nevertheless, acne most often appears with an excess of sugar, stress – during it, certain hormones are produced in the body. Or with more serious disorders – for example, with polycystic ovary syndrome.

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Both experts agree that the effect of dairy products on the skin is not a myth, but rather information that has not yet been fully confirmed by research. “Remember that acne speaks to your current state of health, severe inflammation on the face is the end result of reactions within the body. Therefore, it is important to individually determine what is causing the poor condition of your skin,” says Thomas. Experts advise keeping a food diary to keep track of what the skin reacts to negatively, so you can establish a connection between its condition and diet.

What else you need to know about milk:

The effect of milk on hormones

As you know, our diet and lifestyle affect hormones, and they, in turn, affect the skin. Pimples that appear during the menstrual cycle confirm this. “Cow’s milk and dairy products contain casein and whey protein, which increase levels of a certain hormone (insulin-like growth factor-1, or IGF-1). It is associated with increased production of sebum, which causes the development of acne, explains Rossi. “Studies have shown that people with acne have higher levels of the hormone IGF-1.” It has also been established in the West that the more sugar, dairy products and carbohydrates in the diet, the more often people experience skin diseases. But as Rossi notes, a clinical study has yet to show that dairy-only products cause skin problems.

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Milk and insulin levels proteins are broken down and converted into hormones that are very similar to insulin,” says Thomas. The higher its level, the more we are prone to infections and inflammatory processes, including on the skin. “Most often, people experience such inflammatory skin diseases as acne, eczema and rosacea,” the cosmetologist notes. “If inflammation becomes a long-term problem in the body, then eventually it reaches the skin – this leads to the rapid appearance of wrinkles and a deterioration in its appearance.”

All about lactose intolerance

“The body needs enzymes to break down lactose in milk. About 65 percent of people lose these enzymes during infancy. That is why, as we get older, the body develops lactose intolerance or allergy. It causes an inflammatory response in the body, ”says the nutritionist. If you suffer from bloating, nausea, or flatulence, then Rossi recommends using her author’s method – a three-step assessment of “record, limit, restore.” You can find it in book Eat Yourself Healthy , where you can find out how to live comfortably and safely with a food intolerance.

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Dairy products are different To improve your skin, know that not all “milk” is produced equally. A 2019 study found that there is a link between total milk consumption and acne on the face. “Interestingly, data on skin problems varied depending on the types of milk consumed – whole, semi-fat, or skim. It turned out that skimmed milk has the most negative effect on the skin, ”says Rossi. In contrast, fermented dairy products do not increase the risk of acne, so yogurt and cheese are more your friends than enemies. “Sour-milk products like yogurt and kefir can improve heart and bone health, as well as improve digestion and control weight,” she notes. So when it comes to dairy, as is often the case, it’s about finding balance and moderation, not total abstinence.

Hannah Coates/ Vogue.co.uk

Dermatologist Ballirano explains why collagen cosmetics don’t really work and in general rejuvenate your face. However, in reality, the effectiveness of products that are so popular among women after thirty is very, very doubtful. A dermatologist, cosmetologist Tatyana Ballirano warned about this in a conversation with Life.

She noted that collagen is a structural part of the skin, it is from it that a kind of framework is formed, on the basis of which our skeleton and muscles are built. In the skin, collagen is responsible for elasticity, firmness and cell renewal. According to the doctor, somewhere after 30–35 years, the production of this protein decreases. Because of this, wrinkles appear on the skin, it loses its tone, and becomes dry. At the same time, unfortunately, it will not be possible to compensate for the lack of natural collagen with the help of “miracle creams and masks”. The thing is that this protein has too large molecules, so it will not be able to penetrate the skin and will simply remain on the surface.

“You need to understand that a collagen molecule is a protein and, of course, a foreign protein, according to the law of nature, cannot penetrate the skin transdermally. Therefore, when applying a cream, a mask with collagen, we will get an exclusively externally moisturizing effect. Collagen will moisturize, create a film, therefore, the skin will be visually stretched, but when you wash off the cream, you will not see the result,” our interlocutor explained to .

Dermatologists warn: Hand cream can be addictive

At the same time, Ballirano emphasized that one should not rely on 100% effectiveness of nutritional supplements that contain collagen, of course. Here we should take into account the fact that any proteins, when they enter the body, are digested by our digestive enzymes. According to the dermatologist, the only way to saturate the body with collagen is the delivery of amino acids inside. We are talking about mesotherapy, biorevitalization and not only.

“At home, this is microneedling, such a roller with needles. We apply serum with amino acids, peptides, vitamins. Needle RF is also effective when needles are directly injected into the skin, a high-frequency current is supplied, which also stimulates fibroblasts,” – summarized the doctor.

Cosmetologist explained why acne loves the cold season

Earlier, dermatologist Ekaterina Vertieva warned about a deadly skin fungus with a “childish” name.