Lactose intolerance symptoms cause digestive complications, such as bloating, gas and diarrhea. Headaches are not a common symptom of lactose intolerance but are most likely related to another condition, such as a milk allergy. MayoClinic.com states that lactose intolerance and milk allergy are commonly confused conditions because symptoms in both conditions are triggered from consuming dairy products. If you develop adverse reactions after consuming milk products, talk with your doctor for testing to determine the cause.
Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest the sugar found in dairy. Lactose is a complex sugar that the body cannot absorb without first being simplified. If you're lactose intolerant, your small intestines don't produce enough lactase, an enzyme that converts lactose into glucose and galactose. As you age, your body naturally slows down the production of lactase. If you stop making too much of the enzyme and you develop symptoms after ingesting milk products, you will be diagnosed as lactose intolerant. Treatment for lactose intolerance is to take a lactase enzyme supplement before consuming dairy products.
Symptoms
Symptoms from lactose intolerance begin within 20 to 30 minutes of consuming dairy products. Most symptoms are the result of the undigested lactose entering the colon. Because the sugar wasn't absorbed into the body, it enters the colon and interacts with bacteria. The bacterial interaction causes gas, bloating, cramping, abdominal pain and diarrhea to develop. Most symptoms from lactose intolerance don't last more than an hour. Once the lactose is expelled from the body, symptoms subside.
Milk Allergy
A headache that forms after consuming dairy products is most likely the result of an allergic reaction, not intolerance. A milk allergy occurs because of a malfunction of the immune system. Instead of the body identifying the proteins in milk as safe, it reacts to them as if they are dangerous. The immune system releases specific antibodies that attack the milk proteins. The presence of these antibodies in the blood stream causes a chemical chain reaction throughout the body, leading to various symptoms.
Symptoms
Symptoms from a milk allergy include asthma, digestive complications, skin rashes and nasal congestion. Nasal congestion is the primarily cause of a headache that can form after ingesting milk. Your sinus passages become swollen, places pressure throughout the head causing pain in the forehead, behind the eyes and cheek bones. Other symptoms may include difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, chest pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, hives and eczema.
