Milk intolerance is a general term that is used to describe a hypersensitivity to milk or digestive difficulty processing milk proteins. If you've been diagnosed with Crohn's disease, the condition can cause damage to the lining of your intestines, causing you to become intolerant to milk proteins. Lactose intolerance is not the same as a hypersensitivity or a protein intolerance but is rather the inability to digest the sugar found in milk products.
Background on Crohn's
Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that causes chronic inflammation in the soft tissue that makes up your intestines. Crohn's disease is not fully understood by the medical community, but it is treatable with medication and dietary modifications. Crohn's can cause various digestive symptoms, including vomiting, cramping, abdominal pain, diarrhea, gas and bloating. If the condition is left untreated, permanent damage can occur to your digestive system.
Milk Hypersensitivity
Crohn's can cause your immune system to become hypersensitive to the proteins found in milk. Milk hypersensitivity is also called a milk allergy and can cause a range of symptoms to develop within minutes of ingesting milk. This condition causes the immune system to have an overreaction to whey and casein proteins. This hypersensitivity triggers the production of immunoglobulin E antibodies, which cause the creation of other chemicals throughout the body. Common symptoms of a milk allergy include hives, asthma, sinus congestion and digestive complications. Severe reactions to milk proteins can lead to life-threatening symptoms.
Protein Intolerance
The damage from Crohn's can cause your small intestines to stop producing certain enzymes that help break down milk proteins. If this occurs, the proteins in milk products will go undigested and remain in the gut. This can cause inflammation and irritation that can cause digestive symptoms. Milk protein intolerance is incurable and will require that you eliminate all dairy from your diet.
Lactose Consideration
Although lactose intolerance is not considered milk intolerance, it is commonly related to digestive complications with Crohn's disease. Much like milk protein intolerance, lactose intolerance is the inability to digest the sugar found in milk because of insufficient lactase enzymes. Lactase helps simplify the complex sugar so that the body can absorb it and use for energy. Lactose intolerance is a common result of Crohn's. The symptoms from lactose intolerance are preventable by taking a lactase enzyme before the first bite of dairy.
