Both the proteins and the sugar in milk can cause health problems. Proteins can cause milk allergy, while the milk sugar lactose can cause lactose intolerance. The amounts of milk found in chocolate vary considerably. Dark chocolate contains little or no milk but may contain butter, which also comes from milk. The lower the cocoa content of the chocolate, the higher the milk content in most cases. If you have an allergy to milk or are lactose intolerant, tread carefully when eating milk chocolate, although the amount of milk it contains may not bother you.
Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance affects between 30 and 50 million Americans, according to the Ohio State University Medical Center. If you suffer from lactose intolerance, your stomach doesn't produce enough of the enzyme lactase to break down lactose, the main sugar found in milk. Few infants have lactose intolerance, which normally doesn't develop until after age 2. Many people with lactose intolerance can tolerate a small amount of lactose without symptoms. Symptoms of lactose intolerance include bloating, abdominal cramping and diarrhea that starts between 30 minutes and two hours after your consume dairy products. The only way to tell if a certain type of chocolate will cause symptoms is to try it, but dark chocolate is generally safe if you are lactose intolerant.
Milk Allergy
Milk allergy and lactose intolerance are two completely different things. Milk allergy, which affects mostly infants and children and often disappears before age 5, according to the Cleveland Clinic, causes more serious reactions, including hives, shortness of breath, facial swelling, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, rash or dizziness. If you have a milk allergy, no chocolate that lists milk on its ingredients label is safe for you to eat. Milk may be listed on the ingredients label as casein, casein hydrosylates or caseinates, whey, lactalbumin, lactalbumin phosphate, lactoglobulin, lactoferrin and lactulose. Avoid chocolate that lists any of these on the ingredients list.
Studies
The small amount of lactose in milk chocolate may not be enough to cause symptoms of lactose intolerance in most people, according to a study conducted by Finnish researchers and reported in the May 2003 issue of the "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition." In the study, 27 people with lactose intolerance consumed chocolate containing either lactose-free milk powder, low-lactose milk powder, whole-milk powder or whole milk. No difference in symptoms occurred regardless of the amount of lactose in the chocolate.
Considerations
If you have a milk allergy, checking labels on chocolate can help you avoid a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. Reading kosher labels on food can help you easily eliminate foods that contain dairy products; they're marked with a "D," registered dietitian Pauline Williams explains on Kid'sHealth. White chocolate also contains milk solids, so avoid it if you have either a milk allergy or lactose intolerance.
References
- The Ohio State University Medical Center: Lactose Intolerance
- KidsHealth; Living With a Milk Allergy; Pauline Williams, R.D.; November 2009
- "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Tolerance of Symptomatic Lactose Malabsorbers to Lactose in Milk Chocolate; R. Järvinen, et al.; May 2003
- Cleveland Clinic; Milk Allergies
- Planet Lactose; Is Chocolate to Be Avoided?; July 2009
Member Comments