Milk allergy

According to the International Dairy Foundation, Germans drink on average about 92.3 litres of milk a year while Americans drink 83.9 litres per year [1]. In addition, people also consume numerous products derived from milk such as cheese, yoghurt and cottage cheese. Moreover, milk proteins can be found in TV dinners, different kinds of bread, cakes and pastries and sausages. Therefore, milk allergy sufferers must always pay careful attention to exactly which ingredients a particular food contains.

The rate of self-diagnosed milk allergy is 10 times higher than the clinically proven incidence, which suggests a large proportion of the population unnecessarily avoids milk products. Milk is an important source for calcium that supports bone growth and reduces the risk of contracting osteoporosis, so when milk is cut out of one's diet, an alternative source of calcium must be found [2].

The milk allergen can cause very strong allergic reactions. However, cow's milk allergy is more prevalent in infants (2–6%) than in adults (0.1–0.5%) [2]. As an allergy to cow’s milk usually dies down by the time children start school parents should have their children tested on a yearly basis, to check whether it is really still necessary to avoid milk and milk products. When adults show a hypersensitivity to milk, this usually means they suffer from lactose intolerance; an allergy to milk protein is rare among grown-ups.

Not to be confused with: Lactose Intolerance

You can find information on diagnosis of food allergies and intolerances here

DELICARDO Foodcards:

We highly recommend the use of DELICARDO Foodcards for milk allergy sufferers. When eating dishes prepared by someone else it is important that allergies and intolerances are clearly communicated to the cook and service personnel. During restaurant visits it is best to avoid all types of milk to avoid possible cross-contamination.

Standard DELICARDO Foodcards can be found here

To create a personalised DELICARDO Foodcard click here

Further Information:

FAAN
http://www.foodallergy.org/page/milk-allergy

FAI
http://www.faiusa.org/?page=milk

Allergy UK
http://www.allergyuk.org/fs_milk.aspx

FoodReactions.org
http://www.foodreactions.org/allergy/milk.html

[1] Introduction to Dairy Science and Technology: Milk History, Consumption, Production, and Composition http://www.foodscience.uoguelph.ca/dairyedu/intro.html
[2] Crittenden R.G and L.E. Bennet (2005) Cow's milk allergy: a complex disorder. J Am. Coll. Nutr. 24: 582s-591s.