Young adults with gastrointestinal disturbances
may blame cow's milk for their symptoms. While some type
of allergic reaction may be involved, Finnish researchers
report, intolerance to cow's milk is usually not the cause.
In a previous study, Dr. Laura Paajanen of the Foundation
for Nutrition Research in Helsinki and her team found
evidence that gastrointestinal problems in school-age
children were sometimes due an intolerance to cow's milk.
They conducted the current investigation to determine
the cause of similar discomfort in young adults.
The researchers surveyed 827 young men and women ages
16 to 21 about gastrointestinal symptoms related to food,
and then conducted more detailed examinations in 49 individuals
who reported such symptoms and 29 who did not.
Roughly 10 percent of the study participants reported
having severe gastrointestinal symptoms, usually food-related,
in the previous year. Twenty-four percent of all the study
participants said cow's milk caused them gastrointestinal
discomfort, and 13 percent did not drink milk.
When the researchers had a subgroup of people with gastrointestinal
symptoms drink milk and a placebo beverage containing
soy, they found milk induced symptoms in just 2 of the
23 study participants who completed the test. Four of
47 study participants carried a gene associated with lactose
intolerance.
However, study participants who had gastrointestinal
problems did show higher levels of markers of immune system
activity within their intestines and in their blood. They
were also twice as likely as people without symptoms to
carry a gene associated with autoimmunity.
The findings suggest that some type of allergic reaction
to food may cause such gastrointestinal symptoms, but
that cow's milk is rarely the cause, the researchers report.
Paajanen and her team note that people who avoid dairy
products because of a mistaken belief that they are lactose-intolerant
may run the risk of missing out on important nutrients.
SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December
2005.
