Milk hypersensitivity in young adults

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of milk hypersensitivity in Finnish adults. Design: Cross-sectional study. Subjects: Two hundred men and 206 women aged 27 y randomly recruited from the population register in southwestern Finland. Interventions: The subjects were interviewed about their dairy product consumption, abdominal discomfort after dairy product intake and lactose intolerance. From serum samples, serum reactivity to milk protein and milk-speci®c IgG 1 , IgG 2 , IgG 3 and IgA were measured. Results: About 20% of the subjects reported abdominal discomfort after dairy product intake, whereas only 6.4% had been diagnosed to have lactose intolerance. The amount of milk consumed correlated well with the serum assay results in subjects reporting abdominal discomfort but not in subjects who were free from these symptoms. Among subjects with no record of dairy product restriction or lactose intolerance, those experiencing abdominal discomfort after dairy product intake had signi®cantly higher serum reactivity to milk protein than those without such discomfort. The concentrations of serum milk-speci®c antibodies did not differ between these two groups. The prevalence of milk hypersensitivity in this population was estimated to be 3 ± 6%. Conclusions: Milk hypersensitivity may be as common in adults as in infants. The measurement of serum reactivity to milk protein may prove useful in screening milk hypersensitivity in subjects who have not restricted their dairy product consumption.

Milk protein IgG and IgA: The association with milk-induced gastrointestinal symptoms in adults

“…Consistent with this, Pelto et al [11] have shown that hypersensitivity to cow's milk does also occur in adults but the mechanism is most likely not milk-specific antibody-mediated but rather due to an increase in serum reactivity to milk protein. The level of IgG decreased according to the age statistically significantly.…”

“…In this study we did not have the opportunity to measure milk-specific IgG4. However, the results of the earlier studies conducted in adults provided controversial results [9][10][11][12][13] .…”

“…The frequency of IgEmediated cow's milk allergy decreases with increasing age and a high level of cow's milk-specific IgE is rare in adults [5][6][7][8] . The impact of other types of immune reactions to cow's milk and, more specifically, the association of antibodies of IgG and IgA isotypes with cow's milk-induced adverse gastrointestinal symptoms in adults, is presently controversial [9][10][11][12][13] . Ou-Yang et al [14] have reported that an elimination diet based on the elevated level of food-specific IgG improved chronic diarrhea in children.…”

Uso nutricional e terapêutico do leite de cabra

“…Os resultados obtidos por Verwimp et al (1995) e Pelto et al (1998), mostram que indivíduos alérgicos a proteína do leite e intolerantes a lactose formam grupos distintos, ou seja, os alérgicos a proteína do leite de vaca, geralmente não são intolerantes à lactose. Apesar da alergia a proteína do leite ser considerada uma doença principalmente de crianças, Pelto et al (1999) estimaram prevalências entre 3 a 6% da população adulta na Finlândia.…”

Should milk-specific IgE antibodies be measured in adults in primary care?

“…Further, allergy to cow's milk may induce gastrointestinal symptoms in children [4Á6]. Hypersensitivity to milk, however, may occur in adults also, as has recently been reported in, for example, Australia [7] and Finland [8,9], and hence may be one reason for milk-related gastrointestinal problems.…”