Difficulty in digesting dairy products is the most common food hypersensitivity in the world

Currently almost 20% of the population in the westernised world suffers from some type of food sensitivity, with lactose intolerance being the most common according to the Brazilian Association of Allergy and Immunology ^[1]. 

For a person who does not digest milk well, this food is the perfect example to pull the thread in the investigation of other foods that cause pseudo-allergic reactions.

Dairy products that undergo fermentation or maturation, such as cured cheeses and yoghurts, accumulate high levels of histamine and other biogenic amines during processing. Furthermore, casein, which is a milk protein, acts in the body as a histamine releaser, stimulating the body itself to release more of this amine and overloading the capacity of the DAO enzyme to degrade it. Therefore, if inflammation symptoms persist even with the consumption of "zero lactose" products, milk serves to put the focus of attention on the management of accumulated dietary histamine.

Histamine imbalance acts on various receptors throughout the body, being the hidden factor behind multiple symptoms in various systems of the organism. Within this vast spectrum, we need to put a clinical magnifying glass on babies and children.

By pulling the milk thread once again, we know that when a baby presents severe symptoms, such as extreme colic, digestive alterations or reddish patches on the skin, the initial suspicion is usually “Cow's Milk Protein Allergy” (CMPA). In children, histamine sensitivity often occurs simultaneously with other intestinal reactions according to the review published in the journal Nutrients ^[2]. If malaise and mysterious skin reactions persist even with the rigorous exclusion of milk protein, the child's intestine may give signs that it does not have the enzymatic activity necessary to clear natural histamine from food.

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References:

[1] ASBAI, 2024. 

[2] Nutrients, 2021.

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