# Can drinking too much milk cause lactose intolerance Symptoms?



## steve_b21 (Dec 18, 2008)

Been tryin to add more calories into my diet so have been consuming more milk (semi skimmed). Last 2 days I have felt awfull, every thing I eat is going straight through, loss of appetite, bloated feeling..... Are these signs of lactose problems?


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## Super_G (Feb 20, 2012)

No, it just turns your stomach, I am lactose intolerant and trust me buddy, if you drank too much milk you'd have so much sh1t pouring out, your socks would be brown


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## DG_27 (May 15, 2010)

I dont know if drinking a large amount of milk can cause lactose intolerance but it definitely would make pre existing condition more prevalent this is how i found out i had a gluten intolerance, but there is only one way to be sure mate, go to the docs and get an food allergy test


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## steve_b21 (Dec 18, 2008)

Gordie1876 said:


> No, it just turns your stomach, I am lactose intolerant and trust me buddy, if you drank too much milk you'd have so much sh1t pouring out, your socks would be brown


Lol .... That's the thing.... My stomach is now In serious pain, make all sorts of funny noises .... Think I've been loo about 15 times in the last 36 hours! Yuck!



DG_27 said:


> I dont know if drinking a large amount of milk can cause lactose intolerance but it definitely would make pre existing condition more prevalent this is how i found out i had a gluten intolerance, but there is only one way to be sure mate, go to the docs and get an food allergy test


Didnt know these kind of tests existed.... How do they carry them out? As I'm pretty sure my body doesn't like something in my diet.... Whether it be the milk or wheat.


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## DG_27 (May 15, 2010)

Yeah there a pretty simple test they scratch the skin and place a small amount of the allergen/food on the skin and wait to see if it becomes red/inflamed, i think there might be a blood test too but i dont know anything about that. I would probably not have found out i ever had an intolerance only that when i started bodybuilding i was eating bread and pasta at nearly every meal and after a while i started getting bloated/cramps etc and i knew there was something badly wrong


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## bayman (Feb 27, 2010)

No, it's a common myth drinking lots of milk gives you intolerance. Would eating lots of chicken make you intolerant to that?

So long as you have no digestion issues with lactose, you'll be fine. That said, lactose intolerance (or the symptoms of) is often caused by underlying gluten intolerance or sensitivity due to it damaging the gut lining.


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## DJay (Feb 6, 2011)

there are varying degrees of lactose intolerance, your body only stores a limited amount of the enzyme it needs to digest milk, once this runs out you basically get the lactose intollerent symptoms.

personally i can only have about a pint of milk a day before i started having really bad farts lol


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

Yes it can. You only have a certain amount of lactase (the enzyme that breaks down lactose) so if it's all used up you have undisgested lactose causing issues/symptoms.

It's like with alcohol...some people have more of the enzymes that break it down and so as long as they have enough of those enzymes they stay sober, however, once all used up, the alcohol then affects the body and brain.


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

DG_27 said:


> I dont know if drinking a large amount of milk can cause lactose intolerance but it definitely would make pre existing condition more prevalent this is how i found out i had a gluten intolerance, but there is only one way to be sure mate, go to the docs and get an food allergy test


The issue with food allergy tests if their reliability. Positive results are reliable but the negative ones aren't. That's what my Dr told me anyway. Intolerance is also different to allergy.

The best way to estbalish if you have an intolerance is by doing the elimination diet for 2-3 weeks and then introduce a new food one at a time for 3 days. If a new food makes you ill you're probably intolerant and by intolerant, I DON'T mean allergic, I mean intolerant, which can be caused by an imbalance of bacteria in the gut; something that research has shown to be near impossible to remedy. But prescribed pro-biotics may help a little.


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

I've read completely contradictory things on this - one theory that the 'lactase pool' is limited and that in those who genetically are not well able to tolerate lactose the ability to digest it decreases as they age, and another set of study data that suggests that lactose intolerant people can actually upregulate their lactase production with continued dietary exposure.

The truth may possibly be that it depends on genetics, and their could be two (or more) different genes that initially express the same phenotype (lactose intolerant), but that they each respond differently to exposure to it over time.

Another thing worth saying here though is that lactose is not actually the only allergenic thing in dairy - and a significant percentage of people who have dairy intolerance issues to milk and think it's down to the lactose are actually wrong. Milk contains several protein fractions, and one of them, beta-lactoglobulin, is fairly highly allergenic to many people, and the effects of consuming it are similar to lactose intolerance in symptoms.

Best thing to do imo though is just to avoid dairy if it causes an issue... or at the very least try a far less allergenic form of dairy like goats milk, which even when containing lactose and beta-lactoglobulin seems to be tolerated with no issues by some people who can't deal with cows milk. The reason why goats milk is so much better tolerated despite having the same allergens is still a bit of a mystery (unless they've cracked it since I last read up, lol) but it looks likely to be down to differences in the balance of fatty acids and how the slightly different protein fractions aggregate in the gut.


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## Fit4life (Sep 16, 2011)

Most food allergy tests are inaccurate, the very best way to see if you are intolerant to anything is to run an elimination diet, its really simple (unless of course you feel its a nut allergy)

You simply commence with a food diary and start with basic foods that you know you are safe to eat or drink, then after 1 week add the ones that you feel are causing problems, a good run is a 12 week diet plan by then you will know which foods or drinks that cause you problems and just eliminate them from the diet.Many people are factually casein intolerant rather than milk or lactose intolerant, trouble is most people simply are labelled intolerant to one product when in reality it is something very different.

kaza


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## Yoshi (Oct 4, 2011)

I've suffered from this condition since I was born had to have goats milk as a baby.. I still get through 2-6 pints of full fat milk a day and yeah I do go to the toliet a lot more but only 2-4 times a day just less solid...


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

MacUK said:


> I've suffered from this condition since I was born had to have goats milk as a baby.. I still get through 2-6 pints of full fat milk a day and yeah I do go to the toliet a lot more but only 2-4 times a day just less solid...


If it's lactose that you're intolerant too as opposed to anything else in cows milk then you can buy lactose free milk from most supermarkets. I used to have it and loved it!! Really nice. Probably because it's full fat.


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## Yoshi (Oct 4, 2011)

Katy said:


> If it's lactose that you're intolerant too as opposed to anything else in cows milk then you can buy lactose free milk from most supermarkets. I used to have it and loved it!! Really nice. Probably because it's full fat.


I didn't know they sold it, cheers


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

MacUK said:


> I didn't know they sold it, cheers


You'll either find it in the special foods section where they sell soya milk or etc, or along with the long life milk in cartons  It is more expensive than normal though. But if it were me, I'd pay the extra if it helped my gut...can't stand having a poorly tummy...completely ruins my day.


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## Matt 1 (May 8, 2010)

Dtlv74 said:


> I've read completely contradictory things on this - one theory that the 'lactase pool' is limited and that in those who genetically are not well able to tolerate lactose the ability to digest it decreases as they age, and another set of study data that suggests that lactose intolerant people can actually upregulate their lactase production with continued dietary exposure.
> 
> The truth may possibly be that it depends on genetics, and their could be two (or more) different genes that initially express the same phenotype (lactose intolerant), but that they each respond differently to exposure to it over time.
> 
> ...


The truth is this..

As kids we drink lots of milk and are completely fine. The 'intolerance' comes from adulthood/teenage years where we stop drinking it as often.

Adults who drink is continuously do not suffer from 'intolerance'... because they have always drank it. I know it sounds stupid, but it comes from a period of not drinking it. My nutritionist told me this btw


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

Agree with both Katy and Fit4Life above in that the best way to establish which foods you have tolerance issues with is via elimination diets rather than food allergy tests... a few weeks without gluten, or lactose, or whatever else will allow you to see very clearly if that particular nutrient has any negative effects upon you. Am very sceptical of the dietary allergy tests personally.


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## Malibu (May 13, 2010)

Eating too much of any food can make your body start building up an intolerance, but this is huge forcefed amounts. But everyone is lactose tolerant its just effects people more than others


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## Matt 1 (May 8, 2010)

Malibu said:


> Eating too much of any food can make your body start building up an intolerance, but this is huge forcefed amounts. But everyone is lactose tolerant its just effects people more than others


the intolerance comes from not drinking it for a sustained period

how many of you were 'intolerant' as kids?


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

Malibu said:


> Eating too much of any food can make your body start building up an intolerance, but this is huge forcefed amounts. But everyone is lactose tolerant its just effects people more than others





Matt 1 said:


> the intolerance comes from not drinking it for a sustained period
> 
> how many of you were 'intolerant' as kids?


You are both right, just a slight confusion here slightly with the terminology...Malibu, what you are describing is the way some food allergies (particularly to certain fatty acids and protein fractions) can develop, whereas Matt is talking about nutrient intolerance, which although similar in many ways superficially is actually quite different in pathology.


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## Matt 1 (May 8, 2010)

Dtlv74 said:


> You are both right, just a slight confusion here slightly with the terminology...Malibu, what you are describing is the way some food allergies (particularly to certain fatty acids and protein fractions) can develop, whereas Matt is talking about nutrient intolerance, which although similar in many ways superficially is actually quite different in pathology.


Exactly mate, a lot of people confuse 'intolerance' with 'allergies', usually when people say they are allergic, its actaully some mild form of intollerance


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

Matt 1 said:


> Exactly mate, a lot of people confuse 'intolerance' with 'allergies', usually when people say they are allergic, its actaully some mild form of intollerance


I think in most cases it's an intolerance. A lot of people do seem to misunderstand the terms.


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

Matt 1 said:


> Exactly mate, a lot of people confuse 'intolerance' with 'allergies', usually when people say they are allergic, its actaully some mild form of intollerance


To be fair it can be very hard to identify the exact issue, and in many places the information isn't that great either... can often be a very confusing topic.


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

Dtlv74 said:


> To be fair it can be very hard to identify the exact issue, and in many places the information isn't that great either... can often be a very confusing topic.


GP's often don't help! The digestive system is a such a complex and therefore hard to understand system and GP's just don't seem to know enough about it...unsurprisingly really. Their priority is to rule out life threatenening illnesses. If they rule them out their attitude is often just 'deal with it'. I've been reading a book by one of the UK's leading gasteroneterologists and there is just so much yet to be understood.


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## Matt 1 (May 8, 2010)

Dtlv74 said:


> To be fair it can be very hard to identify the exact issue, and in many places the information isn't that great either... can often be a very confusing topic.


True mate, true.

However I think when joe blogs eats 'X' and gets a slighlty sore stomach, its more likely to be a mild intollerance rather than an allergy, however they are likely to link eating 'X' with the sore stomach and conclude they are allergic... well thats what I've come across anyway


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

Oh yes definitely more common to have an intolerance than an allergy... gluten is the main example here with it being estimated that more people than not have some degree of intolerance and don't really know it, whereas celiac disease (gluten allergy) is far less common but far more spoken about. Often both are labelled as the same condition too which really just confuses it further for people.


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## PRL (Jul 5, 2006)

I used to drink milk by the truck load.

Then in 1998 it started going straight through me. So I say yes.

Also the same with apple and Orange juice. Can't stomach them any more. Before, they were a steadfast in my daily diet.


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## Hera (May 6, 2011)

Dtlv74 said:


> Oh yes definitely more common to have an intolerance than an allergy... gluten is the main example here with it being estimated that more people than not have some degree of intolerance and don't really know it, whereas celiac disease (gluten allergy) is far less common but far more spoken about. Often both are labelled as the same condition too which really just confuses it further for people.


The amount of people I hear saying that they have a gluten allergy! And they don't! But yeah, I reakon that due to evolution a lot of people are intolerant to gluten and grasses. I know I am....found through the elimination diet


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## biglbs (Jan 26, 2012)

PRL said:


> I used to drink milk by the truck load.
> 
> Then in 1998 it started going straight through me. So I say yes.
> 
> Also the same with apple and Orange juice. Can't stomach them any more. Before, they were a steadfast in my daily diet.


Now i would be gutted by that too, :blink:


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