Modern Forager

Today, we’re going to discuss some of the commonly known allergenic compounds in dairy products, along with some other ways the Moo Juice may not do a body good.

Allergenic Components

Several components in milk give it allergenic properties. The obvious is lactose, which some 25% of the (U.S.) population as a whole cannot digest, resulting in lactose intolerance. Amongst populations of African, Chinese, Thai, Native American, Inuits, and many others, incidence of lactose intolerance tops 75%.(1) On the other hand, those of us in the U.S. of European descent, incidence is only 12%. Some European groups, such as Swedes and the Dutch, have lactose intolerance incidence below 5%. Basically, after weaning, the body stops producing the lactase enzyme to break down the lactose in dairy products (into a molecule of galactose and a molecule of glucose if you care), resulting in bloating, cramps, gas, and diarrhea. Those of us that can drink milk however, are mutants. We have a mutation on a chromosome that allows us to continue producing lactase throughout life.

Having touched on the rather benign lactose, let’s move on to the protein components of milk, specifically the casein fraction. Casein, accounting for nearly 80% of the proteins in milk and cheese, the other 20% being whey, is very high in the amino acid glutamine and is known to inhibit protein breakdown. It’s slow-release nature, combined with these two elements, makes it a favorite in the bodybuilding world where catabolism is viewed as worse than the devil reincarnate.

But this wonder protein has a more insidious side: casein allergy. While it affects only a small portion of the population, much like lactose intolerance, an allergy to casein is akin to an allergy to gluten. It can destroy the gut lining like in celiac disease and produce breathing difficulties, hives, rashes, and even anaphylaxis.(3) Asthma has also been implicated as a result of an undiagnosed milk allergy.(4) Granted, most of us don’t have to worry about milk allergy, nor is it typically as extreme as causing anaphylactic shock, and other healthful foods like nuts and eggs can also be allergenic and can cause anaphylactic episodes. Whey protein can also cause an allergy, though its prevalence is lower than that of casein.

Other Possibly Detrimental Components

Let’s first go back to the casein protein that we discussed above. What else do we know about this wonder protein? For starters, it’s one of the few natural glues still used today. It is also a prolific mucus-producer, forcing the body to produce histamines, often a sign of an allergic reaction. Beyond glue and mucus, it is also implicated in Crohn’s Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and autism. One of the dietary treatments for all three of these illnesses is a gluten- and casein-free diet.

In the December 2006 issue of “The Paleo Diet Newsletter,”(6) Dr. Loren Cordain discussed a substance known as betacellulin. To try to summarize it simply, this little hormone is able to survive the human digestive tract and bind to epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors in the intestinal lining. Milk contains much more betacellulin, on the order of 50- to 60-fold, than the EGF produced in your saliva daily. When betacellulin binds to EGF receptors, it displaces EGF from binding. High levels of EGF-binding substances in the gut may stimulate the production of more EGF receptors, allowing for further overstimulation of the receptors by betacellulin and increased EGF pathway signaling. Increased signaling in this pathway appears to be a factor in cancers such as “breast, colon, prostate, ovarian, lung, pancreatic, bladder, stomach, and head and neck”. Additionally, more EGF receptors result in increased cancer recurrence, reduced survival rates, and increased tumor progression.

Dr. Cordain has further identified milk and dairy products as potentially causative factors in acne due to dairy’s effect on the five factors responsible for acne proliferation: “1. increased proliferation of basal keratinocytes within the pilosebaceous duct, 2. incomplete separation of ductal corneocytes from one another via impairment of apoptosis and subsequent obstruction of the pilosebaceous duct, 3. androgen-mediated increases in sebum production, 4. colonization of the comedo by Propionibacterium acnes, and 5. inflammation both within and adjacent to the comedo.”(11) And from there you’re better off to read the paper in the reference than for me to try to explain what he has to say.

What is milk really? It’s a hormone-delivery system, intended as the first food of an infant. The caveat is that it’s for the infant of the species from which it comes. Human milk is for human babies, cow milk is for calves, pig milk for piglets, and dog milk for pups. Each species produces a milk with the proper ratios of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, along with growth factors and immunoglobulins. It is intended to raise body weight at a certain rate and to instill the infant with a properly functioning immune system. Of course, there’s some debate about whether or not these immune factors survive the pasteurization process and whether or not they are a good thing to ingest.

And are you ready for something kinda gross? Every sip of milk you take contains pus, or at least white blood cells. Now, that’s not so gross when you consider that the heifer uses dead white blood cells to produce the milk. But if you’re drinking regular milk from the grocery, it’s rather gross. The growth hormones given to conventional dairy cows cause milk production to go way up and many of the cows end up with an udder infection known as mastitis (some data show up to an 80% rate of hormone-treated cattle(7)). This condition causes much more pus and bacteria to make it into the milk. But the law is set to allow 750,000 Somatic Cell Counts (SCC) at the bulk tank before milk must be discarded.(8) Considering that an SCC of 300,000 indicates a herd infection rate of approximately 25%, one has to wonder what a level of 750,000 indicates.(9) No telling if it’s detrimental, but it’s sure not very appetizing.

It appears that quite a few of the possible detriments of milk derive from the casein protein, but there are enough other things in the milk to make one question its usefulness. I doubt that makes too many bodybuilders rethink their use of the stuff to keep catabolism at bay, but it does cast a new light on milk and its effects on the body. Having broken down and examined the components of milk and the effects they can have in the body, we’ll move along next time to the arguments over raw milk versus pasteurized and homogenized milk and how the argument affects today’s discussion. After that piece of the equation, I’m going to give my analysis and a bit of advice regarding what you should do.

Sources:
(1) Lactose Intolerance
(2) Casein
(3) Eating Without Casein
(4) Milk Allergies
(5) Asthma explained by common allergy to milk and dairy products
(6) The Paleo Diet Newsletter - Volume 2, Issue 5
(7) Milk: America’s Health Problem
(8) Pus limit in milk
(9) Pus expose
(10) Crohn’s disease and milk
(11) Implications for the Role of Diet in Acne

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Tags: acne, autoimmune, cancer, casein, dairy, immunity, lactose intolerance, whey