# What about Dairy for you?



## nikke (Feb 20, 2015)

Hi, I was just wondering what experience you guys have had with Dairy?

It's not uncommon to see this topic come up in the dietry discussion, eventhough there is no good scientific explanation for why it should affect IBS. I would be thankful if you just shared your opinion, here is mine.

So personally I am on the FODMAPs diet, which has worked quiet well. I am not lactose intollerant but I have chosen to only use lactose free products for the last 2 years anyway, just to get a reference point. I eat yogurt about 300g a day on a regular basis, which usually is fine. However as I have tried to increase my caloric intake I have tried to eat more yogurt or to drink lactose free milk, however this has not been working that well. I have not had any IBS "attacks" but I do feel more pain and discomfort. I have tried this a few times, with several months inbetween each trial. Now there is no explanation from the FODMAPs diet why this should be the case. Personally I have seen studies published on pubMed suggesting that Casein A1 might cause more abdominal discomfort compared to A2. But this is just speculation so far. So I dont know what to think of Dairy, it might be other things than the raw product itself that causes my problems so what to do.......

Whats your opinion?


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## Shaylu (Feb 12, 2013)

Milk is full of hormones so maybe they are having an effect on your body?

If you're trying to put on weight than do it by having a mix of things...overdoing one food is what probably gave you the digestive issues in the first place. Everything in moderation.


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

I am avoiding dairy all together. If I ever dare to try, I will try either goat's or sheep's dairy, as those might be less problematic.


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## 2bnormal (Feb 20, 2015)

I am on the Low FODMAP Diet as well and have been debating about dairy as well. Before I even went on FODMAPs I noticed dairy makes me hungrier.

I only use small amounts of lactose free milk and occasionally some cheese that is supposedly lactose or low lactose.I'm not sure if it is aggravating my symptoms or not, still trying to figure that out. I have seen some improvements on the Low FODMAP diet and my most major symptoms have disappeared for the most part, but still having some symptoms.

I do know that right now I cannot eat yogurt, turns my stomach, gives me a very acidy feeling and makes me lightheaded.

So don't really have an answer for you as I am struggling with the same question. I have cut down on my intake of lactose-free dairy to see if that helps, but haven't had a chance to analyze my food diary yet. I am getting ready to reintroduce milk products in the next month, I figure that may help answer my question.


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## nikke (Feb 20, 2015)

Thanks a lot for your answers, @2bnormal: your perspective and experience was all I was asking for so your answer was great and exactly what I was asking for, thank you! I would love it if you could get back to this topic when you have reintroduced dairy again.

I hope more on the forum can give me their 2cents.


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## rewinj (Apr 19, 2012)

Lactose free milk seems rough on me. I'll get almost instant upper gas & bloating from it, whereas typically lactose will cause looseness/gas later on. My hypothesis is that whatever bacteria are hanging out in the upper gut are still able to grab those sugars (glucose, galactose) from lactose free milk before I can digest them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ dear oh dear it is hard to get enough calories in...


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## Amanda Nicole (Jul 14, 2013)

Dairy can be a tough one - there's any number of things in dairy that could be contributing to issues.

IBS is an inflammatory condition, and many with IBS tend to not produce enzymes as they should because of this (which is where the premise behind the low FODMAP diet comes in to play). Unfortunately, FODMAP doesn't really tackle the underlying cause of IBS - it's just helping to alleviate some of the symptoms/discomfort of it. If, however, you tackle your eating from an anti-inflammatory standpoint, you have a better chance of reducing/eliminating symptoms of IBS (and other inflammatory symptoms), plus have a better chance of a more normalized production of those enzymes that are typically lacking (meaning better tolerance of foods that were once a problem due to enzymes). Just about any food has the potential to cause inflammation, so I always recommend special blood testing for my IBS clients for this reason.

Going back to the dairy...

It could be the lactose or casein or other inherent components of milk.

It could be the fact that during pasteurization, many of the enzymes are destroyed (making digestion even more difficult, especially for those who are already at a disadvantage as far as enzyme production goes).

It could be any number of ingredients added to dairy products.

It could be the residual antibiotics in conventional milk that wipe out the good bacteria in the gut.

It could also be the stuff that conventionally raised cows are fed (which can get passed on to you through the milk and cause reactions if sensitive to the components of their feed). (GMOs are also a potential problem with conventional feeds, since it's possible that the immune system doesn't recognize GMOs as food.)

For these reasons, I usually advise those with IBS to steer clear of dairy, at least for a little while (you can always challenge dairy at a later time, after feeling significantly better).


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## 2bnormal (Feb 20, 2015)

nikke said:


> Thanks a lot for your answers, @2bnormal: your perspective and experience was all I was asking for so your answer was great and exactly what I was asking for, thank you! I would love it if you could get back to this topic when you have reintroduced dairy again.


@nikke, I have reintroduced dairy so have come back here as you requested. 

My reintroduction format for all high FODMAP re-introductions was as follows:

Day 1: eat test food for supper

Day 2: eat test food for lunch

Day 3: eat test food for breakfast and lunch

Dairy reintroduction test: 1/2 c. 2% milk

Day 1: I drank 1/2 c 2% milk with evening meal. Had symptoms (stomach/lower back pain, gas, felt like a bout of D coming).

Day 2: Woke up with stomach burning, lower back hurt, constant gas, entire stomach tender to touch but especially left side.

Tenderness increased throughout the day (This surprised me the most!). Whenever I ate I had symptoms threaten but not come on full force. Drank 1/2 c 2% milk with lunch

Day 3: did not finish reintroduction test since it is evident dairy causes issues.

Took three days before I was ready for next reintroduction.

I am convinced that the milk causes me to have issues swallowing (I've had a upper scope test done and my esophagus stretched - doctors didn't find anything that should cause swallowing issues like I have sometimes). It also definitely makes my appetite increase greatly (Feel like I have a bottomless pit that can't be filled after eating dairy).

I can eat small amounts of cheese with zero to slight side effects (slight ache in left side), but have to be very careful not to overdo. I am pretty sure the lactose free milk causes problems, so steering completely clear of that. In time, I may experiment with other dairy products to see if I react as strongly as I did to milk.

Also, as Shaylu mentioned overdoing on one food can cause problems. I have found this to be 100% true. It is all about small portions. For the most part, I can now feel if I will have problems if I eat anything more. When that happens, I am done eating for that meal. An hour or two later I can eat again if necessary.

Hope that helps! 

Have you come to any conclusion on what is causing issues? Was it dairy or something else?


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## nikke (Feb 20, 2015)

@2bnormal,

Hi, thanks so much for getting back and for the good reporting. I can definitely identify with the gas/lower back pain, always go hand in hand when I am very bloated. Well I have only tried some lactose free dairy so far again and I sometimes feel it a little but it's not that bad. However I used to react more when the yogurt was very cold, I could react very fast with some loose stools. Still I'm not sure what to think of it. I don't think it was the dairy that was causing me the main issues, but maybe just very little of it. Regarding the overdoing, I can eat potatoes and rice in huge quantities without any problems, but as you say some foods definitely need to be consumed in moderation.


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## 2bnormal (Feb 20, 2015)

@nikke, it could be the time of day too?? I know that can make a huge difference for me.

You are right, it depends on the food as far as overeating, I think it goes back to the FODMAP load. I can eat tons of low FODMAP foods like oatmeal, rice and potatoes with no problems, but if I eat for example, a large amount of cheese, I am in misery.

Speaking of, last night I thought I could eat something with a larger amount of cheese because I had had some the night before with no problems. That was not a good idea!! I have been lax this week and had ate other small amounts of dairy as well as some veggies I don't normally eat. I think the amount of cheese just tipped me over the edge. This memorable "learning experience" taught me that I cannot assume because I eat a certain serving amount of "trigger foods" without issues, it will be fine to eat the same amount next time. I learned that I have to look at the whole picture to see what other possible triggers I have ate in the last 24-48 hours before deciding whether I am "safe" or not to eat the item.


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## nikke (Feb 20, 2015)

@2bnormal,

I can really identify with your experiences. It's though, especially considering that you only need about one ingredient a day in one food to compromise the rest of the diet long term. It's so complex, probably why it has taken researchers till 2012 to find good evidence that food affects IBS after all. Even tough most of us have anecdotally experienced this without a doubt for years.


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