Whey Protein Intolerance

My nephew, who we fondly refer to as TinyTot is only 23 months and has a Whey Protein Intolerance.

The Symptoms of Whey Protein Intolerance and allergy

• sneezing 

• or even coughing, 

as the whey protein may trigger an allergic reaction that affects your lungs. 


When the protein hits your stomach and intestines, that's when the fun really starts. 

You could end up suffering from serious 

• stomach pains, 

• cramps, 

• intestinal gas, 

• bloating,  

• diarrhea, 

• and nausea.

Whey protein is a by-product of cheese making.  However, excessive consumption of whey protein has been linked to several unwanted health conditions that most doctors and common people are completely unaware of.

 

Whey is produced in three different forms, isolate, concentrate, and hydrolysate. They have different size protein particles and contain different amounts of protein by volume. 

All of them have been shown to have the following negative health effects:

Whey protein can have a dangerous effect on our immune system for those of us that have even a mild allergy to milk protein. Many of us unknowingly have a mild dairy allergy and when it enters our blood stream our immune system attacks the whey proteins just like it would attack a pathogen. The result is that we can get a variety of different symptoms. If the affected system is our respiratory system, runny nose and/or mucus in the lungs are two of the many symptoms that may occur. If the allergic reaction in our body occurs in the skin, rashes or puffy skin may occur. 

For those of us that have even a mild case of lactose intolerance, which is at least 60% of the population, digestive problems are another dark side. Whey protein concentrate is what remains when liquid whey is dried. It usually contains more than 50% lactose. For the majority of the human race, the enzyme lactase, which digests the sugar occurring in cow’s milk, stops being produced between the ages of two and five years old. Therefore, when the undigested sugars reach the intestine, they undergo bacterial fermentation, producing gas that can cause bloating, cramping, flatulence, nausea, and even diarrhea in some individuals. Other possible symptoms may include fatigue, irritability, and headaches.

Weakened bones are another possible effect of whey protein when consumed day after day for extended periods of time without balancing out the acidity with alkaline food. The acidity of whey protein in our bloodstream can cause the alkaline minerals calcium and magnesium to be leached from our bones and used to buffer the pH of our bloodstream.

Over a period of articles I intend to look further into this and produce ideas for recipes based on this intolerance.