Question on behalf of my 20 yr old grand-daughter
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grannykathy
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Question on behalf of my 20 yr old grand-daughter
So it turns out my 20 yr old grand-daughter has been having D issues for some time now. Because of me and my mc and being gluten free, her mom convinced her to try going gluten free to see if it helps. It has helped. She is not so strict that she's reading labels etc, but she avoids all obvious gluten. One thing that still bothers her though is cheese. Not hard cheese - she is find with it or really she is fine with any block cheese. but can't eat nacho cheese or processed - such as Velveeta. So of course my first thought is dairy intolerance or Casein. BUT she can drink a quart of milk with no issues. So what is it about the processed cheese that is likely getting to her?
Kathy,
There are two issues with dairy products that can cause people to react — the sugar lactose, and the protein casein. Everyone who has intestinal inflammation reacts to lactose, even cases of the flu. But this just causes temporary diarrhea due to the fact that the small intestine cannot produce normal quantities of the enzyme lactase when it is inflamed. Lactase is required to digest lactose. When lactose passes into the colon still undigested, it causes cramps, bloating, and diarrhea.
Casein, on the other hand, causes our (MC patients) immune systems to produce IgA antibodies against casein and this leads to the lymphocytic infiltration that provokes the inflammation that causes MC. Soft cheeses are loaded with lactose, but contain only small amounts of casein. Hard cheeses (aged cheeses) contain much less lactose, but they're loaded with casein.
Your grandaughter's symptoms are conflicting and puzzling. If she were lactose intolerant (only), she should be able to eat hard cheese without any problems, but she would get diarrhea from eating soft cheese. But she should also get diarrhea from drinking a regular quart of milk.
If she were casein sensitive (only), she might be able to eat soft cheese, but she should react to hard cheese. If she were casein sensitive and her intestines were inflamed, she should get diarrhea from eating any type of cheese or milk, even lactose-free milk.
If she only reacts to cheeses such as Velvetta, she might be reacting to some other ingredient in the cheese — not the lactose or the casein. That would be kind of unusual, but I suppose it happens in some cases.
Tex
There are two issues with dairy products that can cause people to react — the sugar lactose, and the protein casein. Everyone who has intestinal inflammation reacts to lactose, even cases of the flu. But this just causes temporary diarrhea due to the fact that the small intestine cannot produce normal quantities of the enzyme lactase when it is inflamed. Lactase is required to digest lactose. When lactose passes into the colon still undigested, it causes cramps, bloating, and diarrhea.
Casein, on the other hand, causes our (MC patients) immune systems to produce IgA antibodies against casein and this leads to the lymphocytic infiltration that provokes the inflammation that causes MC. Soft cheeses are loaded with lactose, but contain only small amounts of casein. Hard cheeses (aged cheeses) contain much less lactose, but they're loaded with casein.
Your grandaughter's symptoms are conflicting and puzzling. If she were lactose intolerant (only), she should be able to eat hard cheese without any problems, but she would get diarrhea from eating soft cheese. But she should also get diarrhea from drinking a regular quart of milk.
If she were casein sensitive (only), she might be able to eat soft cheese, but she should react to hard cheese. If she were casein sensitive and her intestines were inflamed, she should get diarrhea from eating any type of cheese or milk, even lactose-free milk.
If she only reacts to cheeses such as Velvetta, she might be reacting to some other ingredient in the cheese — not the lactose or the casein. That would be kind of unusual, but I suppose it happens in some cases.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Gabes-Apg
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A quick google search to look at the ingredients of the velvetta product, it is not really cheese, it does have milk, and lots of whey based products, and other additives.
In line with Tex's reply above, there is good chance that she is reacting to the additives in the product
In line with Tex's reply above, there is good chance that she is reacting to the additives in the product
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
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grannykathy
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Thanks guys. I am baffled by it also. Her mom and her granny (me) are trying to get her to see a gastro but she keeps putting it off and being 20 yrs old, we can't force her. I told her she should do the Enterolab testing but when I told her she would have to collect a stool sample and send it in she was grossed out. 
I think eventually she will get serious about doing something but I just hate to see her wait until it gets out of control. I am proud of her though for at least staying away from obvious gluten. That's at least a good start. And actually the only thing my gastro did for me was subscribe my medication. Well he did diagnose me. And thats the thing, my grand-daughter has yet to get a diagnosis of anything.
PS - just googled the ingredients in nacho cheese sauce (this happened to be Taco Bell sauce) here are the 1st 3 ingredients: Cheese Whey, Skim Milk, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Wonder if the soy what she's reacting to.
I think eventually she will get serious about doing something but I just hate to see her wait until it gets out of control. I am proud of her though for at least staying away from obvious gluten. That's at least a good start. And actually the only thing my gastro did for me was subscribe my medication. Well he did diagnose me. And thats the thing, my grand-daughter has yet to get a diagnosis of anything.PS - just googled the ingredients in nacho cheese sauce (this happened to be Taco Bell sauce) here are the 1st 3 ingredients: Cheese Whey, Skim Milk, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Wonder if the soy what she's reacting to.