Thursday, December 15, 2005

Study Finds Food Allergies Suspected in GI Symptoms

Milk Not Seen as a Major Culprit

"In a previous study, Dr. Laura Paajanen of the Foundation for Nutrition Research in Helsinki and her team found evidence that gastrointestinal problems in school-age children were sometimes due an intolerance to cow's milk. They conducted the current investigation to determine the cause of similar discomfort in young adults."

Unfortunately, the placebo beverage contained soy, another modern food and also one that is associated with allergies. A true placebo beverage would contain no modern or more allergenic foods. They found milk induced symptoms in just 2 of the 23 study participants who completed the test, despite the fact that four of 47 study participants carried a gene associated with lactose intolerance (which would suggest that two participants should not include milk in their diet, despite showing no symptoms, because of genetic predisposition to intolerance).

However, study participants who had gastrointestinal problems did show higher levels of markers (antibodies) of immune system activity within their intestines and in their blood. "They were also twice as likely as people without symptoms to carry a gene associated with autoimmunity," according to study results.

"The findings suggest that some type of allergic reaction to food may cause such gastrointestinal symptoms, but that cow's milk is rarely the cause, the researchers report." Which leaves the question, which are the allergenic foods involved? Wheat is certainly worth investigating, based on past studies.

Source:
Cow's milk intolerance rare in young adults
Yahoo News
Wed Dec 14, 3:12 PM ET

No comments: