Can milk cause diarrhea and how to treat it?

There are times when, after eating foods that contain milk, the body's functioning is disrupted, which manifests itself in the form of diarrhea.
If diarrhea occurs after eating low-quality foods and the temperature rises above 38 degrees, you need to call a doctor.

This must also be done if there is blood in the stool and abdominal pain does not go away for more than a day.

Diarrhea and disorder from drinking milk can occur not only in adults, but also in children.
In this case, parents have questions about why this is happening, because they were taking, at first glance, not dangerous products - cheese, kefir, cottage cheese.

In a large number of cases, the situation that has arisen is not dangerous, and diarrhea goes away fairly quickly. But this does not mean that you do not need to be careful and not study the reasons for the reaction that has arisen.

Important! The ability to metabolize milk sugar for humanity is not the norm, but the exception. Residents of many countries in Asia, America, and Africa cannot tolerate milk. Residents of Northern and Central Europe have almost 100% milk digestibility.

Causes of diarrhea from dairy products

• Individual intolerance . The digestive system is unable to absorb or digest lactose, which leads to lactose intolerance. When milk sugar gets in, the body tries to remove it quickly, and one of the ways to cleanse itself is diarrhea. This problem is usually transmitted genetically.
• Age . In this case, age is at the root of the problem. The older a person is, the more difficult it is to digest lactose.
• Allergy . It is often confused with intolerance, but in cases of allergies, the symptoms are more pronounced: vomiting, rash, diarrhea.
• Primary disease . Diarrhea from dairy products can develop due to illness. A related symptom is difficulty digesting food (pancreatitis). In the presence of the above-mentioned disease, it is enough for a person to eat dairy products and he will immediately experience stomach pain, bloating or diarrhea.
• Recent surgery may cause diarrhea after drinking milk. For this category of people you need to follow a diet.

It is important that a person who experiences an upset stomach as a result of eating dairy products determines the cause of the disturbances in the functioning of the body.

Further actions will depend on the statement of the cause, because in the presence of lactose deficiency, eliminating dairy products will not be necessary.

It is necessary to reduce the consumption of dairy products and control their intake, monitoring the condition and reactions of the body. In case of chronic diseases or allergies, giving up milk is mandatory .

Other reasons

Frustration after drinking milk can occur in a number of other cases:

• Dysbacteriosis. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract often lead to one form or another of dysbiosis. As a result, the microflora in the intestines dies and milk ceases to be absorbed.
• Malfunctions of the gallbladder . Diarrhea from consuming dairy products appears against the background of any ailments associated with impaired secretory function of the gallbladder. If excess bile acids enter the intestines, the acidity of the environment changes and lactobacilli die.
• Inflammation of the intestinal and gastric mucosa . During inflammatory processes, the absorption mechanism is disrupted. Dairy products do not cause, but increase diarrhea.
• Allergy . Diarrhea from milk can be caused by an allergy. This diarrhea is accompanied by rashes and itching.
• Surgical interventions . After surgery, especially in the abdominal cavity, dairy products also cause diarrhea. Such patients are prescribed a special diet that excludes milk until intestinal functions are completely restored.

In an infant, diarrhea is often caused by drinking only milk from the front of the chest, which is rich in carbohydrates but low in fat. When the baby sucks completely, he also drinks milk from the back of the breast. At the same time, the diarrhea disappears.

Diarrhea from kefir

The main cause of diarrhea after kefir is its individual intolerance .

The presence of pancreatitis or other diseases that make it difficult to digest food can also trigger diarrhea.

The slightest expired product also entails detrimental consequences for the body.

After kefir, diarrhea may be due to personal intolerance to this product. So is it possible to drink kefir with diarrhea? This issue remains controversial.

Lactic acid bacteria help normalize the gastrointestinal tract and restore beneficial microflora. It is best to take kefir with a shelf life of no more than 7 days .

How to eliminate symptoms of diarrhea

It is not at all easy to understand which product caused diarrhea on your own, so anyone who has had a similar negative reaction to milk is recommended to undergo an oral lactose tolerance test. In addition, the patient also has the opportunity to undergo a hydrogen test, the amount of which directly depends on the amount of undigested lactose.

Patients who have an individual intolerance to milk are advised to significantly reduce the amount of milk and try to consume lactose-free products whenever possible. You cannot completely give up milk, since lactose is necessary for the proper functioning of the intestines and the retention of calcium in it, but you still need to try to follow a certain diet.

You should be especially careful when consuming fresh, boiled and even skim milk. It is recommended to drink chocolate milk and cocoa, and eat yogurt. These products can stimulate the production of lactase and prevent the development of diarrhea.

Avoiding homemade cottage cheese and cheese will also help get rid of diarrhea, while store-bought cheeses are allowed and even recommended for consumption.

If all the measures described above have been taken, and the diarrhea still does not go away, you should consult a doctor - it is possible that the patient has developed secondary lactase deficiency and needs drug intervention and a balanced diet, the nature of which can only be determined by a nutritionist.

Regardless of which dairy product the poisoning occurred, the symptoms of diarrhea depend on the cause that caused it.

Factor	Cause
Fermentation	Lactic sugar intolerance. After refusing such food, diarrhea disappears.
Infections	Entry into the body of E. coli, salmonella and other infectious agents. The reason is the consumption of low-quality, expired substances.
Dyspepsia	Insufficient amount of enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract for digestion.
Errors in the diet	Taking incompatible products. Symptoms include severe diarrhea, possible fever, and skin rash.

More often, diarrhea occurs due to the consumption of dairy and cottage cheese dishes. Diarrhea after kefir is less common.

Dairy

Causes:

• individual lactose intolerance - the digestive system does not absorb milk sugar and cleanses the body with diarrhea;
• diseases, postoperative conditions - pancreatitis, diseases of the small intestine;
• allergic reactions differ from individual intolerance by the presence of a rash, swelling of the mucous membranes;
• With age, intolerance increases.

Symptoms:

1. Diarrhea with watery stools.
2. Pain, cramps in the abdominal area.
3. Flatulence, increased gas formation.
4. Bloating.

Diarrhea manifests itself depending on the level of enzymes. With minor deficiency, diarrhea may not appear.

Fermented milk

Causes:

• consumption of a product that has expired. Kefir is a product containing beneficial bacteria. The composition of an expired sour product changes, which leads to diarrhea;
• concomitant gastrointestinal diseases;
• simultaneous use with alcohol, medications;
• presence of infections.

Symptoms:

1. Liquid stool in the form of foam.
2. Violation of general condition, weakness.
3. Cramps in the abdominal area.

If the patient’s gastrointestinal tract does not “accept” milk, then 30 minutes after drinking it the following clinical picture will be observed:

• chronic watery diarrhea;
• cramping pain in the abdomen, spasms;
• bloating;
• increased gas formation.

The intensity of symptoms depends on the level of enzyme deficiency, if we are talking about lactase deficiency. The more enzymes are missing, the more pronounced the symptoms.

If the patient’s gastrointestinal tract does not “accept” milk, then 30 minutes after drinking it, bloating will be observed.

On the contrary, if a patient has a minor enzyme deficiency, then his body may not respond to dairy products with diarrhea or other gastrointestinal disorders.

Diarrhea after milk

Eating more than 300 ml of milk, which is natural, can cause diarrhea or bloating. This occurs because the body is unable to digest lactose , which is found in milk.

This type of diarrhea is called fermentative - milk sugar, while in the intestines, ferments and causes the above-mentioned reactions of the body. The older a person is, the higher the risk of developing lactose intolerance, which means the greater the chance of having diarrhea from milk.

Why milk causes diarrhea: lack of enzymes

If diarrhea after milk occurs only when this drink is consumed in large quantities, then the cause is enzyme deficiency.
If diarrhea after milk occurs only when this drink is consumed in large quantities, then the cause is enzyme deficiency. A drink that is too cold can also cause intestinal upset, as it causes involuntary spasms in the gastrointestinal tract. Diarrhea can also occur when milk is combined with boiled potatoes, kvass, alcohol, or melon. It is better to consume such a drink separately from other products, so as not to provoke an undesirable reaction from the body.

When you really want to include such a product in your diet, it is better to give preference to goat milk. It is less likely to provoke intestinal problems than cow milk. And it is also absorbed by the body much better, especially if we are talking about an adult.

It is worth noting that the older a person gets, the worse his body absorbs milk. As a result, the digestive system begins to malfunction, and diarrhea becomes frequent.

Diagnostics

To confirm the diagnosis of lactose intolerance or an allergic reaction to milk-containing drinks, the following steps must be taken:

• In a home environment, a person needs to take a small amount of lactose on an empty stomach (no more than 50 grams). If there is a deficiency of this enzyme, diarrhea or bloating will occur over time.
• An ultrasound of the abdominal organs will help determine the presence of pathological processes.
• Examination of stool, urine or blood.

Why does milk cause diarrhea in adults? Lactose intolerance

Lactose intolerance is the most common cause of diarrhea from dairy products, so let's take a closer look at it. Milk contains complex sugars. Normally, its digestion occurs in the small intestine - intestinal cells produce lactase - a special enzyme that breaks down milk carbohydrates into simple ones (glucose and galactose), which can be absorbed through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream. With congenital or acquired lactase deficiency, the complex sugars of fermented milk products remain in the intestinal lumen and cannot be absorbed through its wall due to the large size of the molecule, as a result of which fermentation processes in the intestine are triggered.

Lactase deficiency in an adult can occur due to the following main reasons:

• A genetic predisposition that becomes more pronounced at an older age. The number of lactobacilli decreases with age. Most often, this is associated with a specific gene within the human body, which can either be present or disappear completely. It is this gene that maintains lactase activity throughout life. If this enzyme is deficient, the body cannot digest milk bacteria and indigestion occurs.
• Dysbacteriosis. The causes of dysbiosis can be the same lactase deficiency. This happens 90% of 100% of the time. But there are other reasons for milk intolerance due to dysbiosis. Deficiency can occur after severe surgical operations, long-term treatment with antibiotics, and if the patient is on a dairy-free diet for a long time. After prolonged such manipulations, all beneficial microflora in a person’s intestines is destroyed, all kinds of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract arise, and milk ceases to be absorbed.

This may be accompanied by unpleasant sensations such as bloating, flatulence and diarrhea. However, the main sign of lactose intolerance is the disappearance of all clinical symptoms immediately after stopping milk consumption.

Treatment

If you observe symptoms that indicate dairy intolerance, you should consult a doctor who will help identify the cause by prescribing the following tests :

• Lactose tolerance test (oral).
• A breath test that measures the level of hydrogen in the air that is exhaled.

Important! Surgery on the stomach and intestines can completely destroy the body's ability to produce lactose.

If diarrhea is present in primary diseases, then treatment is aimed at eliminating it. The drugs that are prescribed do not contain lactose and are safe. The patient is prescribed a diet that excludes the intake of any dairy products.

If there is lactose deficiency, the doctor prescribes enzymes, which are presented in the form of tablets or drops.

In case of diarrhea due to severe secondary lactose deficiency, a therapeutic diet . It provides for the exclusion of such products as milk, butter, cottage cheese, eggs, and cheese. It is also necessary to limit the consumption of allergens: smoked meats, citrus fruits, honey, fish, nuts.

The emphasis in the diet should be on the following dishes:

• crackers, which are dried from bread;
• porridge cooked in water;
• soups;
• fruit puree;
• baked apples.

Lactose intolerance

The cause of diarrhea is the inability to digest lactose. In this case, it is important to determine its degree by conducting a series of studies:

• Breathing test. The level of hydrogen in exhaled air is measured.
• Tolerance test. The procedure is performed orally.

Since the body reacts to food differently, it is necessary to carefully monitor its reaction to the dairy product introduced into the diet.

Diarrhea after cottage cheese

If a person is prone to intolerance, avoiding cottage cheese is an important measure; it contains milk sugar.

Diarrhea after sour cream

People with lactose intolerance should avoid sour cream; eating it will lead to indigestion.

Diarrhea after cheese

People who are unable to digest milk sugar will have to be careful when eating homemade cheeses.

To determine which product to eat without harm to health, it is important to adhere to a number of rules:

1. The diet involves one dairy product at a time.
2. The product is recommended to be consumed in small portions.
3. Reduce intake of milk and products with high lactose content.

By following simple recommendations, you will be able to avoid unpleasant consequences from dairy products.

Nutritional Features

There are many misconceptions that lead to exacerbation of health conditions due to the consumption of products that are dangerous for people who have impaired processing of dairy products.

A fairly common thought is that milk that is skim contains less lactose - this is not true. Therefore, eating low-fat foods cannot protect a person from diarrhea or other symptoms of the disease.

Yogurt , on the contrary, is a safer product and many people tolerate its consumption normally, even though it contains lactose.

Chocolate milk will be appreciated by people who suffer from problems digesting lactose. This product, in addition to its pleasant taste, contains calcium, which the body needs. Cocoa, which is included in the composition, stimulates the activity of lactose. As a result, the product is well tolerated.

Cottage cheese and homemade cheese are dangerous for people with lactose intolerance, so their consumption must be stopped to restore health.

If you have symptoms that indicate intolerance to milk and products that contain it, you should seek help from a doctor.

After the examination, he will prescribe the necessary treatment and indicate the cause of health problems. Only qualified assistance can prevent the development of the disease and normalize the patient’s health.

Treatment methods

Treatment in adults and children is related to the established causes of loose stools after the inclusion of dairy products. Therapy involves taking medications, adjusting nutrition, and following a diet.

Drug treatment

Therapy for the occurrence of diarrhea must necessarily include taking medications to eliminate the unpleasant symptom. Necessary medications include:

• rehydration solutions;
• enzyme agents;
• blockers;
• probiotics.

Abundant and frequent excretion of feces, characteristic after ingestion of dairy products, causes electrolyte imbalance. To maintain water-salt levels, it is necessary to take rehydration solutions containing salts, glucose, and nutrients washed out during bowel movements. If there is an insufficient amount of enzymes in the body, drugs are prescribed that contain lactase, which helps normalize intestinal motility.

With the continuous release of liquid stool, it is necessary to take blockers - anti-diarrhea drugs that slow down peristalsis. Prolonged diarrhea negatively affects the functioning of the digestive system. To restore the natural intestinal microflora, it is recommended to take probiotics.

Nutrition

Adjusting the diet is the main method of treatment to prevent recurrence of diarrhea. The diet of adults and children differs due to the age characteristics of the body.

Adult category

Medical nutrition implies strict adherence to the rules for the consumption of dairy products:

• one type of dairy product per meal;
• consuming ingredients in small quantities;
• preference for lactose-free products: Cheddar, Parmesan, Mozzarella cheese;
• refusal of pasteurized yoghurts, skim milk, cottage cheese, homemade cheeses, butter;
• exclusion of foods that can cause an allergic reaction: citrus fruits, red berries, nuts, fish;
• refusal of citrus fruits and fresh vegetables after eating fermented milk products.

Dairy products contain calcium, which is necessary for full growth and development. Therefore, ingredients containing lactose should not be completely eliminated from the diet. To quickly assimilate the components, it is necessary to simultaneously consume cereals and cereals, which contribute to the normal digestion process, along with fermented milk products. Regular cow's milk can be replaced with chocolate milk, as cocoa helps stimulate lactose production. If you are lactose intolerant, you can include other foods rich in this enzyme in your menu: green vegetables, almonds, sesame seeds, fish, spinach.

Diagnosis

To determine the cause of diarrhea after drinking milk and prescribe treatment, you must consult a doctor for a medical examination. Diagnostics include:

• taking a breath test;
• laboratory analyzes of biological material;
• instrumental examination.

Establishing a possible allergic reaction to components is carried out by passing a breath test to determine the body's tolerance to the sugar contained in dairy products. The amount of hydrogen in the exhaled air allows us to identify the presence or absence of enzyme intolerance.

Laboratory testing of blood, urine, and feces is necessary to detect inflammatory processes that could cause diarrhea after drinking milk. Instrumental procedures - ultrasound, radiography - are carried out to identify internal pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract and abdominal organs.

Stomach upset can occur after consuming a healthy product such as milk. Moreover, both children and adults can face this problem. The reasons for such an unpleasant reaction from the body can be completely different. It is important to understand that if diarrhea appears after milk, you need to find out what was the provoking factor and, if possible, remove this product from your daily diet.

How to prevent diarrhea

You can prevent the occurrence of diarrhea by following a few simple recommendations:

• Diarrhea after eating dairy products, if caused by lactase deficiency, does not develop immediately. Over time, a child or adult refuses large amounts of milk and switches to drinking kefir and yogurt subconsciously. You can only drink milk while taking lactobacilli or probiotics.
• In case of enzyme deficiency, there is no need to forcefully introduce milk into the diet. It is enough to enrich your menu with fermented dairy products. In this case, you can eat sour cream, cottage cheese, kefir.
• A good way to prevent diarrhea, which develops with excess milk sugar, is to consume only 1 dairy product per meal.

You should give preference to natural, unpasteurized milk, since the latter contains lactobacilli.

Source

Nutrition for diarrhea

To avoid mistakes in consuming dairy products and not harm your health, it is important to remember:

1. It is a mistake to believe that skim milk has a lower lactose content. The same applies to buttermilk and acidophilus milk.
2. Although yogurt contains lactose, most people tolerate it well. However, the body does not react to all yoghurts in the same way. Pasteurized yogurts are not very healthy for the body.
3. For people with lactose intolerance, chocolate milk has several benefits. Firstly, such milk contains the amount of calcium necessary for the body. Secondly, cocoa has the effect of stimulating lactase activity.

1. Swiss cheese, mozzarella and Parmesan are foods high in calcium and almost completely free of milk sugar. This product is useful and safe.

If you are intolerant to dairy products, it is important to take into account that they contain calcium necessary for the body; complete exclusion from the diet should not be allowed.

To reduce the risk of diarrhea from dairy products, follow your doctor’s recommendations:

• Combining milk with products of cereal origin will ensure absorption and reduce the risk of unpleasant consequences.
• Consume dairy products in small quantities, dividing into small portions.

This diet will maintain the necessary level of calcium in the body.

It is useful to include calcium-containing foods in your diet:

• Figs;
• Green vegetables;
• Spinach;
• Amaranth;
• Fish;
• Soy milk
• Sesame etc.

After recovery, dairy products should be introduced into the diet with caution.

A correct determination of the cause of diarrhea from milk in combination with a simple diet will help get rid of the problem in the shortest possible time and prevent recurrence.

What should everyone know about using dairy products in food? The following information will help you avoid mistakes and consume dairy products without harm to your health:

• It is a mistake to think that skim milk contains less lactose. The same goes for buttermilk and acidophilus milk.
• Yogurt is safer in terms of the risk of diarrhea. Many people tolerate yogurt well, although it also contains lactose. It must be remembered that the body can also react differently to different yoghurts. Pasteurized yoghurts are not very healthy.
• Chocolate milk has many positive qualities that people with lactose intolerance will appreciate. On the one hand, such milk has a pleasant taste, and contains calcium necessary for the body. On the other hand, cocoa helps stimulate lactase activity. This product is well tolerated.
• Swiss cheese, cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan are healthy and safe. They are rich in calcium but contain very low levels of lactose.
• People with lactase deficiency need to be very careful with cottage cheese, homemade cheeses and ricotta.

Yogurt is safer in terms of the risk of diarrhea. Many people tolerate yogurt well, although it also contains lactose.

Swiss cheese, cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan are healthy and safe.

It is a mistake to think that skim milk contains less lactose.

Lactose intolerance

Attention! Allergies can occur due to individual lactose intolerance or a lack of appropriate enzymes. Due to the complete inability to absorb lactose, the intestines quickly try to get rid of the source of its supply. Thus, all dairy food leaves the body in an undigested form - a person develops diarrhea.

Milk in this case causes allergic manifestations, which occur with the following symptoms:

• The mucous membranes swell. Particularly severe swelling can be observed in the laryngeal region and in the tonsil area.
• Eyes become red and watery. At the same time, the person loses coordination in space due to poor vision, and he becomes dizzy.
• A rash of various directions may appear on the hands, face and other parts of the body. It may be simply redness or severe swelling of the skin with spots of varying widths. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the body and the strength of the immune system.
• The person begins to feel nauseous. Rarely does this symptom lead to vomiting, but diarrhea occurs in most cases.

Symptoms of the phenomenon

Diarrhea can be caused not only by milk, but also by any dairy products, including fermented milk. Indeed, fermented milk contains bacteria that are beneficial to the gastrointestinal tract and contribute to the balance of microflora. But in some cases, even they can cause a problem. Typical symptoms of milky diarrhea are:

• the appearance of diarrhea within half an hour after drinking milk or any dairy product;
• stools are loose, watery, frequent;
• significant pain in the abdomen, cramps (intestinal colic);
• severe flatulence, bloating, rumbling.

If the cause of diarrhea is lactose deficiency, then the symptoms will directly depend on the amount of enzymes. The fewer there are, the brighter the manifestations.

If, in case of intolerance, the amount of enzymes is reduced slightly, then either a complete absence of symptoms or mild discomfort is possible. In this case, there is slight bloating and rumbling, increased release of gases. There may be no diarrhea at all, or there may simply be softening of the stool. In this state of affairs, it is recommended to consume fermented milk products and dishes prepared with half-and-half milk.

Important! Skim milk contains the same amount of lactose as whole milk.

Types of diarrhea

Diarrhea caused by drinking milk has varieties that differ in characteristic signs, causes, and accompanying symptoms:

• fermentative;
• infectious;
• dyspeptic;
• nutritional.

The fermentative type of diarrhea is caused by excessive consumption of products containing milk sugar. Excluding milk from the diet leads to normalization of stool. Infectious diarrhea occurs due to pathogenic bacteria contained in products, which actively multiply after the expiration date of the product.

Treatment of diarrhea in adults

Since the body itself cannot cope with the task of digesting milk, there are special preparations that contain enzymes. A therapeutic diet will help. But first, it’s worth finding out the reason for this condition. If during the examination it turns out that the cause is a lack of enzymes in the body, then dairy cuisine is excluded. Although this will not be easy to do, because the body needs calcium for full and normal functioning. However, instead of milk, such people are allowed to drink kefir, as well as certain types of cheese.

Why do problems with milk and abdominal pain not always occur?

It was already said above that the problem is usually dose dependent. A certain, but very small, enzyme activity in the intestines is still observed, and dairy products, dishes with milk or whole milk in coffee, drinks or cocktails, and food products are digested relatively calmly. But if the intestines receive a large volume of milk at once, for example 1-2 glasses, there is simply not enough lactase, then fermentation occurs, gases swell the intestinal loops, causing abdominal pain. Enzyme activity may suffer during intestinal inflammation (enteritis), when taking excess carbohydrates (milk with sweet rolls, cookies), if there is intestinal dysbiosis. In this case, you can get rid of diarrhea or abdominal pain only by temporarily giving up milk or sharply reducing the volume of its consumption.