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Lactose Intolerant.... to cheese only??

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Posted 4/15/2010 2:39 PM (GMT 0)
I get a lot of gas, have for a long time now, but lately it's occasionally been very painful.  Makes me think it's some other problem, but then it's always relieved in due course by... well, the usual way gas is relieved.

It doesn't happen everyday.  I don't eat cheese everyday.  While trying to figure out what is causing it, it occured to me that it might be happening on the days I eat cheese.  I remember long ago my mom telling me when I was a small child she would get mad at my dad for giving me cheese to eat since it always resulted in a tummy ache.  For years it didn't bother me, but perhaps it is again now?  I know, I know, I need to keep track of what happens when I eat it, and I will start doing that now.  But in the meantime:

1. Is it possible to have an issue with cheese and be fine with milk and yogurt (I have skim milk with cereal daily and a serving of yogurt daily).

2. Is it possible I was fine with cheese for years and suddenly have an issue with it again now?

3. For those of you who are lactose intolerant - what exactly happens to you?  Gas?  Stomach aches?  Diarrhea?  What?  And how soon after consuming the item does the reaction occur?

Posted 4/15/2010 2:48 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like a good possibility.
My husband is only intolerant to ice cream, but can eat any other kind of dairy with no problem.
Posted 4/15/2010 3:01 PM (GMT 0)
Serenity, I think there may be a reason for the term "cutting the cheese." Cheese does tend to be a gassy food for a lot of people; I doubt it's the lactose if no other dairy is a problem. Maybe some other ingredient in cheeses.
Posted 4/15/2010 3:02 PM (GMT 0)
Really! So it is possible to react to only one kind of dairy product.
Posted 4/15/2010 3:14 PM (GMT 0)
I've noticed that I tend to react to ricotta cheese only - !
I figure it's some other ingredient in the cheesemaking chemistry.

Have never had issues with ice cream, yogurt, milk.....!

So, whatever the reason, yes, it's possible!
Posted 4/15/2010 3:17 PM (GMT 0)
I'm lactose intolerant. I get horrible gas, but no other symptoms.

When I'm flaring, dairy causes abdominal pain.
Posted 4/15/2010 3:39 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Songlady... it does seem to happen worst with cheddar cheese, so it is interesting that you react to one type of cheese.

Juju: how soon/long after eating eating dairy do you get the horrible gas?
Posted 4/15/2010 3:48 PM (GMT 0)
I wonder if it has to do with rennet (enzyme used to make cheese)?
Posted 4/15/2010 4:37 PM (GMT 0)
That would make sense if rennet is something that is only in cheese. So maybe it's not a lactose intolerance after all.

I've never heard of a rennet allergy before but there is such a thing!  Found this as a result of good old google:

All cheeses are divided into rennet and non-rennet. Non-rennet seldom cause allergies, as fermented milk products are used for their creation.

Rennet cheeses are quite oppiste matter. They curd through a lab ferment. This substance has animal origin and cause allergies. Typically, it occurs in the form of problems with digestion, or skin. Some may even have asthma. All these reactions occur within a few hours after cheese eating.

Posted 4/15/2010 5:18 PM (GMT 0)

Serenity Now said...
Thanks Songlady... it does seem to happen worst with cheddar cheese, so it is interesting that you react to one type of cheese.

Juju: how soon/long after eating eating dairy do you get the horrible gas?

Typically a couple of hours after. I get it way worse with milk than with anything else though.
Posted 4/15/2010 5:26 PM (GMT 0)
People with candida overgrowth issues can react to cheese while tolerating other types of dairy. And yes, food reactions and sensitivities are constantly changing, depending on your health, how much you consume of certain foods and the health/effectiveness of your digestive system.
Posted 4/15/2010 6:33 PM (GMT 0)
You have already gotten plenty of answers here, but I wanted weigh in that it definitely is possible to have problems with certain dairy but not all.

Some people, though it is far less common than lactose, are sensitive to casein, which is the protein in milk and cheese. As cheese is made and aged, the whey and lactose end up being removed from the product, which concentrates the casein. So a harder cheese will have concentrated casein in it, making it more likely that someone who is sensitive to casein will react to it, know what I mean? But even though this isn't common, casein allergy/sensitivity is far more common than rennet.

And as far as I know, your sensitivities to foods can and do change as you age, and other influences in your life/health/diet change as well.
Posted 4/15/2010 7:03 PM (GMT 0)
Great information Juju, Princesa, and Supa - thanks! I guess without doing any formal testing, I'll just have to informally experiment and see what happens when I do and don't eat cheese.
Posted 4/15/2010 7:40 PM (GMT 0)
Both lactose and casein make me very ill. Lots of gas, bloating and pain in my belly. Too bad, because it is my favourite food!
Posted 4/16/2010 2:46 AM (GMT 0)
Once upon a time I tolerated sharp cheddar cheese ok (not mild- I guess more lactose in mild because less fermentation) but pretty much no other cheeses. Nowadays I notice all cheese problematic- indeed possibly all but the most sparing amount of dairy, with the exception of some butter- but you could try a bit of cheddar and see if that is ok. I sure miss cheese, and especially miss my homemade yogurt- but for now, no more.
Posted 4/16/2010 5:10 AM (GMT 0)
It could also be the salt or fat content of cheese that disagrees with you. I do fine with Switzerland-made cheeses emmenthaler or gruyere, both relatively low in fat & salt. I avoid all American process cheeses, but occasionally have soy cheddar. It's best to try small amounts 'til you determine what your intestines can tolerate. Good luck! / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 4/16/2010 3:27 PM (GMT 0)
I love cheese. :)
Posted 4/17/2010 6:05 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone. Last Saturday was the worst case of painful gas when we went to the hockey game. Nothing worse than having to sit for hours in pain. I could barely walk back to the car afterwards. Finally had relief on the way home. Poor husband! ;)

I was very nervous on Friday night when we went to the first game of the playoffs. I did not eat any cheese that day nor did I have my usual pre-game meal which involves cheese (cheddar, by the way). Great success!!! No pain at all! What a difference it makes to the enjoyment of the evening. And it was an extra long game too, going into overtime. (Canucks won - woohoo!).

SO-- last night I didn't have to go out, so I ate some cheese in the afternoon. No stomach ache! So now I don't know. Mind you, it could make a difference that I was relaxed being at home, wearing comfy sweat pants rather than constrictive jeans, not forced to sit in one position for hours. Who knows!
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