Casein is a protein found in milk and other dairy products. A casein allergy occurs when your system wrongly identifies casein as a danger to your entire body. Your body then activates a response in an effort to fight off it.
This can be different than lactose intolerance, which happens when your body does not make enough of the enzyme lactase. Lactose intolerance can force you to feel uneasy after consuming milk. But a casein allergy could cause:
- hives
- rashes
- wheezing
- severe pain
- food malabsorption
- vomiting
- breathing problems
Causes of Casein Allergy
Casein allergies are most common in infants and young children. This allergy occurs when the immune system mistakes casein as something that the body needs to fight off. This causes an allergic response. Babies that are breast-fed are in a lower risk of creating a more casein allergy. Pros are not entirely certain why some babies develop a casein allergy even though some do not, but they think genetics can play a role.
Ordinarily, a casein allergy will disappear by the time a child reaches 3 to 5 years old. Some kids never outgrow their casein allergy and might have it into maturity.
Where is casein found?
Mammal’s milk, such as cow’s milk, is made up of:
- lactose, or milk sugar
- fats
- up to four kinds of casein protein
- other kinds of milk proteins
The amount of each of these substances in milk depends on:
- which animal the milk comes from
- where in the milking cycle the animal was
- how long the animal has been lactating
- what the lactating animal was eating
Many dairy products contain casein, but not all do. Because casein is a protein, it’s found mostly in dairy products with moderate-to-high protein content such as:
- low-fat milk
- yogurt
- kefir
- cheese
- ice cream
Dairy products containing more protein and more fat, like butter and cream, contain hardly any casein. Clarified butter, or ghee, comprises no casein in any way.
Casein may also be in different foods and products that contain milk or milk powder, like crackers and biscuits. This makes casein among the harder allergens to prevent. This means it is very important that you read food labels carefully and ask what is in particular foods prior to purchasing or eating it. At restaurants, be certain to alert your server on your casein allergy prior to purchasing meals.
You should avoid products that contain milk or might have been exposed to foods including milk should you or your kid has a casein allergy. A food ingredients listing will say this. Furthermore, a few food packaging could willingly list claims such as “may include milk” or “produced at a centre with milk.” You should avoid those foods too since they might contain traces of casein.
