--- title: "Lactose Intolerance or Something Else? Unpacking the Mystery of Dairy & IBS-D" entity: "blog" canonical_url: "https://www.drdanwool.com/blog/lactoseandibs" markdown_url: "https://www.drdanwool.com/llms/blog/lactoseandibs" lastmod: "2024-10-15T07:00:00.000Z" --- ## Lactose intolerance: Did you know...? [video transcript] Did you know that up to 75% of people in the world consider themselves lactose intolerant? That's a condition where you ingest milk or dairy products and you get symptoms such as IBS-D, which is Irritable Bowel Syndrome with diarrhea. Well, if it's 75% of people around the world, then what's going on with the cows? And is this something different? That's what we're going to take a look at today, because I think that it has to do more with the protein that's in milk versus the simple sugars that are coming from lactose. ## A Milk Mystery Now, it is thought that after we wean from being breastfed as children, our ability to digest lactose kind of falls off the map, and that's what would explain those 75% of people around the world who think that they have some sort of symptom with that. But I've got to tell you, I hear this story commonly: my patients go on vacation. They might come from Arizona and go out to Europe, or might go visit family in India or New Zealand or somewhere like that. And they come back and they say, "I had the best time, and I had gelato every day!" Or, "I had burrata or Parmesan cheese every day on my pasta." It just depends, but generally, they're tolerating dairy really well overseas in Europe. And then they come back here to America, and they quickly, what I call, retox, and they're in a world of hurt. They're trying to have the exact same foods here that they were having there. But what is the deal now? Are they lactose intolerant? No. They were tolerating lactose in their gelato in Italy, but when they came back to America, not so much. So let's talk about the proteins that are in dairy products and whether or not they cause inflammation. ## The Casein Conundrum: A1 vs. A2 Protein Now, there are two kinds of proteins: there is whey protein, which most of us know (like if you go to Sprouts and get whey protein and a smoothie that you stir up at home, we generally know that). But the other one is called casein, and there are two types: there is casein A1 and there is casein A2. Now these come from different kinds of cows. Here in America, the types of cows that are cropped, so to speak, as dairy animals are Holsteins, and those produce A1 proteins, or a combination of A1 and A2 proteins. And around the world, it's usually things like Jersey and Guernsey cows, and those produce A2 proteins. Now, these have the exact same amino acid profile except for one. (I'm sorry, same protein profile, but for except for one amino acid.) And that amino acid in A2 is proline, and proline blocks the production of something called beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM-7). If that sounds a little bit like morphine, it sort of is. So that BCM-7 is something that we're getting in our A1 milks, which is the predominant kind of milk and dairy product that we have here in the United States, and the A2 milks do not have that. And the BCM-7 has been linked to things like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, but the main thing it creates is digestive inflammation and distress. ## Possible Solutions: A2 Milk and Elimination Diets So, are people lactose intolerant, or are they beta-casein A1 intolerant? And so those are the things that we have to look at. And now, for the last 15-20 years, you can buy casein A2 milks in the store. So if you're somebody who has been lactose intolerant, you don't have to go out and buy Lactaid and cross your fingers that that may or may not work in your coffee. Try going to a natural grocery store and looking for A2 milk or A2 yogurt and testing that back in. Often with elimination diets, where we have somebody lay off dairy for 30 days or more and we're going to reintroduce dairy, I'll actually have them start with the A2 milks, and most people tolerate it just fine. Then they can work up to A1, and if A1 is still causing digestive distress, then at least we have some sort of dairy product that we can lean on and continue to get the protein and the good effects of dairy in the diet. ## Is it really lactose? Learn more about your Gut Health If you have any questions about elimination diets or dairy, you can find some more information on my website. It's [drdanwool.com,](http://www.drdanwool.com/booking) and then on all the socials at @DrDanWool. In the meantime, it's Dr. Wool "fix your gut, solve your health". ## Oh...one more thing 🔔Don't forget to subscribe to my You Tube Channel for more updates! [https://www.youtube.com/@drdanwool/?sub_confirmation=1 ](https://www.youtube.com/@drdanwool/?sub_confirmation=1) About the Author ## Dr. Dan Wool, NMD Dr. Dan Wool is a naturopathic doctor who specializes in gastroenterology, hormones and men's health in Scottsdale, Arizona. [Set up a free 15-minute discovery call with Dr. Wool today! ](https://drdanwool.com/booking) [Read More](/about)