Most of us have probably heard of lactose intolerance, and may even know somebody who is lactose intolerant or are intolerant ourselves. But is it possible for your baby to be lactose intolerant? Read on to find out.
What is lactose intolerance?
Lactose is a sugar found in dairy products such as milk, cream, yogurt, cheese, and butter. It is also found abundantly in human breast milk. In order to be digested lactose must be broken down in the body by an enzyme called lactase. As some people age they lose the ability to produce this enzyme, making lactose difficult for them to properly digest. This can sometimes cause unpleasant symptoms and the solution for most people is to avoid lactose in their diets.
Can babies be lactose intolerant?
In short: not really, no.
Lactose is a natural energy source for babies, and they are very good at utilizing it. The only time a baby might be unable to digest lactose from his mother's milk would be in the case of rare hereditary disorders such as galactosemia.
These hereditary conditions are very serious and babies with this condition will likely develop symptoms shortly after birth and struggle to thrive. They are usually unable to ingest any breast milk at all and must instead be fed a specialized formula.
Since lactose is synthesized in the mammary gland, human milk contains lactose no matter what we eat or drink ourselves. Cutting dairy from our diet will not reduce the amount of lactose in our breast milk.
The good news is that galactosemia is very uncommon, and the vast majority of babies are able to digest their mother's milk.
If babies cannot be lactose intolerant, why was I told to eliminate dairy from my diet?
While most babies cannot really be lactose intolerant per se, it is possible for some babies to develop sensitivities to cow milk proteins. Since proteins from cow milk products are able to pass through breast milk in small quantities, some babies who are very sensitive may have a reaction to their mother's milk. In these cases it is possible for mothers to alleviate their baby's symptoms by eliminating dairy from their diet.
Remember, the problem in this case is dairy not lactose. Purchasing "lactose free" products or taking pills intended for lactose intolerant people will not help. All forms of dairy may need to be avoided including milk, cream, yogurt, cheese, and butter.
Although dairy gets a lot of blame in the breastfeeding community, cow milk protein allergies are estimated to affect around 0.5% of breastfed babies. Furthermore, many symptoms often blamed on dairy are extremely general and common in all babies even without allergies. For example, fussiness or gassiness in newborns.
Elimination diets can be daunting and put considerable stress on breastfeeding mothers. Before eliminating dairy it is worth speaking to a healthcare professional knowledgeable about breastfeeding.
The take away
In the vast majority of babies who have a problem with dairy, lactose is not the problem. Although some babies can develop sensitivities to cow milk proteins, symptoms often attributed to dairy allergies are general and may be caused by any number of other conditions (or may even be normal).
If you are concerned that your baby might be reacting to something in your diet, reach out to an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) for help.
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