Casein intolerance from cows and goats?

[steviep43]

Hi all

Been on a big journey with my health that can be summed up in drs finding nothing wrong through tests and concluding it's likely cfs/fibromyalgia.

However it's my health and I'm convinced it's something. Through trial and error (I.e excluding from my diet) I have found what I think is an issue with casein. However it doesn't seem to be only cow's milk related. Main symptoms are constipation, bloating / uncomfortable wind in my small intestine area and my ongoing issue with always being tired. The biggest triggers are

Feta

Goats cheese

Brie

Stilton

Casein isolate found in protein supplements

Casein isolate is a particularly bad trigger. However I'm not sure if this an intolerance issue or an allergy, or not even related to my "cfs". Do these foods have anything in common? Can casein intolerance be from both cows and goats? Can a mild intolerance/allergy cause ongoing fatigue?

The only thing tests have ever found is low igm. Could that be related?

Thanks

Steve

[BadHare]

Hi Steve,

Casein is the form of protein found in dairy, so an intolerance to this would include anything with casein in. How are you with milk & lactose, or is it only cheese & caseine isolate that causes issues? Just curious as it's often the lactose that people have allergies to. Like anything, it's best avoided altogether if you find it's a trigger for feeling bad in any way.

Assuming you're male, your GP may have overlooked the fact that you may be subclinically hypothroid, which is a common underlying issue more common in women. I was erroneously diagnosed with FM, & come across a lot of people on the TUK forum that are diagnosed with this or CFS. Do you suffer pain, or just exhaustion, not that that's much better! The medication that's widely dished out tends not to be of any help, & for anyone hypothyroid, can exacerbate the symptoms. The blood test reliance on TSH doesn't help pick this up, as it's free T3 & rT3 that are the accurate indicators. A lot of folks have autoimmune hypothyroidism, called Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which is the cause of 90% of cases. It's thought that the immune issue can be triggered by an allergy, gluten being the worst culprit, though very often dairy exclusion also pops up as something people exclude to reduce symptoms & feel better.

I'm a fan of a functional medicine (eating for good/better health) practitioner called Chris Kresser. He writes lots about autoimmune disorders & the triggers as well as general health & wellbeing. He's pro paleo diet, which doesn't always tally with me being vegetarian, but I find his advice sound. It's also free, though the more detailed e-books require signing up to his weekly emails for access.I couldn't find anything specifically on caseine, but you might find other articles of benefit re autoimmune disease. A few links below:

chriskresser.com/chronic-fa...

chriskresser.com/is-fibromy... also frequently point people in the direction of kefir for improved gut health, though you'd need to try water kefirto avoid caseine, or try a different probiotic such as sauerkraut or kombucha.

Mel

[andyswarbs]

steviep43 I was wondering how your are getting on?

[steviep43 in reply to andyswarbs]

It's a bit hit and miss. I was checked for dairy allergy and that was clear, but the immunologist did say that I probably just have a mild intolerance and that as long as I have a varied diet I could just avoid dairy. So I have been and found that my sinuses, eczema, and bowel are much much less irritated and I feel better for it. But my tiredness issues and the like still aren't going away and I have to pace myself and can't overdo anything or I real feel it the following few days. I also notice that when I do have dairy it does make things worse so there's definitely some kind of link. Frustrating it wasn't the whole answer but I'll get there one day