Components of Dairy
Lactose, a carbohydrate found in dairy products, is too large for the body to absorb. The enzyme lactase is required to break it down into simple units, or simple sugars, allowing the body to digest and absorb them. Lactose intolerance is a common condition in which the body doesn’t produce enough lactase enzymes to break down lactose.
Whey and casein are protein components of milk, which must be broken down by enzymes in order to be used by the body. Digestive discomfort can result from the body’s lack of a sufficient amount of a protease enzyme required for protein digestion. Protein sensitivity can also present itself as an overreaction or hypersensitive reaction of the body’s immune system. The protein may be harmless, but the body recognizes it as a foreign substance and launches a defensive response.
Casein is made up of many different proteins, and whey is typically a mixture of beta-lactoglobulin and alpha-lactalbumin proteins. Both must be broken down into smaller peptides in order to be absorbed by the body. In addition, smaller peptides are less likely to bind to antibodies, decreasing the chance of an immune response.