MILK ALLERGY1

Abstract

A general review of milk allergy and a summary of current research on milk at Dairy Products Laboratory (DPL) is presented. Milk allergy occurs primarily in infants and children under 2 years of age. It became more prevalent in the U.S. as breast feeding declined and feeding of cow's milk increased. Milk allergy (atopic and anaphylactic) has an immunological basis as distinguished from such diseases as lactose intolerance and galactosemia. The reported incidence of milk allergy varies widely from 30% in allergic children to 0.1 to 7% in nonallergic children. Symptoms of milk allergy are asthma, rhinitis, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, urticaria, and anaphylaxis. Crib deaths have been attributed to milk allergy. Prognosis is that milk allergy usually disappears by age 2. Milk proteins are the etiological agents in milk allergy. Milk contains from 12–14 immunologically distinguishable proteins, all of which are potential allergens. DPL is doing basic research on milk allergens to elucidate the mechanism of the allergic response to ingested milk. Demonstration of new antigens (potential allergens) generated by brief pepsin hydrolysis of four milk proteins-casein, α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin and bovine serum albumin, is the basis for a new concept of the role of digestion products in immediate type milk and food allergy.