Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsYogurt AllergyCausesSymptomsUnexpected SourcesTreatmentLactose IntoleranceDairy AlternativesWhen to Seek Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Yogurt Allergy
Causes
Symptoms
Unexpected Sources
Treatment
Lactose Intolerance
Dairy Alternatives
When to Seek Care
A yogurt allergy is usually part of an allergy to milk and milk products. Symptoms of a yogurt and milk allergy may includehives, itching, abdominal pain, nausea, or diarrhea after eatingyogurt.
Learn about the potential causes of your symptoms and how to treat these conditions.
Antonio Gravante EyeEm / Getty Images
What Is a Yogurt or Milk Allergy?
When a person with a true milk allergy consumes foods with milk in them, such as yogurt, theirimmune systemmistakes them as being a harmful invader. This triggers the production of immunoglobulin (IgE) antibodies, which leads to the release of chemicals, causing an allergic reaction.
If you have a milk allergy, you may be allergic to the proteins in the milk, which include:
Risk Factors
Certain factors may increase the risk of developing a cow’s milk allergy, including:
Symptoms of Milk Allergy
The symptoms of a yogurt or milk allergy can range from mild to severe and usually occur within two hours of consuming dairy.
Milk allergy symptoms include:
In some instances, cow’s milk can cause a potentially life-threatening reaction calledanaphylaxis. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, tightness of the throat, fainting, low blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, and cardiac arrest.
Unexpected Sources of Milk Proteins
Many people with a milk allergy also do not tolerate milk from other domestic animals like goats or sheep.It’s important to always read food labels and avoid any ingredients that contain milk.
Some unexpected sources of milk proteins include:
Avoiding milk, dairy, or products that contain milk protein is the best way to treat a milk allergy.
For mild reactions, your healthcare provider may suggest taking an over-the-counterantihistamine.If you have a severe milk allergy, it’s important to keep anepinephrine auto-injector(EpiPen) with you at all times.Epinephrineis the only treatment for anaphylactic shock.
Lactose intolerance occurs when a person is missing the enzymelactase. It is responsible for breaking down lactose, a sugar found in milk and milk products like cheese, yogurt, or ice cream. As a result, a person with lactose intolerance has difficulty digesting foods containing lactose.
True Milk Allergy vs. Milk Intolerance
A true milk allergy is not the same as a milk intolerance. A milk allergy happens when your immune system identifies milk and milk products as foreign invaders. This causes hives, nausea, and abdominal pain and can even lead to anaphylactic shock.
In contrast, milk intolerance is a digestive issue and does not involve the immune system. Instead, it is due to missing the enzyme lactase which makes it difficult to digest foods containing lactose, causing abdominal pain, cramps, and/or diarrhea.
Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance
Without proper digestion, the lactose passes to your colon, where bacteria break down the lactose and create fluid and gas, which is responsible for digestive discomfort.
Other signs of lactose intolerance include:
If you come from a part of the world where malabsorption is common, you are at a higher risk for lactose intolerance. In the United States, the following racial and ethnic groups are at a higher risk for lactose intolerance:
Some people with lactose intolerance can handle small amounts of lactose. Studies show many people can tolerate around 12 grams of lactose with very little or no symptoms.This is equivalent to about 1 cup of milk.
Additionally, some people can tolerate low-lactose foods like Greek yogurt and hard cheeses such as Swiss, cheddar, and parmesan.Greek yogurt is strained multiple times during processing which removes more whey and lactose. A 6-ounce serving of Greek yogurt contains 4 grams of lactose.
However, some people need to eliminate lactose completely for symptom relief.
Alternatively, you can use lactase products before consuming milk or milk products. This helps your body digest lactose better to reduce or prevent digestive symptoms.
Premature babies who are lactose intolerant are usually able to tolerate lactose once they are older and their digestive tract matures.
Fortunately, most grocery stores carry dairy alternatives and dairy-free cheese, butter, and yogurt. Non-dairy substitutes for milk include:
It is important to note that dairy alternatives are not nutritionally equivalent to milk, yogurt, cheese, and other dairy products. Talk with a registered dietitian if you are concerned about whether you are missing key nutrients in your diet.
Can you be allergic to yogurt and not milk?
Many people with lactose intolerance can consume yogurt, but not milk.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
If you believe you have a yogurt allergy or any food intolerance, it’s important to speak with your healthcare provider for an accurate diagnosis.
Your healthcare provider may perform askin prick testor a blood test to check for true milk allergy. They may also order an oral food challenge. Because this could lead to a severe reaction, an oral food challenge must be done in an allergist’s office with emergency equipment on hand.
Summary
Correction - December 4, 2024: This article was updated to correct the percentage of protein in cow’s milk that whey makes up. It is around 20%, not 80%.
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19 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Food Allergy Research & Education.Milk allergy.Kids with Food Allergies. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.Milk allergy.American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.Milk & dairy.Caffarelli C, Baldi F, Bendandi B, et al.Cow’s milk protein allergy in children: a practical guide.Italian Journal of Pediatrics. 2010;36:5. doi:10.1186/1824-7288-36-5Davoodi SH, Shahbazi R, Esmaeili S, et al.Health-related aspects of milk proteins.Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research : IJPR. 2016;15(3):573.American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome.University of Rochester Medical School.Cow’s milk protein intolerance.Hoffman BC, Garcia S, Everett DC, Leung DYM, Cho CB.Association of atopic dermatitis with increased risk of anaphylaxis to egg and milk.Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. 2019;123(6):620-622. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anai.2019.09.008Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Milk allergies.American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.Anaphylaxis.American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.Milk & dairy diagnosis.Food Allergy & Research Education.Milk allergy vs lactose intolerance.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of lactose intolerance.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Definition & facts for lactose intolerance.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, diet, & nutrition for lactose intolerance.John Hopkins Medicine.Lactose intolerance.American Dairy Association North East.Greek yogurt for the lactose and gluten intolerant.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for lactose intolerance.Vanga SK, Raghavan V.How well do plant based alternatives fare nutritionally compared to cow’s milk?Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2018;55(1):10. doi:10.1007/s13197-017-2915-y
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Food Allergy Research & Education.Milk allergy.Kids with Food Allergies. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.Milk allergy.American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.Milk & dairy.Caffarelli C, Baldi F, Bendandi B, et al.Cow’s milk protein allergy in children: a practical guide.Italian Journal of Pediatrics. 2010;36:5. doi:10.1186/1824-7288-36-5Davoodi SH, Shahbazi R, Esmaeili S, et al.Health-related aspects of milk proteins.Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research : IJPR. 2016;15(3):573.American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome.University of Rochester Medical School.Cow’s milk protein intolerance.Hoffman BC, Garcia S, Everett DC, Leung DYM, Cho CB.Association of atopic dermatitis with increased risk of anaphylaxis to egg and milk.Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. 2019;123(6):620-622. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anai.2019.09.008Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Milk allergies.American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.Anaphylaxis.American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.Milk & dairy diagnosis.Food Allergy & Research Education.Milk allergy vs lactose intolerance.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of lactose intolerance.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Definition & facts for lactose intolerance.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, diet, & nutrition for lactose intolerance.John Hopkins Medicine.Lactose intolerance.American Dairy Association North East.Greek yogurt for the lactose and gluten intolerant.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for lactose intolerance.Vanga SK, Raghavan V.How well do plant based alternatives fare nutritionally compared to cow’s milk?Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2018;55(1):10. doi:10.1007/s13197-017-2915-y
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Kids with Food Allergies. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.Milk allergy.
American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.Milk & dairy.
Caffarelli C, Baldi F, Bendandi B, et al.Cow’s milk protein allergy in children: a practical guide.Italian Journal of Pediatrics. 2010;36:5. doi:10.1186/1824-7288-36-5
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American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome.
University of Rochester Medical School.Cow’s milk protein intolerance.
Hoffman BC, Garcia S, Everett DC, Leung DYM, Cho CB.Association of atopic dermatitis with increased risk of anaphylaxis to egg and milk.Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. 2019;123(6):620-622. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anai.2019.09.008
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Milk allergies.
American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.Anaphylaxis.
American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.Milk & dairy diagnosis.
Food Allergy & Research Education.Milk allergy vs lactose intolerance.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of lactose intolerance.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Definition & facts for lactose intolerance.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Eating, diet, & nutrition for lactose intolerance.
John Hopkins Medicine.Lactose intolerance.
American Dairy Association North East.Greek yogurt for the lactose and gluten intolerant.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for lactose intolerance.
Vanga SK, Raghavan V.How well do plant based alternatives fare nutritionally compared to cow’s milk?Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2018;55(1):10. doi:10.1007/s13197-017-2915-y
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