Rick Gagne & Elise Morse-Gagne <[log in to unmask]> wrote in part:
>  Some groups are prone to develop lactose intolerance in
>adulthood, but do they also develop milk protein allergy?

No, these are not related. Totally different mechanism. Their only
link is that they are both present in the same food - dairy products.

> And in fact some
>food allergies are *more* common in groups for whom those foods are a
>historical staple: I believe only those of Mediterranean background are
>prone to a dangerous allergy to fava beans.

There is a theory I have read (I think in Brostoff and Gamlin's 'Food
Allergies and Food Intolerance' - great book BTW) that it is the very
food that is the staple of the society that causes the most problems
with allergies and intolerances. The theory is that it overwhelms the
body with antigen, that it has to handle too much of it too often.

Humans were designed to have a varied diet, that varied even more so
over the seasons. When humans invented agriculture, things changed
dramatically in that they then ate the same foods year round,
especially once storage methods were improved.

In particular with certain plant foods, the plants contain toxins
(developed to prevent them being eaten out completely and dying out)
but in parallel, animals, including humans, have developed
detoxification systems, mainly in the liver. Problems can arise if
you overwhelm that detoxification system by eating too much of the
same food.

It is interesting to observe the foods that cause the most trouble
statistically around the world - in Western countries dairy and wheat
are very high on the allergy/intolerance list and they are the
staples. Just think about how many meals or snacks you have that *do
not* contain these - not many unless you are consciously avoiding
them. We usually consider rice as low allergenic, but in Asia I
believe it is high on the list - again, because it is their staple.

>I do agree that there is a real mismatch between the variety of the U.S.
>population and the virtual mandate in this country to eat cow's milk
>products several times a day.  *That* is the part that seems really weird
>to me.

Likewise, Elise, this also applies in Australia. It shows the power
of a big industry. Just don't start me on this soap box!! ;-)

Joy
******************************************************************
Joy Anderson B.Sc. Dip.Ed. Grad.Dip.Med.Tech. IBCLC
Australian Breastfeeding Association counsellor
Perth, Western Australia.   mailto:[log in to unmask]
******************************************************************

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