Why does milk and dairy products cause diarrhea?

Types of diarrhea depending on the etiology of the causes

Diarrhea, caused by internal or external factors, can be of various types:

Fermentative;
Infectious;
Dyspeptic;
Nutritional.

Each type has its own causes, differs in different symptoms and treatment methods:

Fermentative diarrhea from milk appears due to excessive consumption of milk sugar, which enters the human intestinal tract with milk. Symptoms of this disease disappear after giving up dairy products.
Infectious diarrhea is always associated with the appearance of E. coli, salmonella and many others in the human body. The causes of this disease are the use of low-quality, expired products.
Dyspeptic diarrhea from milk occurs due to an insufficient amount of enzymes that help digest and absorb lactose, which is part of dairy products.
The nutritional type of diarrhea from milk occurs due to an incorrectly composed human diet. And this disease also manifests itself in allergies to dairy products. Alimentary diarrhea is accompanied by high fever, redness of the skin, discharge from the nose and mucous membranes of the eyes. If you are allergic to dairy products, it is strictly forbidden to consume any of them: yogurt, milk, kefir, cottage cheese. Otherwise, it will lead to an acute form of diarrhea.

Diarrhea after milk and its symptoms are difficult to miss. 30 minutes after consuming a low-quality product or milk that the body does not accept, the following begins:

Cramps in the lower abdomen;
Bloating;
Watery, persistent diarrhea;
Gas formation.

Diarrhea from dairy products is quite common; the reasons for its occurrence can be completely different.

Lactose intolerance

Individual lactose intolerance or, as it is also called lactose deficiency, characterizes a feature of the digestive system in which the body cannot absorb milk sugar, lactose. When milk sugar enters the digestive tract, the body tries to remove it by all means. And the most accessible method is diarrhea or bowel movement. In 90% of cases, lactose deficiency is a genetically transmitted disease. If the disease is not stopped in time, it becomes chronic, which leads to intestinal dysbiosis.

Diarrhea from cottage cheese, milk or cheese may be a consequence of the development of an allergic reaction of the body. An allergy to dairy products can easily be confused with lactose intolerance, but it occurs with more pronounced symptoms: rash, vomiting, swelling of the mucous membranes of the eyes.

Diseases of internal organs

Diarrhea may develop as a result of other serious illnesses such as pancreatitis. With this disease, you just have to drink a glass of milk or yogurt, eat cottage cheese, and bloating, diarrhea, and pain begin. And also such symptoms can characterize inflammation of the small intestine.

Age-related changes

There is a direct relationship between a person’s age and the ability of the body’s enzymes to digest dairy products. The older you get, the higher the risk that an adult will develop diarrhea due to low digestibility of milk and lactose.

Causes of diarrhea after drinking milk

Doctors point to a number of reasons why diarrhea may occur from milk or dairy products:

Individual intolerance. The reason for this is lactase deficiency, in which the digestive system can neither absorb nor digest lactose, that is, milk sugar. When it enters the body, the latter tries to remove it faster. Diarrhea is a natural way of self-cleaning. Typically, lactase deficiency is transmitted genetically.
Primary disease. Diarrhea from dairy products may begin due to a history of a disease characterized by poor digestion of food. And also after surgery on the intestines or stomach. For example, such symptoms are characteristic of pancreatitis. A patient with this diagnosis only needs to drink a little milk or eat other dairy products to cause bloating, stomach pain, and diarrhea. Temporarily, such a problem may arise against the background of influenza or an inflammatory disease of the small intestine.
Allergic reaction. There is a group of people who are allergic to milk. It is often confused with intolerance. But unlike the latter, allergies have more pronounced symptoms. Rash, diarrhea, vomiting, swelling of the mucous membranes - these are the main signs of allergies.
Age. There is a direct relationship between age and the body's ability to absorb and digest milk. In this case, we are talking about the same portability. The older a person is, the higher the risk of developing lactase deficiency, and therefore lactose intolerance.

There is a group of people in whom milk causes allergies in the form of a rash.
A person who develops diarrhea from milk must identify its cause. Further actions depend on this. If you have lactase deficiency, there is no point in completely eliminating dairy products from your diet. It is enough to reduce the amount of its consumption, monitor your condition and the body’s reaction. And in case of chronic diseases that cause such a reaction, and in case of allergies, you should completely abandon milk.

Diagnostics

When diarrhea appears after milk, it is important to promptly diagnose and determine the causes in order to correctly select the method of further treatment.

Diarrhea can be the main or additional symptom; to identify pathologies or disruption of the enzyme system, it is worth contacting an experienced, qualified doctor.

Having contacted, in the first days of the appearance of diarrhea, the doctor can make a diagnosis after examination, based on the clinical picture: bloating, diarrhea, body temperature.

To clarify the possible causes and make the correct diagnosis, a test is performed. In the morning, before meals, consume 50 g of lactose. If you are lactose intolerant, you will experience the standard symptoms. This is the simplest and fastest method to determine the exact cause of diarrhea from milk.

Qualified medical care for diarrhea from dairy products directly depends on the identified causes, which make it possible to prescribe an effective treatment regimen.

Diseases of internal organs

Diarrhea may be a secondary symptom when a primary disease develops. To eliminate the symptom, it is necessary to direct all efforts to treat the root cause of diarrhea. However, you should choose drugs that do not contain lactose. It is imperative to exclude all dairy products and adhere to a strict diet.

Lactose intolerance

For this reason, it is important to exclude dairy products completely from the diet. It is imperative to reduce the level of consumption of not only milk, because diarrhea can occur from yogurt, cheese, and cottage cheese. It is important to strictly monitor the body’s reaction. To improve your health, your doctor will prescribe special tablets and drops that increase the level of enzymes in the body.

An allergic reaction to the consumption of dairy products, manifested in the form of diarrhea, is a disease in which it is important to completely exclude milk and related dairy products from the diet.

Diarrhea after kefir: why it can occur and how to treat it

Diarrhea caused by drinking milk has varieties that differ in characteristic signs, causes, and accompanying symptoms:

fermentative;
infectious;
dyspeptic;
nutritional.

The fermentative type of diarrhea is caused by excessive consumption of products containing milk sugar. Excluding milk from the diet leads to normalization of stool. Infectious diarrhea occurs due to pathogenic bacteria contained in products, which actively multiply after the expiration date of the product.

Allergy

Attention! Allergies can occur due to individual lactose intolerance or a lack of appropriate enzymes. Due to the complete inability to absorb lactose, the intestines quickly try to get rid of the source of its supply. Thus, all dairy food leaves the body in an undigested form - a person develops diarrhea.

Milk in this case causes allergic manifestations, which occur with the following symptoms:

The mucous membranes swell. Particularly severe swelling can be observed in the laryngeal region and in the tonsil area.
Eyes become red and watery. At the same time, the person loses coordination in space due to poor vision, and he becomes dizzy.
A rash of various directions may appear on the hands, face and other parts of the body. It may be simply redness or severe swelling of the skin with spots of varying widths. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the body and the strength of the immune system.
The person begins to feel nauseous. Rarely does this symptom lead to vomiting, but diarrhea occurs in most cases.

If there are problems with internal organs, their work is noticeably reduced. When the stomach is loaded with hard-to-digest foods, severe stress results.

The issue of drinking milk is especially acute for those people who have been diagnosed with pancreatitis.

Any problems with the pancreas lead to a decrease in its functionality and a decrease in the performance of nearby organs and systems.

With diseases of the internal organs, their work slows down, enzymatic production is noticeably reduced. As a result, the absorption of heavy foods is even worse.

If dairy products enter such a weakened body, the immune system signals that it is powerless, and the intestines begin to release heavy food.

Thus, lactose is not broken down, but comes out in the form of liquid stool.

Reference Information! Even a common cold can disrupt the functioning of internal organs and lead to indigestion of dairy products. During illness, you should eat milk with caution; in any case, reduce the usual portions of its consumption.

Lactase ceases to be produced in the human body with age. This leads to the fact that the older a person gets, the harder it is for his body to digest this or that food. As a rule, older people need to be switched to a dairy-free diet if they constantly ate dairy products at a young age.

You can completely give up milk, but for those who cannot live without this product, you need to reduce your daily intake. If an increasingly smaller amount of “milk” is tolerated by the body well, then the level of consumption can be left at the same place. If intolerance occurs along with a decrease in the consumption of dairy products, then it is worth eliminating milk from the diet completely.

Associated symptoms

Not only milk can cause diarrhea. Often any dairy products, including fermented milk, are quite difficult for the human body to digest. When diarrhea from milk occurs in a person who has consumed this product, the following characteristic symptoms occur:

the stomach begins to rumble within 30 minutes after drinking milk or a dairy product;
after a few more minutes, the person develops diarrhea, he can no longer leave the toilet due to frequent urges;
Over time, the stool becomes even more liquid, more like water;
with all this, cramps of various types may occur in the abdomen (pulling pain, colic, loud rumbling);
flatulence and severe bloating.

After consuming dairy products, other unpleasant symptomatic signs may be observed:

cramps, pain in the abdomen;
flatulence;
bloating.

With diarrhea from dairy products caused by allergies, the appearance of red spots on the skin of the body, hypothermia, runny nose, swelling of the throat mucosa, and vomiting are observed.

Features of the disease

The appearance of diarrhea in the adult population may be associated with pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract due to alcohol abuse, inclusion in the diet of fatty, spicy foods, processed foods, and fast food. In case of digestive disorders, exceeding the prescribed daily intake of dairy products leads to the body not absorbing the sugar contained in yoghurt, kefir, sour cream and other ingredients.

What to do if you have diarrhea from milk

When diarrhea develops, not only milk, but also all fermented milk products are excluded from the diet. You should also not add butter to food, which can only aggravate the situation.

The following remedies will help stop indigestion and strengthen stool:

Smecta. This natural adsorbent is able to remove all pathogenic bacteria and toxins from the body and eliminate increased gas formation.
Phosphalugel. The combined drug perfectly envelops the mucous membrane and prevents pathogenic bacteria from affecting it. Literally a couple of hours after taking this remedy, toxic breakdown products are eliminated and diarrhea stops.
Loperamide. The drug perfectly stimulates peristalsis and reduces the flow of fluid into the intestinal lumen. The microflora is completely restored, and the stool returns to normal.
Linux forte. Eliminates bloating and prevents stomach cramps. After several hours of taking the drug, the microflora returns to normal.

When to see a doctor

If diarrhea cannot be stopped within two days, you should consult a doctor. Therapeutic measures will be prescribed after a complete examination and detection of the cause of diarrhea. Perhaps milk and dairy products have become only a trigger for the development of upset stools, and the main reason lies even deeper.

To identify the cause of milk intolerance in an adult, the doctor prescribes a number of procedures:

The method of the so-called “scientific experiment”. The patient is given 50 g of lactose on an empty stomach, which is purchased at the pharmacy. If after 30 minutes characteristic symptoms arise in the form of bloating, increased flatulence and, finally, loose stools, the doctor prescribes a diet in which the consumption of milk is excluded.
Breath test. Lactose is taken on an empty stomach, and after how many minutes the doctor measures the level of hydrogen in the exhaled air.
Ultrasound of the abdominal organs. It is carried out to exclude pathological processes unfolding in the abdominal organs.
Blood, urine and stool tests. In laboratory conditions, the cause of lactose intolerance is determined.

After this, appropriate treatment is prescribed, and milk can be completely or partially excluded from the diet.

Milk can upset your stomach. To help the body avoid dehydration, you need to take a set of measures to eliminate the problem. In extreme cases, it is worth seeking help from a specialist who can accurately understand the cause of lactose intolerance and carry out a number of supportive therapeutic measures.

Treatment methods

Therapy for the occurrence of diarrhea must necessarily include taking medications to eliminate the unpleasant symptom. Necessary medications include:

rehydration solutions;
enzyme agents;
blockers;
probiotics.

Abundant and frequent excretion of feces, characteristic after ingestion of dairy products, causes electrolyte imbalance.

To maintain water-salt levels, it is necessary to take rehydration solutions containing salts, glucose, and nutrients washed out during bowel movements.

If there is an insufficient amount of enzymes in the body, drugs are prescribed that contain lactase, which helps normalize intestinal motility.

With the continuous release of liquid stool, it is necessary to take blockers - anti-diarrhea drugs that slow down peristalsis. Prolonged diarrhea negatively affects the functioning of the digestive system. To restore the natural intestinal microflora, it is recommended to take probiotics.

Nutrition

Adjusting the diet is the main method of treatment to prevent recurrence of diarrhea. The diet of adults and children differs due to the age characteristics of the body.

Source: https://tomskmedstat.ru/diareya-posle-molochnykh-produktov/

Composition and nutritional value of the product

The composition of milk includes about three hundred components. The main component is water, in which other organic and inorganic components are dissolved. From the point of view of physical chemistry, the drink is a stable colloidal solution. The main substances included in the drink:

lactose – participates in the synthesis of vitamins and fats, activates the cardiovascular system;
proteins (casein, albumin, globulin) – the main “building material” that ensures muscle growth;
enzymes – help release valuable vitamins and minerals from food;
beneficial nutrients (potassium, calcium, phosphorus) – stimulate the immune system, strengthen bone tissue;
microelements (iodine, selenium, chromium) – ensure the normal course of physiological processes;
lecithin – increases immunity, activates brain function;
cholesterol - participates in the processes of hematopoiesis and the synthesis of vitamin D;
ergosterol – converted to calciferol (vitamin D) under the influence of ultraviolet radiation;
retinol and tocopherol (vitamins A and E) – have a pronounced antioxidant effect, strengthen the walls of blood vessels, and have a general rejuvenating effect;
B vitamins are substances necessary for the normal functioning of the human nervous system;
citric acid - helps to evacuate heavy metal salts from the body.

Milk contains hormones necessary for normal life, including thyroxine, which regulates lipid metabolism.

When the body does not accept milk

Milk is intended for feeding a newborn and, it would seem, it contains everything so that the product is well absorbed by the body. Meanwhile, dyspepsia or “indigestion” after taking it is not so rare. “Milk” diarrhea manifests itself almost immediately after consuming the product. In addition to watery stools, symptoms such as:

intestinal colic;
bloating;
flatulence;
heaviness in the epigastric region.

Bowel movements occur quite often, and stool may contain particles of mucus.

To avoid such an unpleasant symptom as sudden diarrhea, it is necessary to understand the reasons for its appearance after drinking milk. Medical practice shows that individual intolerance to the main component of the drink, lactose, occurs in 2% of patients. In the vast majority of cases, this is a congenital disease in which the body simply does not digest the product. The pathology is caused by a reduced level of lactase, an enzyme necessary for the absorption of lactose.

Yogurt for diarrhea, can you eat yogurt if you have diarrhea?

It contains fermented milk with dietary supplements that have a beneficial effect on digestive processes, namely: improve metabolism, stabilize hormonal functions, improve the functioning of the endocrine and nervous systems, and strengthen the immune system. This product is allowed to be consumed even for acute diarrhea. It contains the highest amount of prebiotics among other dairy products. It is important to know that only yogurt that contains live bifidobacteria and lactobacilli and does not have sweeteners is beneficial. This product can be stored for no longer than five days.

Diarrhea from milk - causes

Among the reasons why diarrhea occurs from dairy products in children and adults are diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as:

inflammation of the small intestine;
gastritis;
dysbacteriosis;
acute or chronic pancreatitis.

With dysbacteriosis, only whole milk is poorly absorbed, while low-fat and fermented milk products are accepted normally by the body. Diarrhea from milk is often observed after intervention on the intestines or stomach. This is a temporary phenomenon that occurs during the postoperative recovery period.

For some people, dairy products are allergens. The antigens here are the serum proteins alpha and beta-lactoalbumin, as well as albumin. An allergy to dairy products is accompanied not only by diarrhea, but also by skin rashes, swelling of the mucous membranes, and severe itching. Characteristic nasal discharge appears, lacrimation, nausea leading to vomiting, and increased body temperature are observed.

If diarrhea does not go away for several days after milk, this is a reason to suspect the presence of an infection. E. coli or salmonella is found in foods that have not been heat-treated or have been stored for too long. Treatment of diarrhea of an infectious nature requires mandatory consultation with a specialist, and sometimes hospitalization of the patient.

Often the answer to the question why diarrhea after milk began for no apparent reason is the increased fat content of the product. A resident of a metropolis who is not accustomed to fresh drinks will certainly suffer from diarrhea and bloating after tasting the village treat. In addition, milk does not go well with some foods and their combined use can cause dyspepsia.

To find out why milk causes diarrhea, some research needs to be done. The presence of an allergy can be determined by a breath test, which measures the level of hydrogen in the exhaled air after taking lactose. In order to exclude infectious contamination, the patient donates blood and stool for laboratory analysis.

Properties of kefir

Kefir is rich in beneficial substances: minerals, vitamins, amino acids and lactic acid bacteria, which are a natural probiotic that has a beneficial effect on the intestinal microflora and helps improve metabolism and normalize stool. Therefore, it is used for digestive disorders. The average daily dose is: for a child about 200 grams, for an adult about 400. Abuse of this drink can provoke an exacerbation of intestinal ailments. Therefore, after drinking kefir, an acute form of diarrhea may occur.

Used for the following ailments:

Dysbacteriosis, that is, when the intestinal microflora is disrupted as a result of taking antibiotics or poor-quality food. It is able to suppress the growth of harmful bacteria in the intestines, thereby preventing the development of infections.
Mental disorders, since it has an excellent sedative effect and helps eliminate diarrhea caused by this disease.
Colds, as it helps stimulate the body's defenses.
Alcohol intoxication, as it has a cleansing property, removes waste and toxins from the body.
As a prophylactic against diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, and liver.

Drinking kefir for diarrhea is allowed, but you need to remember that a drink made less than three days ago causes a weakening of the intestines, but a drink made three days ago and older has a fixing effect. But, if diarrhea occurs in an acute form, accompanied by vomiting and abdominal pain, you should not consume kefir until the causes of the disease are determined. The drink is prohibited to be consumed:

with increased stomach acidity;
for infectious inflammatory bowel diseases;
dysentery;
child up to eight months.

Use with extreme caution for stomach ulcers, pancreatitis, allergies, and children under three years of age.

Help with diarrhea from milk

If diarrhea is not infectious in nature, it can be dealt with using the same methods as with a common digestive disorder. The following remedies will help stop milk diarrhea in adults and adolescents:

Smecta is a natural adsorbent that helps eliminate toxins and eliminate increased gas formation.
Phosphalugel is a drug of combined action that envelops the mucous membrane, preventing its irritation, and eliminates toxic decomposition products.
Loperamide is an inexpensive drug that regulates peristalsis and reduces the flow of fluid into the intestinal lumen.
Linex forte - restores the microflora of the intestinal tract, eliminates bloating.

The popular drug “Immodium” contains the active substance loperamide, so its action is similar to its cheap analogue. It also normalizes the intestinal absorption of water and salts, due to which the stool acquires the necessary density.

You should not take anti-diarrhea medications on your own if the symptom is accompanied by a high fever. For diarrhea that lasts more than three days, specialist intervention is also necessary.

For infectious diseases caused by Escherichia coli or salmonella, therapy is carried out using aminoglycoside antibiotics. To eliminate dehydration, patients are prescribed solutions of drugs that restore water-salt balance (Regidron, Hydrovit).

Treatment of diarrhea due to coronavirus

Although there is no cure for Chinese COVID 19 infection yet, diarrhea, like other symptoms, can be treated. It is strictly necessary to try to stop it; you cannot wait until it goes away on its own, since against the background of diarrhea the patient rapidly weakens and struggles worse with the infectious disease.

Diagnostic methods

It is possible to determine whether diarrhea is a sign of coronavirus or is caused by ordinary food poisoning only through analysis. It is carried out in two cases:

if diarrhea is accompanied by fever, dry cough and shortness of breath;
if only diarrhea is present, but the patient is known to have recently been in contact with a coronavirus patient or returned from a country with an epidemic.

Testing is carried out using a nasopharyngeal swab; for COVID 19, it must contain traces of the pathogen. Without laboratory testing, it is impossible to reliably distinguish ordinary diarrhea from coronavirus.

During diagnosis, a swab for coronavirus is taken from the nasopharynx

How and what to treat diarrhea with coronavirus

Treatment of diarrhea with COVID 19 is carried out using both medication and auxiliary methods:

First of all, patients are advised to drink more water, in small portions, but often. You can also use herbal infusions and weak teas.
To restore the water-salt balance, special medications are prescribed that replenish the loss of fluid and mineral elements, for example, Regidron.
Patients are advised to avoid drinks that irritate the stomach and intestines. If you have diarrhea, you should not drink soda, juices, kefir and milk, as well as coffee.

If you have diarrhea due to coronavirus, you need to adhere to the principles of dietary nutrition. A weakened intestine simply cannot digest rough food. For 1-2 weeks, it is advisable to eat oatmeal, boiled rice, and vegetable soups.

Advice! 3-4 days after the onset of diarrhea, when it subsides, it is useful to add boiled chicken and lean fish to the diet. They are first ground in a meat grinder.

Appetite with diarrhea from COVID 19 worsens in most patients. During periods of illness, portions must be greatly reduced so that you do not have to stuff food into yourself against desire. You shouldn’t give up food completely even if you feel very bad, this will only complicate your recovery.

Doctors categorically do not recommend taking medications to stop diarrhea. With coronavirus, toxins leave the body along with diarrhea; this process cannot be prevented.

What dairy products are allowed for diarrhea?

If the body does not digest lactose contained in milk well, the drink is replaced with fermented milk products (yogurt, kefir, yogurt). The bacteria present in them contribute to the restoration of intestinal microflora and dysbacteriosis. Hard cheeses are well absorbed by the body; they contain a minimum of lactose. But soft varieties like ricotta or mozzarella are not suitable for people who suffer from hypolactasia. Such patients are recommended to drink goat's milk, which contains half as much lactose and is therefore easier to digest.

Allergy sufferers are contraindicated in any dairy products, including cottage cheese or cheeses. But in some cases, they can also replace cow's milk with goat's milk. Due to its lower casein content, it is considered hypoallergenic. The product should be introduced into the diet after consultation with a specialist, under his careful supervision, in small doses.

You can replace regular milk with plant-based products. One of these offers is the “Ne moloko” drink, made from oatmeal and enriched with calcium.

Milk is a healthy product with high nutritional value. However, if you had to stop using it, you need to supplement your diet with other sources of easily digestible protein and calcium. The list of products includes fish, eggs, broccoli, figs, pistachios, almonds, oatmeal and barley.

Milk often causes loose stools in adults and children. This is facilitated by a number of factors in a negative reaction to a dairy product. But constant bowel movements are considered a consequence of an underlying disease, for the treatment of which it is necessary to find out the root cause. Diarrhea is classified into acute and chronic forms.

Acute form - the clinical picture of the pathological syndrome is accompanied by loose or loose stools three or more times a day. Duration: short, 1 – 14 days. Causes:

Allergic reactions;
Food poisoning;
Viral and bacterial infections.

The chronic form is characterized by an increase in the frequency of bowel movements of poorly formed feces. Duration: long, more than two weeks. Remissions are possible. Consequence: leads to dehydration and weakening of the body. Causes:

Intestinal neurosis;
Ulcerative colitis;
Endocrine diseases, etc.

Diarrhea sometimes results from a number of pathological changes. Malaise is identified:

Infectious type;
Fermentation type;
Dyspeptic type;
Alimentary type.

Each type of disorder exhibits its own symptoms and treatment methods.

Infectious type. Reason: eating food that has expired. Consequence: entry into the body of salmonella, E. coli, etc.
Fermentation type. Cause: Excessive consumption of lactose.
Dyspeptic type. Reason: insufficient amount of enzymes to digest lactose contained in lactose.
Nutritional type.

Incorrectly composed diet.
Allergy to dairy products.

Heat;
Rashes and redness of the skin;
Discharge from the nasal mucosa and eye mucosa.

Symptoms

Symptoms of eating low-quality milk, sour cream or cottage cheese, which is not accepted by the body, appear after 30 minutes in the following way:

Cramps in the lower abdomen;
Prolonged watery diarrhea.

The sources of loose stool from a variety of dairy products are:

Lactose intolerance;
Allergy;
Diseases of internal organs;
Age-related changes.

Lactose intolerance

It is characterized by the individual characteristics of the digestive system, which is unable to absorb milk sugar. When lactose enters the digestive system, the human body rejects it, causing self-cleaning in the form of loose stool. Often in medical practice, lactase deficiency is recognized as a genetically transmitted disease. Treatment begins from the first day of the disease, otherwise the disease becomes chronic and causes intestinal dysbiosis.

Diarrhea from dairy products becomes an allergic reaction. Allergies to milk, cheese and cottage cheese are similar in appearance to lactose intolerance, but show symptoms: nasal discharge, swelling of the mucous membranes, skin rashes and vomiting.

Diseases of internal organs

Diarrhea indicates the presence of other diseases: pancreatitis and inflammation of the small intestine. With pancreatitis, as a result of consuming any dairy product, bloating and diarrhea begin, accompanied by pain.

Age-related changes

The ability of his body to absorb dairy products directly depends on a person’s age. With growing up and aging, the risk of lactase deficiency in an adult becomes higher.

Diarrhea in children

Milk diarrhea often occurs due to poor nutrition. However, there are many reasons, and a person without medical education will not make a diagnosis. It should be remembered that at the first sign of unformed stool in children, you should consult a doctor.

If you have diarrhea in babies, you should not stop breastfeeding. It's probably not a matter of quality, but the fact that the mother feeds the baby milk from the front of the chest. This milk contains an excess of carbohydrates and little fat, concentrated in the far, thoracic part of the mammary glands. When the baby begins to suckle completely, the diarrhea will stop.

An allergic reaction to cow's milk in a child is accompanied by vomiting, skin rashes, colic and chronic diarrhea.

During an acute illness, you should avoid cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, milk and other dairy products until complete recovery. During this period, the diet does not include food that can cause another allergic reaction: the child will develop a cross-reaction to these foods. These include: citrus fruits, nuts, honey, eggs, fish and smoked meats.

Useful tips for diarrhea

To reduce the symptoms of diarrhea, in addition to taking medications prescribed by your doctor, it is advisable to:

Avoid all of the above foods to reduce symptoms of diarrhea.
Focus on foods that help reduce inflammation and restore balance in the stomach: oatmeal, mashed potatoes, white rice (especially the foam that forms during cooking), pasta, bananas, boiled chicken. They will help speed up your recovery.
Eat every three to four hours, in small portions, avoiding overeating.
To avoid dehydration, which can occur due to frequent diarrhea, it is important to drink plenty of purified water throughout the day.
If severe diarrhea lasts more than one day, you should immediately consult a doctor and not self-medicate.

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Diagnostics

Prompt diagnosis of loose stools after milk allows you to identify the problem and correctly plan a course of treatment. It is recommended to contact a qualified medical specialist to identify disturbances in the enzyme system or pathological processes with symptoms of loose stools.

Qualified medical care is sought on the first day of illness. After completing the examination, the doctor will determine the diagnosis and prescribe treatment based on the general clinical picture.

Lactose intolerance

The cause of diarrhea is the inability to digest lactose. In this case, it is important to determine its degree by conducting a series of studies:

Breathing test. The level of hydrogen in exhaled air is measured.
Tolerance test. The procedure is performed orally.

Since the body reacts to food differently, it is necessary to carefully monitor its reaction to the dairy product introduced into the diet.

Diarrhea after cottage cheese

If a person is prone to intolerance, avoiding cottage cheese is an important measure; it contains milk sugar.

Diarrhea after sour cream

People with lactose intolerance should avoid sour cream; eating it will lead to indigestion.

Diarrhea after cheese

People who are unable to digest milk sugar will have to be careful when eating homemade cheeses.

To determine which product to eat without harm to health, it is important to adhere to a number of rules:

The diet includes one dairy product at a time.
The product is recommended to be consumed in small portions.
Reduce intake of milk and products with high lactose content.

By following simple recommendations, you will be able to avoid unpleasant consequences from dairy products.

Treatment methods

Therapy for the occurrence of diarrhea must necessarily include taking medications to eliminate the unpleasant symptom. Necessary medications include:

rehydration solutions;
enzyme agents;
blockers;
probiotics.

Abundant and frequent excretion of feces, characteristic after ingestion of dairy products, causes electrolyte imbalance. To maintain water-salt levels, it is necessary to take rehydration solutions containing salts, glucose, and nutrients washed out during bowel movements. If there is an insufficient amount of enzymes in the body, drugs are prescribed that contain lactase, which helps normalize intestinal motility.

With the continuous release of liquid stool, it is necessary to take blockers - anti-diarrhea drugs that slow down peristalsis. Prolonged diarrhea negatively affects the functioning of the digestive system. To restore the natural intestinal microflora, it is recommended to take probiotics.

Nutrition

Adjusting the diet is the main method of treatment to prevent recurrence of diarrhea. The diet of adults and children differs due to the age characteristics of the body.

In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor. It will help to find out the causes of the disorder. It usually appears due to lactose intolerance. In this case, it is necessary to determine its degree. To do this, the following studies are carried out:

Tolerance test. It is administered orally.
Breathing test. During the procedure, the level of hydrogen content in the exhaled air is measured.

A person should also carefully monitor his body and its reaction to introduced dairy products. It is worth noting that the body does not react to everything in the same way. Therefore, only by trial and error can you determine which foods and in what quantities you can eat.

In order not to harm your health, you need to follow a number of rules:

introduce no more than 1 dairy product into the diet at a time;
consume them in small quantities;
There are foods that contain little or no lactose.

To avoid harm to health, you need to consume them in small quantities.
By following these recommendations, you can avoid the body's atypical reaction to milk.

Nutrition for diarrhea

To avoid mistakes in consuming dairy products and not harm your health, it is important to remember:

It is a mistake to believe that skim milk has a lower lactose content. The same applies to buttermilk and acidophilus milk.
Although yogurt contains lactose, most people tolerate it well. However, the body does not react to all yoghurts in the same way. Pasteurized yogurts are not very healthy for the body.
For people with lactose intolerance, chocolate milk has several benefits. Firstly, such milk contains the amount of calcium necessary for the body. Secondly, cocoa has the effect of stimulating lactase activity.

Swiss cheese, mozzarella and Parmesan are foods high in calcium and almost completely free of milk sugar. This product is useful and safe.

If you are intolerant to dairy products, it is important to take into account that they contain calcium necessary for the body; complete exclusion from the diet should not be allowed.

To reduce the risk of diarrhea from dairy products, follow your doctor’s recommendations:

Combining milk with products of cereal origin will ensure absorption and reduce the risk of unpleasant consequences.
Consume dairy products in small quantities, dividing into small portions.

This diet will maintain the necessary level of calcium in the body.

It is useful to include calcium-containing foods in your diet:

Figs;
Green vegetables;
Spinach;
Amaranth;
Fish;
Soy milk
Sesame etc.

After recovery, dairy products should be introduced into the diet with caution.

A correct determination of the cause of diarrhea from milk in combination with a simple diet will help get rid of the problem in the shortest possible time and prevent recurrence.

All people have experienced intestinal upset. This problem brings a lot of inconvenience and discomfort. This unpleasant phenomenon can be caused by various factors. Why does milk cause diarrhea? What are the distinctive symptoms of this condition? Can diarrhea occur from breast milk and how to properly solve the problem?

Types of diarrhea from milk

Although the reasons for which diarrhea develops after milk may be different, all types of disorders are divided according to the type of reaction occurring inside. Diarrhea occurs:

fermentation;
infectious;
dyspeptic;
nutritional.

When talking about fermentative diarrhea, experts mean that diarrhea began as a result of fermentation processes in the intestines. This is usually due to the large amount of milk sugar consumed, which is contained in this white product. As a rule, negative phenomena disappear after giving up milk or reducing the amount of this product consumed.

For infectious diarrhea to develop from drinking milk, there must be a pathogen. Typically, a pathogenic microorganism enters a person along with an expired or low-quality dairy product. To protect yourself from this type of intestinal disorder, you must always carefully check the expiration date of the product and give preference only to high-quality products.

Dyspeptic diarrhea develops due to a lack of enzymes necessary to digest sugars. To cope with the problem, you usually have to give up the product or take special enzymes in the form of a dietary supplement.

Nutritional diarrhea is one that develops with an incorrectly formulated diet. Thus, it is impossible to freely combine cow's or goat's milk and fresh vegetables. Intestinal upset associated with these factors is often accompanied by other unpleasant phenomena, such as changes in skin color, fever and runny nose.

Can milk cause diarrhea and how to treat it?

Diarrhea is the frequent passage of stool of a liquid consistency of discolored color. Diarrhea can be caused by poor diet, internal diseases of the digestive system, infection, and stressful situations. Diarrhea from milk is a common problem in adults and children.

Types of diarrhea

Diarrhea caused by drinking milk has varieties that differ in characteristic signs, causes, and accompanying symptoms:

fermentative;
infectious;
dyspeptic;
nutritional.

The fermentative type of diarrhea is caused by excessive consumption of products containing milk sugar. Excluding milk from the diet leads to normalization of stool.

Infectious diarrhea occurs due to pathogenic bacteria contained in products, which actively multiply after the expiration date of the product.

If there is an insufficient amount of nutrients involved in the process of digesting food, lactose is not absorbed, and dyspeptic diarrhea occurs. Allergy to components of dairy products - the appearance of alimentary diarrhea.

Drug treatment

Therapy for the occurrence of diarrhea must necessarily include taking medications to eliminate the unpleasant symptom. Necessary medications include:

rehydration solutions;
enzyme agents;
blockers;
probiotics.

Abundant and frequent excretion of feces, characteristic after ingestion of dairy products, causes electrolyte imbalance.

To maintain water-salt levels, it is necessary to take rehydration solutions containing salts, glucose, and nutrients washed out during bowel movements.

If there is an insufficient amount of enzymes in the body, drugs are prescribed that contain lactase, which helps normalize intestinal motility.

Adult category

Medical nutrition implies strict adherence to the rules for the consumption of dairy products:

one type of dairy product per meal;
consuming ingredients in small quantities;
preference for lactose-free products: Cheddar, Parmesan, Mozzarella cheese;
refusal of pasteurized yoghurts, skim milk, cottage cheese, homemade cheeses, butter;
exclusion of foods that can cause an allergic reaction: citrus fruits, red berries, nuts, fish;
refusal of citrus fruits and fresh vegetables after eating fermented milk products.

Dairy products contain calcium, which is necessary for full growth and development. Therefore, ingredients containing lactose should not be completely eliminated from the diet.

To quickly assimilate the components, it is necessary to simultaneously consume cereals and cereals, which contribute to the normal digestion process, along with fermented milk products. Regular cow's milk can be replaced with chocolate milk, as cocoa helps stimulate lactose production.

If you are lactose intolerant, you can include other foods rich in this enzyme in your menu: green vegetables, almonds, sesame seeds, fish, spinach.

Causes of diarrhea due to milk

To understand why milk causes diarrhea, you should consider the main causes. This phenomenon is not uncommon in adults and young children. However, older people are still more likely to experience milk diarrhea.

Diarrhea from dairy products occurs for the following reasons:

individual intolerance to dairy products;
internal diseases of the digestive system;
allergy;
age-related changes.

To know how to treat and what to do if your stomach hurts after drinking milk and diarrhea begins, it’s worth taking a closer look at each cause separately.

Diarrhea due to individual intolerance

Most often, dairy intolerance is detected in children. Is it possible to feed the baby milk in this case?

A lack of enzymes that help digest and absorb milk occurs at any age. More often, such a predisposition is transmitted genetically, but parents usually do not immediately detect this. In the first years of life, the baby can well absorb mother's milk and complementary foods containing lactose.

By about the age of three, it will become clear whether the child’s body digests dairy products. If there are not enough enzymes to process such foods, the condition is called lactase deficiency. For the digestive system, all milk sugar turns out to be a substance that is not recognized by any enzymes. The body strives to get rid of this substance as quickly as possible, and removes it through diarrhea.

Diarrhea due to internal diseases

Dairy products are poorly digested and absorbed in some diseases. So, after surgery on the stomach and intestines, doctors recommend not consuming dairy products for some time.

A negative reaction to milk is caused by pancreatitis. Problems with the pancreas lead to weakened secretion of enzymes, resulting in intestinal disorders.

Sometimes the digestive system does not accept milk due to another disease, for example, a common cold. During this period, even porridge with milk leads to bloating, pain and diarrhea.

Diarrhea due to an allergic reaction

The development of an allergic reaction is often confused with individual intolerance and a lack of appropriate enzymes. In fact, completely different processes occur inside the body.

If you are intolerant, dairy products simply cannot be absorbed, so the body tends to get rid of them as quickly as possible through diarrhea. In this case, the immune system remains on the sidelines and does not cause any reactions. In an allergic reaction, milk acts as an allergen. Active production of antibodies begins, which leads to the appearance of the following symptoms:

swelling of the mucous membranes;
eye redness and tearing;
rash;
nausea.

If vomiting occurs more than 4 times a day and is profuse, it is advised to call an ambulance. This way you can prevent the development of dehydration.

Diarrhea due to age

It may seem surprising that a person's age affects the risk of developing diarrhea after consuming dairy products. In fact, over the years, the intensity of the formation of certain enzymes changes, which changes the process of food perception.

The older a person is, the less lactase is produced in the body. This is why older people are advised to either give up milk completely or use only lactic acid products.

Does coronavirus cause diarrhea?

According to statistics, coronavirus causes diarrhea in only 1-15% of patients. The symptom usually develops in the initial stages of the disease and lasts for several days with a gradual decrease in intensity.

Is diarrhea a symptom of coronavirus?

Since COVID 19 is a respiratory disease, its main symptoms are a dry cough, shortness of breath and fever. Diarrhea does not fit into the standard clinical picture, which raises doubts whether it really is one of the symptoms of coronavirus, or whether its presence in some patients can be considered a coincidence.

According to scientists, diarrhea with COVID 19 is directly related to the infectious disease. Back in February, Chinese doctors observed a large group of patients with a confirmed diagnosis for 10 days. Diarrhea and poor appetite were observed in a quarter of them, and this does not allow the symptom to be attributed to simple accidents.

Coronavirus can affect the mucous membranes of not only the respiratory tract, but also the digestive tract

During the observations, doctors were able to establish several more patterns:

some people additionally suffered from nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, but these patients were in the minority;
in patients with diarrhea, respiratory signs of coronavirus appeared later than in the standard clinical picture;
treatment of patients with this symptom took 2-3 days longer;
in some cases, cough and shortness of breath did not appear at all in the sick; diarrhea was supplemented only by fever and general malaise, since the virus penetrated the gastrointestinal tract, bypassing the respiratory tract.

The observations of Chinese doctors were confirmed by American doctors. They also noted that coronavirus begins with diarrhea more often in patients with chronic diseases of the stomach and intestines.

Important! Digestive disorders were observed in patients during the 2003 SARS epidemic, and the COVID 19 and SARS viruses are closely related.

How does this diarrhea manifest?

Before deciding that the cause of intestinal disorder is the consumption of milk, it is worth paying attention to the symptoms. Diarrhea caused by dairy products has the following symptoms:

feces contain a large amount of water;
the condition is accompanied by severe cramping spasms;
increased gas formation appears;
bloating.

If the intensity of symptoms after consuming dairy products varies, it is worth paying attention to the quantity. Sometimes enzymes are produced, but in small quantities. Therefore, problems may not arise if you drink a little milk. But if diarrhea appears from coffee to which this product was added, it is most likely better to avoid milk completely.

Diarrhea in children and pregnant women

The child’s body is unstable and the enzymatic system is still immature. Therefore, digestive problems appear no less often than in adults, although the reasons are usually different.

Diarrhea in a newborn from mother's milk is not uncommon. However, the problem is not always that the mother does not follow the diet when feeding, or eats something that is not suitable for the baby. It may be due to an incorrect feeding rhythm and approach.

Some women do not allow the baby to suck milk completely. However, it is in the posterior chamber of the chest that the most nutrients that are so necessary for the baby are contained. Milk from the posterior chamber is enriched with valuable fats and substances that help digest food. A lack of such elements causes diarrhea.

Diarrhea caused by drinking milk is accompanied by a strong unpleasant odor and a greenish tint to the stool. This symptom is typical for both adults and newborns.

In case of diarrhea in infants, it is prohibited to stop feeding. This can lead to severe dehydration and even death.

If intestinal upset from drinking milk appears during pregnancy, the product should be excluded and consult a doctor. For the development of the fetus, it is important that a woman’s diet is balanced. At the same time, the loss of valuable substances during diarrhea leads to more severe consequences, so it is better to refuse milk.

Symptoms of diarrhea with coronavirus

Diarrhea due to COVID 19 can be difficult to distinguish from regular stomach upset. However, there are several features that make it possible to suspect a Chinese infection.

On what day does diarrhea appear with coronavirus?

Diarrhea with coronavirus is one of the first symptoms of the disease and appears within 1-2 days. In this case, direct infection can occur much earlier; the incubation period can last up to 2 weeks. In some cases, the appearance of diarrhea is preceded by fever and a slight cough, in other cases no additional symptoms occur for a long time.

Symptoms of diarrhea due to coronavirus in adults and children

Diarrhea with COVID 19 differs from regular stomach upset in its intensity. The following features are characteristic:

defecation occurs very often, up to 8 times a day;
the stool has a watery consistency and is formed by flakes;
mucus impurities are noticeable in the stool.

Diarrhea as a symptom of coronavirus in humans in 2020 looks approximately the same in children and adults. But at the same time, babies often suffer more from diarrhea because they do not have much stamina. If a child appears unnaturally pale, breathing and heart rate increase, or the pulse becomes weak, you should immediately call a doctor.

Important! Diarrhea caused by coronavirus is also dangerous for adults. Against the background of prolonged diarrhea, the body loses a lot of fluid, and is also deprived of magnesium and potassium, which in the future can lead to complications for the kidneys, heart and blood vessels.

Does coronavirus cause bloody diarrhea?

Normally, diarrhea due to coronavirus does not lead to the appearance of blood in the stool. However, this moment is very individual and depends on the characteristics of the body. With sensitive mucous membranes and weak blood vessels, a small amount of blood may actually appear during repeated bowel movements.

For example, red drops and streaks occur with anal fissures; intense diarrhea often leads to such a complication. Blood can appear in the presence of hidden intestinal pathologies, ulcers and polyps. In patients with chronic diseases, bleeding even from the upper digestive tract is possible.

During symptomatic treatment of diarrhea, it is very important to constantly drink water, otherwise dehydration will occur in the body.

Attention! The origin of blood can be determined by color. In case of damage to the anus and rectum it is red, in case of ulcerative bleeding of the stomach and duodenum it is almost black.

Associated symptoms of coronavirus with diarrhea

Sometimes diarrhea due to coronavirus is not accompanied by any other symptoms. But more often, additional signs still arise and allow you to quickly clarify the diagnosis. In particular, along with diarrhea, patients experience:

fever on average in 99% of patients, the thermometer can show 37.5-39 °C depending on the severity of the condition;
nausea and vomiting - these symptoms are observed less frequently and usually affect adults with a history of chronic digestive pathologies;
cough develops in most patients, but may not appear immediately, but only a few days after the onset of diarrhea.

Diarrhea with coronavirus is almost always accompanied by weakness. But this symptom is more likely to accompany the diarrhea itself, since the body loses a lot of fluid and useful minerals.

How long does diarrhea last with coronavirus?

On average, diarrhea with COVID 19 lasts from 4 to 7 days. The intensity of bowel movements decreases over time, and by the end of the period, patients experience the urge to defecate less frequently.

Diagnostic measures

Before you think about how to treat diarrhea due to consumption of dairy products, you should make sure that this is the reason. Diagnostics will help. Is it possible to use kefir for loose stools? We wrote here.

The test is carried out at home. Before eating, a person is given 50 grams of lactose. If negative symptoms appear within half an hour, the body most likely has lactase deficiency.

To exclude problems with the internal organs of the digestive system, an ultrasound examination is prescribed. Your doctor may also recommend blood, stool, and urine tests.

A special test is used to detect an allergy to milk sugar. It is carried out in laboratory conditions by measuring the chemical composition of the air exhaled from the lungs.

Principles of treatment

Treatment is carried out only after an accurate determination of the cause of diarrhea. If the condition has already developed, first aid should be provided before diagnostic procedures are carried out.

It is important to prevent the development of dehydration. To do this, the patient must often be given warm drinks. Rehydration solutions will be used. You can make them yourself, or purchase them at a pharmacy.

If the cause is enzyme deficiency, patients are recommended to use artificial remedies. An alternative would be to avoid dairy products entirely.

To alleviate the condition, treated fasting is recommended for adults. This technique is contraindicated for newborns. The diet should be reviewed and foods that have a binding effect on the stool should be introduced.

Paying attention to your body and being sensitive will help you determine which foods are not suitable and cause a negative reaction. A prudent diet and a quick response to any illness that arises will help you maintain good health for many years!