How does milk constipate

His father is lactose intolerant yet can drink skim milk with no problems. My question is: should we try skim milk? Or should we try a lactose-free type of milk or soymilk? Any help would be appreciated greatly!!! Shannon - Woodstock, Nebraska. A cranky, unhappy toddler may well be responding to physical discomfort.

Tummy troubles of one type or another can make anyone feel miserable. If a child is intolerant to milk, this can affect how he feels every single day of his life. Nausea, cramps, and pain can squelch the normal joys of discovery and mastery. But the classic symptoms of milk intolerance are diarrhea , spitting up, or abdominal pain. Many kids with milk intolerance also wheeze, especially when they get a cold.

They can also have the dry, sensitive skin of eczema and their noses always seem to be running. Ear infections are also more common than in other kids. Constipation, however, has not been typically associated with milk intolerance — until now. The observation that constipation might sometimes be caused by milk intolerance has appeared in the medical literature from time to time, dating back as far as But only recently has there been a well-designed study published showing that this is indeed the case.

The results of this study have helped many children to enjoy the exuberance of childhood without pain. Researchers at the University of Palermo in Italy worked with 65 children with chronic constipation. All of these children had been treated with laxatives when dietary measures had failed. Even with the medical treatment, these children were still constipated, having hard, painful stools only every 3 to 15 days. Forty-nine of their little bottoms had fissures and redness or swelling from the hard plugs of stool.

Next, they had a week during which they could eat and drink anything they wanted to wash out the effects of the first 2 weeks. Careful recordings of the bowel habits were made. The redness, swelling, and fissures on their bottoms healed. The results were most dramatic in kids who also had frequent runny noses, eczema, or wheezing. This has broad implications. The children in this study were those with severe chronic constipation that was unresponsive to medications.

I am convinced that they are only the tip of the iceberg. There must be a much larger group of mildly allergic children whose constipation improves with laxatives.

Time may prove that it is better for these children to avoid the offending protein by switching milks rather than being treated with laxatives. Presumably, swelling of the intestinal lining causes the constipation.

Skim milk or lactose-free milk will not help with this one. Switching to soymilk and other soy products might transform the life of your son in only a couple of weeks! These same ideas also apply to infants who may be experiencing constipation related to their milk-based formulas. In the past, low iron formulas had been recommended for constipation. However, starting in , the American Academy of Pediatrics AAP Committee on Nutrition declared that constipation is not a contraindication to iron-fortified formulas and that, in fact, lowering the iron content causes more harm than benefits.

Some people will or have told you that the iron is the problem and that switching to a low-iron formula will help.

It makes sense, because when adults take iron supplements, we get constipated as a side effect. But there was a study done concerning the formula and constipation question in babies. Half got low iron, half got regular not knowing which was which and the rate of constipation was the same in both groups. This can further increase the likelihood of constipation by reducing the total amount of fiber consumed per day Interestingly, many people believe chocolate is one of the main causes of their constipation Furthermore, fried and fast foods tend to contain large amounts of salt, which can lower the water content of stool, drying it up and making it harder to push through the body This happens when you eat too much salt , as your body sucks up water from your intestines to help compensate for the extra salt in your bloodstream.

This is one way your body works to bring its salt concentration back to normal, but unfortunately, it can lead to constipation. Fried and fast foods are low in fiber and high in fat and salt. These characteristics may slow digestion and increase the likelihood of constipation. In particular, astringent persimmons contain a large amount of tannins, a compound thought to reduce gut secretions and contractions, slowing down bowel movements For this reason, people experiencing constipation should avoid consuming too many persimmons, especially astringent varieties.

Persimmons contain tannins, a type of compound that may promote constipation by slowing digestion. This may be particularly true for astringent varieties of the fruit. If you have constipation, you can achieve smoother digestion by making some simple changes to your diet. Start by avoiding or reducing your intake of constipating foods, including the ones listed above. Constipation is one of the most common digestive problems. Learn more about the possible causes and how to treat constipation.

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Here are the 10 best multivitamins for women over Taking certain dietary supplements may be beneficial for lung health. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr May 4. One third of children with chronic constipation improved after cow's milk was removed from their diet. Cow's milk has been linked with chronic constipation in children, and an immune response to cow's-milk protein has been proposed as a possible mechanism.

Investigators studied response to removal of cow's milk in 69 children age range, 6 months to 14 years with chronic constipation who were referred to a pediatric gastroenterology clinic in Spain.

No other dietary changes were made. The remaining eight children had slower resolution of constipation during phase II and did not relapse during phase III reintroduction.