No difference in symptoms during challenges with homogenized and unhomogenized cow's milk in subjects with subjective hypersensitivity to homogenized milk

Abstract

It has been hypothesized that certain consumers tolerate untreated cow's milk, but react to processed (i.e. homogenized and pasteurized) cow's milk although they do not suffer from IgE-mediated cow's milk allergy or lactose intolerance. The aim of the study was to compare the tolerance of unhomogenized and homogenized cow's milk in lactose tolerant adults who had repeatedly experienced better tolerance of unhomogenized than homogenized milk. Forty-four subjects were challenged with homogenized and unhomogenized cow's milk for five days in a randomized, double-blind, cross-over study. No differences in the symptoms during the challenges were found. Roughly half the subjects tolerated the homogenized milk better and the other half tolerated the unhomogenized milk better. The results of this study show no difference in the tolerance of homogenized and unhomogenized milk in adults with self-reported symptoms suggestive of hypersensitivity to homogenized milk.