At 04:52 PM 5/26/97 +0200, you wrote:
>Today I visited the specialist for my son, and learned something new.
>People allergic to milk react more strongly to liquids with milk than hard
>stuff with milk (old cheese). With this I most certainly do not want
>anybody allergic to think that you can enjoy old cheese. Just thought it
>was interesting, and wanted to share my new knowledge.
>
>Erica
>
>----------

A few years ago, I was interested in this issue myself and did some studying
regarding it, using some of the resources at the Wisconsin Center for Dairy
Research.  This is what I learned. The reason for this difference in
tolerating fluids as apposed to cheese is within the very process of turning
milk into cheese.  First of all, the whey is removed.  Whey does contain
some tiny amounts of protein in it (if you are really allergic to dairy
protein--you already know this first hand even though the dairy researchers
still debate this from time to time....it is believed that whey has no
protein in it, but it does have trace amounts). The second part of the
process is something scientists call rheology which more or less means in
every day language that while milk is becoming cheese the cellular structure
of the proteins begin to break down some what.  In general, the more "aged"
the cheese flavor (sharp cheese, for example) the more break down has
occurred in comparison to the standard protein structure of basic milk.  But
this is generally not enough for those who are allergic to tolerate the new
protein structure.  Theoretically, if a person is not very protein sensitive
they MAY be able to handle an occasional small piece of very sharp cheese
for this reason.  Most will not be able to tolerate cheese no matter what.
For the severely allergic, it would still be life-threatening to attempt to
consume even the sharpest cheese. What's really exciting about the fact that
this specialist you are visiting KNEW this...it that most of the medical
world don't know the science behind food allergies--it is exciting to think
that at least in one place in this world that may be changing! :)