Local Based... serious question

[Bakes]

People in Trinidad does suffer from lactose intolerance?

Allergies?

[Tallman]

People in Trinidad does suffer from lactose intolerance?

Allergies?

Yeh man. It have people I know who allergic to tings like shrimp, crab and baigan. And ah know one in particular who does have to drink soy milk because of de lactose intolerance.

[Jah Gol]

I don't have any known allergies. But I know a few people who are lactose intolerant. I know people who are allergic to most seafood etc. I have a cousin who allergic to pineapple.

[Bakes]

People in Trinidad does suffer from lactose intolerance?

Allergies?

Yeh man. It have people I know who allergic to tings like shrimp, crab and baigan. And ah know one in particular who does have to drink soy milk because of de lactose intolerance.

True, the food allergies (especially shellfish, seafood) I know of, now that I think about it.


But what about airborne allergies?


Lactose intolerance is the real issue that caused me to make the thread though... I never hear about lactose intolerance until I move here and was talking with some other Trinis on another forum about it today.  I know that blacks and Asians are more susceptible to developing lactose intolerance, but with as much milk as we drink in the caribbean, using TnT as an example, I was wondering why there isn't a higher incidence.

One of the things that occured to me is that we don't use as much fresh milk... usually powdered milk or UHT milk ("Sta-Fresh").  I know that there are different properties to UHT from fresh milk... and that people with Crohn's Disease for instance can't use fresh milk, but can use UHT safely.  Not sure what, if any effect powdered or UHT milk has on the question of lactose intolerance though.

Myself, I juss start developing intolerance about 4 yrs ago... thankfully is only ah li'l gas    Lawd knows mankind need he li'l milk and Häagen-Dazs every now and den.

[Daft Trini]

Me Mum has allergies to shell fish.... I was alergic to bull grass...!

[morvant]

i recently got allergic to shellfish after i left trini after eating it all my life. now i cant even eat food cooked on the same grill.

the milk thing does cause gas. but i like to fart so it doh bother me

[Bakes]

I don't have any known allergies. But I know a few people who are lactose intolerant. I know people who are allergic to most seafood etc. I have a cousin who allergic to pineapple.

I know that with airborne allergies is usually specific allergens like pollen, ragweed etc... perhaps varieties of pollen that we don't get exposed to in the Caribbean.  Again, I personally didn't start experiencing any allergies until a couple years ago... and again thankfully, it's limited to just some sneezing and itchiness in the throat.

Sometimes I does wonder if is the type of allergens and not de sheer volume... in the Caribbean trees bloom and pollinate year round.  Here in the US (and temperate states) though all de trees and dem does cyah wait until Spring tuh go crazy and start bullin dong de place.  Mankind walking arung and is all manner ah tree sperm dey breathing, lol

[Bakes]

i recently got allergic to shellfish after i left trini after eating it all my life. now i cant even eat food cooked on the same grill.

the milk thing does cause gas. but i like to fart so it doh bother me

Lol...  man, I dunno know nah farting and farting because of lactose intolerance is two different things, but I ent want tuh take de thread down dat road 


... but is what yuh say about seafood... developing allergies after years of being exposed tuh de "allergen", that is what kinda blowing me.  For instance with LI is the lack of certain enzymes (lactase I belief) that lead to the inability to digest the protein, lactose.  Just weird to me that all of a sudden yuh body decide to stop producing the enzyme.

[Tallman]

What about tree nut allergies, which are common amongst children in de States? I never hear about dat until I reach de States, and it was years after.

[Bakes]

What about tree nut allergies, which are common amongst children in de States?

Yeah... dai'z another one!  Imagine we grow up eating we peanuts normal in Trini... but here dat does kill chirren, cause dey throat tuh swell and narrow all kinda thing.  I guess what I'm getting at is whether/how geography factors... I know it's not as simple as that.

So what then accounts for the difference?  Clearly it seems dietary in nature.

[fari]

one of my neighbors growing up had serious lactose intolerance, i remember her skin used to look real pale and unhealthy.    i stopped drinking cow milk years now, strictly soy milk.    like morvant i also got allergic to shellfish after being in the us for a while, meh lip used to swell up big after i eat shrimps.

[Deeks]

I did know of all this allergies until I came up and about five years after I stared suffering from pollen. I does call it the spring ritual.

[daryn]

Lactose intolerance is the real issue that caused me to make the thread though... I never hear about lactose intolerance until I move here and was talking with some other Trinis on another forum about it today.  I know that blacks and Asians are more susceptible to developing lactose intolerance, but with as much milk as we drink in the caribbean, using TnT as an example, I was wondering why there isn't a higher incidence.

I think the way it works is that most non-caucasian people naturally become lactose intolerant in adulthood if they stop consuming it for a prolonged period of time.  I think it's just a lifestyle thing that trinis never really stop drinking milk so their bodies never make the adjustment.

[JDB]

I used to have the "sniffles" at home. Every morning from about 6 - 8 I would have a mild runny nose but no itching eye or serious congestion. My first Spring in the US pass without me noticing any problems but by the second one one every year is pressure. I have heard that this is common. I have an Aunt who has been here for 30+ years and only recently started developing allergies. Recently I myself start feeling mild symptoms during Fall now.

Thankfully I have no food allergies but I find I have more incidences of food poisoning than when I was home. A "stomach bug" was something that I never heard about in TnT. Part of the problem too is that I have zero tolerance for under-cooked beef and a couple times I end up eating less than perfect meat by accident.

[daryn]

Lawrence Rowe only found out that he was allergic to grass when he went on tour with the West Indies team.  I guess different strains incite different things.  maybe climate plays a role in suppressing allergies.

[JDB]

Lactose intolerance is the real issue that caused me to make the thread though... I never hear about lactose intolerance until I move here and was talking with some other Trinis on another forum about it today.  I know that blacks and Asians are more susceptible to developing lactose intolerance, but with as much milk as we drink in the caribbean, using TnT as an example, I was wondering why there isn't a higher incidence.

I think the way it works is that most non-caucasian people naturally become lactose intolerant in adulthood if they stop consuming it for a prolonged period of time.  I think it's just a lifestyle thing that trinis never really stop drinking milk so their bodies never make the adjustment.

That's interesting Daryn but I wonder if a big factor is the quantity of milk consumed. I don't have numbers but I believe that Americans drink a lot more milk than we do. Is milk in cereal and milk as a drink on its own when we tend to have "tea". We also drink more processed milk products like powdered condensed and evaporated. Maybe consuming huge quantities and then cutting back is a bigger problem.

It would be interesting to look at the demographics of lactose intolerance. Wouldn't be surprised if poor people (who haven't had the opportunity to "get sick of milk") have lower incidences.

[pecan]

one of my neighbors growing up had serious lactose intolerance, i remember her skin used to look real pale and unhealthy.    i stopped drinking cow milk years now, strictly soy milk.    like morvant i also got allergic to shellfish after being in the us for a while, meh lip used to swell up big after i eat shrimps.

aye fari, some food for thought . .no pun intended

Apparently, most commercially available soy products in the Western hemisphere (non-organic) is manufactured from genetically modified (GM) soy cultivars produced by Monsanto.

Monsanto, the manufacturer of the herbicide "Round Up", have engineered their strain of soy to be resistant to Round Up.  So if you have bought into the use of Round Up, you are likely using a GM soy.  Really nice in theory as Round Up kills every thing except the soy plant.

There is a wealth of info on Monsanto and GM products .. In fact, some may argue that it sounds like a conspiracy theory.  I fell into this camp.  But I began to question the use of GM products and the increase in allergic reactions and other ailments that seem to be more prevalent.

Wikipedia has attempted to provide a neutral write-up of Monsanto

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto

For a non-neutral write-up see this link:

www.ResponsibleTechnology.org

http://www.responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/AboutGMFoods/WorldAccordingtoMonsanto/index.cfm

Monsanto Video


Bakes:  I know you started this post to find out about lactose intolerance in TnT.  But I thought I would post this as it is related to allergies and reduced tolerances to food products.

If you want me to delete it, let me know.

[Swima]

I have been allergic to Shellfish since I small. The iodine is apparently what causes it. Melongene when not cooked properly also causes an allergic reaction in me, so I does just stay away entirely. Now I finding more and more that if I eat chocolate... like under a greediness amount, I go start to get the same reaction as with the shellfish... tongue swell and start to breakout.

[daryn]

One of the things that occured to me is that we don't use as much fresh milk... usually powdered milk or UHT milk ("Sta-Fresh").  I know that there are different properties to UHT from fresh milk... and that people with Crohn's Disease for instance can't use fresh milk, but can use UHT safely.  Not sure what, if any effect powdered or UHT milk has on the question of lactose intolerance though.

yuh might be onto something here. 

the following is from the NIH and mentions a link with crohn's:

What causes lactose intolerance?

Some causes of lactose intolerance are well known. Primary lactase deficiency is a condition that develops over time. After about age 2 the body begins to produce less lactase, though most people will not notice symptoms until they are much older.

Secondary lactase deficiency occurs when injury to the small intestine or certain digestive diseases reduce the amount of lactase a person produces. These diseases include celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and Crohn’s disease.

Researchers have identified a genetic link for lactose intolerance. Some people are born with a likelihood of developing primary lactase deficiency because it has been passed to them genetically (inherited from their parents). This discovery may be useful in developing a diagnostic test to identify people with the condition.


Who is at risk for lactose intolerance?

Between 30 and 50 million Americans are lactose intolerant and certain ethnic and racial populations are more affected than others. Up to 80 percent of African Americans, 80 to 100 percent of American Indians, and 90 to 100 percent of Asian Americans are lactose intolerant. The condition is least common among people of northern European descent.

Babies that are born prematurely are also more likely to be lactose intolerant, because lactase levels do not increase until the third trimester of a woman’s pregnancy.

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/lactoseintolerance/

[Bakes]

I think the way it works is that most non-caucasian people naturally become lactose intolerant in adulthood if they stop consuming it for a prolonged period of time.  I think it's just a lifestyle thing that trinis never really stop drinking milk so their bodies never make the adjustment.

Nah daryn... ah really doh think that it has to do with stopping using it.  What I've read actually is that humans weren't really supposed to be consuming milk in significant quantities, let alone animal milk.  From a physiological standpoint though young kids need the extra protein for their development ("strong bones and teeth" and all that good stuff) and so we have lactase in our bodies to help in its analysis.  As that need becomes less and less critical into adulthood then we lose the accumulation of lactase and hence the intolerance sets in.  I think genetically, most caucasians because of the particular history of Europeans and their reliance on cattle milk... they've evolved to retain lactase in their system... if not altogether, certainly to a later age than the rest of us.  Cattle milk historically hasn't been a part of the Asian diet... and apparently not in the African diet either... which makes sense, they use a lot more goat milk I believe.

I understand why the 'problem' exists... just curious why its incidence isn't higher in the caribbean.  Then again, knowing us we'd keep drinking de damn milk and never tie de cramping and diarrhea to it... "wha' yuh mean yuh belly hurting... boy drink yuh damn milk yuh hear", lol

[Bakes]

I used to have the "sniffles" at home. Every morning from about 6 - 8 I would have a mild runny nose but no itching eye or serious congestion. My first Spring in the US pass without me noticing any problems but by the second one one every year is pressure. I have heard that this is common. I have an Aunt who has been here for 30+ years and only recently started developing allergies. Recently I myself start feeling mild symptoms during Fall now.

Thankfully I have no food allergies but I find I have more incidences of food poisoning than when I was home. A "stomach bug" was something that I never heard about in TnT. Part of the problem too is that I have zero tolerance for under-cooked beef and a couple times I end up eating less than perfect meat by accident.

Thankfully I still have ah cast-iron belly yes... it bad enough that as mankind getting older I have tuh start making all deez changes.  Up to two-three years ago I'z ah man could drink he Pepsi 4 o'clock in de morning and roll over and go right to sleep.  Now I better not drink it past 7 pm else I up whole night... or worse, fall asleep fuh 10 mins den wake up and haunted de rest ah de night.

[WestCoast]

The only person in TnT that I know of with an allergy, and it was to lactose, was in my primary school and being trinibagonians, we attached the nickname of 'Milky' to him

fus de man was opaque

[Bakes]

Lawrence Rowe only found out that he was allergic to grass when he went on tour with the West Indies team.  I guess different strains incite different things.  maybe climate plays a role in suppressing allergies.

That's interesting Daryn but I wonder if a big factor is the quantity of milk consumed. I don't have numbers but I believe that Americans drink a lot more milk than we do. Is milk in cereal and milk as a drink on its own when we tend to have "tea". We also drink more processed milk products like powdered condensed and evaporated. Maybe consuming huge quantities and then cutting back is a bigger problem.

It would be interesting to look at the demographics of lactose intolerance. Wouldn't be surprised if poor people (who haven't had the opportunity to "get sick of milk") have lower incidences.

I think both of you might be onto something here... I could see how quantity could certainly account for the differences, I agree that we don't use as much milk in Trinidad... and certainly not as much fresh milk.  It's usually powdered, UHT or otherwised processed (beyond mere pasteurization).

... and daryn I also agree that it probably has to do with the type so grass/allergens as well.
------

Pecan you safe man... I doh get caught up in de 'my thread, your thread' thing... is good info about genetically engineered food yuh post.

[Bakes]

One of the things that occured to me is that we don't use as much fresh milk... usually powdered milk or UHT milk ("Sta-Fresh").  I know that there are different properties to UHT from fresh milk... and that people with Crohn's Disease for instance can't use fresh milk, but can use UHT safely.  Not sure what, if any effect powdered or UHT milk has on the question of lactose intolerance though.

yuh might be onto something here. 

the following is from the NIH and mentions a link with crohn's:

What causes lactose intolerance?

Some causes of lactose intolerance are well known. Primary lactase deficiency is a condition that develops over time. After about age 2 the body begins to produce less lactase, though most people will not notice symptoms until they are much older.

Secondary lactase deficiency occurs when injury to the small intestine or certain digestive diseases reduce the amount of lactase a person produces. These diseases include celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and Crohn’s disease.

Researchers have identified a genetic link for lactose intolerance. Some people are born with a likelihood of developing primary lactase deficiency because it has been passed to them genetically (inherited from their parents). This discovery may be useful in developing a diagnostic test to identify people with the condition.


Who is at risk for lactose intolerance?

Between 30 and 50 million Americans are lactose intolerant and certain ethnic and racial populations are more affected than others. Up to 80 percent of African Americans, 80 to 100 percent of American Indians, and 90 to 100 percent of Asian Americans are lactose intolerant. The condition is least common among people of northern European descent.

Babies that are born prematurely are also more likely to be lactose intolerant, because lactase levels do not increase until the third trimester of a woman’s pregnancy.

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/lactoseintolerance/

thanks for the post... most of what I knew about the condition I picked up in bits and pieces by reading here and there.  I was too lazy to go looking for links but this presents the information pretty concisely.

The only way I know about Crohn's is because of David Garrard (Jacksonville Jags) who lost a year and a half of his career due to Crohn's, and who currently has a PSA running about the disease.

[Feliziano]

the saying that 'he not accustomed to it' does in fact bear some truth bothways.

in Trinidad I would say the main type of LI is the one where the babies cant produce their own lactase (where people will still say he not accustomed to it without even getting a diagnose) just cause we probably see more milk than some of the other poorer countries(which means they would be LI if they happen to get milk later on in life also).
does all milk have the same amount of lactose is another thing to look at?

The next type which you have Bakes was probbaly caused by food poisonong or somethin so, where it changed the memory of your cells.

I not sure if this is what some ah allyuh saying but LI is not an allergy, maybe allyuh relating the farting etc to yuh immune system fighting back lol.

in the food industry we have to look out for the Deadly 8 as somebody noted above.
my advice to people is to make sure and read the labels cause it there for a reason. also if for example you allergic to eggs or peanuts and yuh eating ice cream from tyson foods, there is a very high possiblity the both products are being made at the same facility.That means the odds for contamination due to improper sanitation/cleanup will be very high.

back to this milk thing..what is the fat content of the UHT milk we have back home?

i does cant handle this 2% water milk we does get here..meh wife does cringe when ah use heavy whipping cream or half and half on meh corn flakes 

[Bakes]

the saying that 'he not accustomed to it' does in fact bear some truth bothways.

in Trinidad I would say the main type of LI is the one where the babies cant produce their own lactase (where people will still say he not accustomed to it without even getting a diagnose) just cause we probably see more milk than some of the other poorer countries(which means they would be LI if they happen to get milk later on in life also).
does all milk have the same amount of lactose is another thing to look at?

The next type which you have Bakes was probbaly caused by food poisonong or somethin so, where it changed the memory of your cells.

I not sure if this is what some ah allyuh saying but LI is not an allergy, maybe allyuh relating the farting etc to yuh immune system fighting back lol.

in the food industry we have to look out for the Deadly 8 as somebody noted above.
my advice to people is to make sure and read the labels cause it there for a reason. also if for example you allergic to eggs or peanuts and yuh eating ice cream from tyson foods, there is a very high possiblity the both products are being made at the same facility.That means the odds for contamination due to improper sanitation/cleanup will be very high.

back to this milk thing..what is the fat content of the UHT milk we have back home?

i does cant handle this 2% water milk we does get here..meh wife does cringe when ah use heavy whipping cream or half and half on meh corn flakes 

lol, nah dread me eh had no food poisoning... your body just loses the ability to breakdown lactose.  The lactose content in all milk is the same... lactose is the protein building block in milk... just like fructose, sucrose... or even glucose are the building blocks in sugar.  If you can't process the lactose then it accumulates in your system and the overload is what causes the symptoms.... gas being among the mildest.

I know LI is not an allergy though, I was asking about the allergy thing separately... threw it in because like LI I hardly hear of allergies (beyond seafood) in the Caribbean.

Not sure what the fat content in Sta Fresh was nah... but I know that normally it's the usual 12% as regular milk.  The only difference is in processing, UHT milk is treated at high temps (over 700 degrees celsius I think) for 2-3 seconds.  Destroys some naturally occurring vitamins, but protein, fat content etc remains the same.

[kounty]

I used to have the "sniffles" at home. Every morning from about 6 - 8 I would have a mild runny nose but no itching eye or serious congestion. My first Spring in the US pass without me noticing any problems but by the second one one every year is pressure. I have heard that this is common. I have an Aunt who has been here for 30+ years and only recently started developing allergies. Recently I myself start feeling mild symptoms during Fall now.

Thankfully I have no food allergies but I find I have more incidences of food poisoning than when I was home. A "stomach bug" was something that I never heard about in TnT. Part of the problem too is that I have zero tolerance for under-cooked beef and a couple times I end up eating less than perfect meat by accident.

me too.  my mom worked in the ENT in the hospital so from the earlies I did get to see the doctor and he say is rhinitis.
weird thing when I leave trini I suddenly start to wake up without the "sniffles"...I used to get it a few days out of the year in oregon, which make me believe is an allergy to some sort of pollen, But in trini nobody going to the doctor to figure all that out, and far less no doctor ent going and drug you up like dey does do int eh states.

[E-man]

I'm allergic to mango oil/sap - found that out on my first trip to the Caribbean. It is related to poison oak/ivy in the States and I had become sensitized to it up here.

Most people locally don't get a reaction because they aren't sensitized through the stronger toxin in the poison oak.

Luckily, I can eat the pulp and drink the juice to my hearts content though.

[Brownsugar]

i recently got allergic to shellfish after i left trini after eating it all my life. now i cant even eat food cooked on the same grill.

the milk thing does cause gas. but i like to fart so it doh bother me

 

[morvant]

I'm allergic to mango oil/sap - found that out on my first trip to the Caribbean. It is related to poison oak/ivy in the States and I had become sensitized to it up here.

Most people locally don't get a reaction because they aren't sensitized through the stronger toxin in the poison oak.

Luckily, I can eat the pulp and drink the juice to my hearts content though.

if i cyar eat mango. i dunno what i go do. sorry to hear that bro