Milk and dairy products are rich sources of various nutrients that are essential for us. Not to mention they are absolutely delicious! No wonder they have been a staple for humans for a millennia. But many people have difficulty processing dairy. So, how long does dairy stay in your system?
Dairy may be digested in as little as 1-2 hours. Some people may take up to 72 hours to digest and eliminate dairy. But traces of dairy may remain in the system for 21 days. Understanding how long dairy stays in your system can help you plan your meals and avoid discomfort or digestive issues.
As you can see, the digestion and complete elimination of milk from the body has no one-size-fits-all time frame. It depends on your body. Keep reading to have a better understanding of how long dairy stays in your system - and what affects the process.
Key Takeaways
- The time taken for your body to digest, absorb, and get rid of dairy can vary between a few hours and a few days.
- Some people cannot digest lactose (, a sugar in dairy), leading to diarrhea, nausea, bloating, etc.
- The symptoms of lactose intolerance can last up to three days, depending on how quickly your body digests and flushes out dairy.
Digestion and Absorption of Dairy - and the Role of the Digestive System
What happens when you consume dairy - and how does dairy digestion work? The gastrointestinal system digests the dairy, i.e., processes it by breaking it down into molecules. These can be absorbed and distributed by the circulatory system.
The digestion process begins in your stomach’s acidic environment. A digestive enzyme called pepsin breaks down the proteins in milk to initiate digestion. Meanwhile, another enzyme called lingual lipase breaks down milk fats.
These milk fats then reach the small intestine where they are further broken down by enzymes like proteases and lipases. The production of bile by the small intestine further enhances the fat digestion process.
Another enzyme called lactase, produced by the brush border cells, breaks down lactose (the sugar content in milk). The entire process produces:
- Amino acids and peptides from proteins;
- Fatty acids, monoglycerides, and diglycerides from fats, and
- Glucose, galactose, and monosaccharides from lactose.
The small intestine then absorbs amino acids, peptides, and monosaccharides, along with micronutrients from dairy. Then, the liver helps distribute these nutrients to the rest of the body.
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Related: The Benefits of Choosing CookUnity for Your Meal Delivery Needs
What Is Lactose Intolerance?
Many people are unable to digest lactose, which is the sugar present in milk. It happens when your small intestine fails to produce sufficient lactase to break down lactose. Undigested lactose cannot be absorbed by the small intestine.
So it reaches the large intestine. This results in digestive issues like bloating, diarrhea, and other symptoms. This condition is called lactose intolerance, also known as lactose malabsorption.
You must note that lactose intolerance is different from a dairy allergy. The latter is a condition where your body’s immune system considers dairy proteins as a harmful foreign body. This causes allergic reactions.
Digestive issues may also occur from dairy consumption due to the A1 beta-casein. When undigested, it can cause indigestion and discomfort.
Also, the gut muscles slowly move the mix of food particles, bile, and digested through the digestive tract. This can result in constipation or diarrhea.
Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance
The symptoms of lactose intolerance usually show up within 30-120 minutes of consuming dairy. Common symptoms include:
- Bloating
- Gas and flatulence
- Stomach pain and cramps
- Diarrhea
- Nausea and vomiting
- Indigestion
- Rumbling in the stomach
- Heartburn
- Diagnosis and Treatment
If your doctor suspects lactose intolerance based on your symptoms, they’ll first ask you to refrain from consuming dairy. Based on your response, your doctor will be able to confirm the diagnosis with the help of three tests:
- Hydrogen breath test to check the hydrogen level in your breath;
- Lactose tolerance test to check the glucose level in your blood, and
- Stool acidity test for children to test their stool sample for lactic acid.
All tests are performed after you consume lactose-based liquids to see how your body responds to the lactose. If confirmed, you must reduce or remove dairy from your diet.
Tips and Strategies for a Smooth Dairy-Free Diet
Removing dairy from your diet is a challenging transition to make. It can deprive you of nutrients. And if you love dairy, you may experience cravings. So consult your doctor to know the severity of your condition and try the following steps to a dairy-free diet:
1. Reduce Portion Size
Going cold turkey can make you want dairy, and you may experience withdrawal symptoms. So reduce the amount you consume.
2. Take Lactase Supplements
Lactase enzyme supplements can help break down lactose, making it easy to digest. But they shouldn't be popped indiscriminately.
3. Consume Probiotics
Studies suggest that probiotic supplements and natural probiotic-rich foods like pickles help deal with the symptoms.
4. Consider Lactose-Free Dairy
Many brands formulate dairy milk, ice cream, cheese, etc., with lactase. Some also filter out proteins and fats to make them digestible.
5. Try Naturally Low-Lactose Products
Foods like low-fat yogurt, hard cheese, butter, etc., have a low lactose content and are easier to digest for people with digestive issues.
6. Shift to Dairy-Free Alternatives
Many dairy-free alternatives made from nuts, seeds, grains, etc., are now used as dairy replacements - and they are nutritious, as well.
What to Do if You Accidentally Consume Dairy
If you accidentally consume dairy and experience symptoms like pain, bloating, diarrhea, gas, etc., you can try the following solutions:
Over-the-Counter Medicines
When you start to experience discomfort after accidentally consuming dairy, the following medicines might help:
- Take a pain reliever like acetaminophen to alleviate stomach pain caused by dairy products.
- For diarrhea, you can resort to loperamide, formulated to treat the condition caused by lactose.
- For acute diarrhea coupled with gas and bloating, bismuth subsalicylate helps provide relief.
- If you experience symptoms like excessive gas, flatulence, bloating, heartburn, etc., simethicone can prevent pain.
Before adding them to your medicine kit, consult your doctors. These medicines can only provide relief from the symptoms. They can’t cure your intolerance.
If you experience severe pain, chronic diarrhea, bloody stool, etc., contact your doctors immediately.
Natural Remedies to Reduce Lactose Intolerance Symptoms
If you don’t have OTC medicines available or feel hesitant to try them without consulting your doctor, don’t worry. There are other non-medicinal ways that may help relieve the symptoms. They are as follows:
- Walking and Stretching - These can relax the abdominal muscles, boost digestion, and release trapped gas.
- Yoga - Yoga poses like Knee to Chest, Happy Baby, and Baby’s Pose can relieve gas and bloating. Laying on Your Left Side - This is an excellent way to take gravity’s help in smooth movement within the digestive tract.
- Abdominal Massage - Self-massaging the upper part of the stomach and then moving downward helps release the gas.
- Lymph Drainage - Manual drainage of the lymph through massage can help release fluids in the lymph tissues.
Related: What Is Considered Dairy & What Are the Dairy Alternatives?
How Long Does Dairy Stay in Your System?
There is no definite way to describe the exact time range of digesting and flushing out dairy completely. That's because every person's body and system are different. Based on various factors, the time taken may be between 1 hour and 21 days.
Factors That Affect Digestion and Absorption of Dairy
Dairy takes a minimum of 1-2 hours to digest, depending on the type of product you consume, i.e., milk, yogurt, cheese, etc. Sweetened and high-fat variants, like ice cream, hard cheese, etc., may take several hours more.
However, digestion may also extend beyond that. Some people need 12-72 hours to digest dairy fully, absorb the nutrients, and eliminate it from the body.
However, it may take up to 21 days for trace dairy to remain in the system.
The time your body may take to digest and absorb dairy depends on the following factors:
Age
Children under one year of age take much longer to digest the fats and proteins in milk. Interestingly, lactase production and the entire digestive process may slow down once a person reaches adulthood and continues to age.
Genetics
People fail to digest dairy as they age - because of their genes. It’s particularly true if you have an intolerance. The gene mutation is largely present in people of Eastern and Southeastern Asian, Hispanic, Italian, Native American, and West African descent.
Health Status
If you have health conditions affecting the digestive system, it may take longer to digest dairy. Conditions like food allergies, digestive issues, injury in the small intestine, etc., may reduce your ability to digest and absorb dairy fast.
Typical Digestion and Absorption Time Frames
Now let’s take a look at how long it may take the most common forms of dairy products to get digested and absorbed by your system.
| Dairy Product | Time |
|---|---|
| Skimmed or fat-free milk | 1.5 hours |
| Boiled whole milk | 5 hours |
| Raw milk | 6.5 hours |
| Skimmed milk or low-fat milk cheese | 1.5 hours |
| Whole milk soft cheese | 2 hours |
| Whole milk hard cheese | 5 hours |
| Yogurt | 1 - 4 hours |
| Ice cream | 4 - 8 hours |
Duration of Symptoms
The onset of the symptoms of lactose intolerance usually happens between 30 minutes and 2 hours. You should note that this is another way it differs from dairy allergies since allergic reactions show up almost immediately after consuming dairy.
The symptoms of lactose intolerance reach their peak and remain the most intense between 5 and 10 hours. After that, they start to reduce and usually disappear within 48 hours.
The time required for the symptoms to go away depends on your ability to digest dairy. That is why the symptoms only last for 12-24 hours, while for others, they take as many as 72 hours to stop causing any discomfort.
Related: What Is Dairy-free Cheese Made of? The Key Ingredients
How Long Does Dairy Stay in Your System? FAQs
Q: How long does dairy stay in your system when breastfeeding?
A: If a nursing mom consumes cow’s milk, the protein from the product can stay in the mother’s system for 1.5-2 weeks - and get passed on to the baby. It takes about 1.5-2 weeks for it to leave the baby’s system and up to 21 days for the trace dairy to get removed completely
Q: How long does it take for dairy to leave your system in adults?
A: Adults may need anything between 1 hour and 72 hours to digest and eliminate dairy. The time depends on the products you consume. For instance, skimmed or low-fat milk or dairy products need less time than raw or full-fat dairy-products. Traces of gluten may stay in the system for up to 21 days.
Q: Why does it take so long for dairy to leave your system?
A: It takes a long time for dairy to be eliminated from your system due to its proteins. Usually, proteins take longer to digest, and the dairy products contain types of proteins that get digested at the slowest rate. Casein, in particular, forms curdles that are difficult to break down. Plus, the delayed amino acid release also slows down the digestion.
Q: How do you flush dairy out of your system quickly?
A: To flush dairy out of your system quickly, eliminate all dairy products from your diet and load up on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and seeds. These are high in fiber and acids that help break down and push out all milk proteins from your system. Also, set aside some time to work out.
Q: How long after cutting dairy will a baby feel better?
For a baby to get rid of the symptoms of dairy intolerance to feel better, it usually takes between 3 and 7 days after cutting out dairy from the diet of the mother. Babies sensitive to dairy often outgrow the problem between the ages of 6 months and 3 years.
Q: What can happen if you accidentally ate dairy while breastfeeding?
A: If you accidentally consume dairy while breastfeeding, you will likely pass on the proteins to your baby. As a result, your baby may develop gas in the stomach and intestines. It can cause pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. The symptoms may be worse if your baby is allergic to dairy.
Q: What is the right time for reintroducing dairy to a baby with milk protein intolerance?
A: After eliminating milk from a baby’s diet, you should evaluate if the baby has outgrown the sensitivity every 6-12 months. This can be done with the help of an Oral Food Challenge. Children often take 0.5-3 years to outgrow their dairy sensitivity.
Q: What happens to your body when you cut out dairy?
A: Cutting out dairy might improve your gut and digestive health. You may notice your skin clearing up - and an overall reduction of inflammation. On the other hand, you may also see some withdrawal symptoms like weakness and nausea, besides missing out on nutrients like calcium, vitamin B12, and vitamin D.
Q: How long after eating dairy can you have a reaction?
A: After having dairy products like milk or cheese, you may experience some allergic reactions between 30 minutes and 2 hours if you are lactose intolerant. However, if you are allergic to dairy, you may see the reactions almost immediately after consuming dairy.
Related: How Much Dairy per Day Is Good for You?
Make the Right Dietary Choice to Avoid Dairy-Induced Discomfort
If you experience general discomfort from dairy consumption, you must avoid foods considered dairy. This applies even if you're not lactose-intolerant but, say, dairy affects your skin, for instance. You should check the ingredients in packaged foods or any dish not prepared at home.
Having probiotics and lactase supplements can also be helpful in the long run in processing dairy. But limiting dairy consumption is the only way to avoid digestion issues so that you don’t have to go the extra mile to flush it out of the system.
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