⚠️ This article concerns lactose intolerance. It does not apply to milk protein allergy, which is an immune reaction.
Cutting out dairy: the most common reflex but sometimes the wrong one?
When lactose intolerance is diagnosed, some women will have, as the first reflex to remove every dairy product from the kitchen. Makes sense right? In some cases, it might be unnecessary, as long as it really is lactose intolerance and not a milk protein allergy.
Something you should know is that symptoms depend on the quantity of lactose eaten, in grams, not on the mere presence of dairy. That quantity counts at each meal and, more broadly, over the whole day. And something you might not know is that the same amount is better tolerated when spread over several meals than when eaten all at once. Many dairy products contain so little lactose that a normal portion stays well below what the body tolerates.
Removing dairy entirely can have a physiological impact. Milk, cheese and yogurt are among the most practical sources of calcium, protein and iodine in a European diet. For women, these nutrients can be very important at very specific moments of life.
Explaining why this is important for women*
Let's categorise these taking into account several time frame in a woman life.
Bones... Especially after menopause.
The drop in estrogen at menopause accelerates bone loss and increases the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Research on dairy in this period leans in the same direction:
- A meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials (618 healthy postmenopausal women, mostly given milk) found that dairy improved bone mineral density at the lumbar spine, the femoral neck and the hip. The effect on the hip appeared after about a year, and was clearest in countries where calcium intake is low (Shi et al., 2020).
- In the Nurses' Health Study, which followed about 103,000 American women for 24 years, those eating at least two servings of dairy a day had a 26% lower risk of fragility fracture than those eating less than one a day. Milk showed the clearest association, cheese a weaker one (about 11% lower risk with one portion a day), and yogurt none (Yuan et al., 2023).
- A Finnish cohort of 14,220 women, followed for 25 years from about age 52, found that women who drank milk, fermented milk or yogurt had fewer fractures than those who drank none. The largest gap was between no intake and a moderate intake; drinking more added little. Cheese was linked only to fewer hip fractures (Alaghehband et al., 2025).
To make things simpler, not every study agrees. Several meta-analyses found no clear link between dairy and fracture risk (ugh), and a Swedish cohort even reported more fractures among heavy milk drinkers. So we can see that the research leans favorable, but it is not unanimous.
Iodine, during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Iodine needs to increase during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and iodine is essential to the baby's brain development. A 2025 meta-analysis of 51 studies, mostly in pregnant women, found that those who consumed more dairy had better iodine status and about 40% lower odds of iodine deficiency. Milk was shown as the strongest link whilst cheese showed no significant link. Data during breastfeeding remain limited and inconsistent, and the iodine content of milk varies widely between countries, depending on cattle feed (Razmpoosh et al., 2025).
Something quite important to take into account is that most of these studies are observational. It means that they describe associations across a population, not an analysis on a dose for a given woman. However, what stands out, especially in the Finnish cohort, is that the biggest difference lies between no dairy at all and a moderate intake. And this very specific difference is what can have a quite interesting impact on a lactose intolerant woman who will cut out everything... Even if she needs it.
But there's a good news!
Cheese is often the simplest entry point for people with lactose intolerance. During ripening, bacteria convert most of the lactose into lactic acid, while calcium and protein stay intact.
The figures speak for themselves: 76% of the 133 AOC, AOP and IGP protected cheeses in the EU are at or below 0,5 g of lactose per 100 g.
Here's a very simple way to turn that info into a portion. The lactose.help application uses a method follows three steps:
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The product has a maximum lactose concentration, in g per 100 g. This is what the Lactoscore shows.
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You have a tolerance threshold, in grams eaten per meal. By default, 1 g per meal.
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The maximum portion comes from crossing the two: portion (g) = threshold (g) x
100 / maximum concentration (g per 100 g).
Example: with a threshold of 1 g per meal, a cheese in Lactoscore B contains at most 0,5 g per 100 g, so you can eat up to 200 g of it during that meal.
That portion uses the whole lactose budget of the meal and assumes no other source.
But if you're adding up a creamy sauce, plus milk in your coffee, plus milk powder hidden in a biscuit well.. this is where the lactose will add up.
So why 1 g per meal?
According to EFSA, most intolerant people tolerate 6 to 12 g of lactose per day, spread over three meals, while the most sensitive have symptoms from 3 g per day. Three grams over three meals gives 1 g per meal: the threshold that works for everyone, yay!
The "défi lactose" described in the book "Mieux vivre avec son intolérance au lactose" helps you find your own threshold, which can vary with fatigue and stress. You then recalculate your portions with the same formula.
⚠️ These figures concern lactose intolerance, that is a lactase deficiency. They do not apply to milk protein allergy, which is an immune reaction.
For milk and yogurt, richer in lactose but most often linked to the bone and iodine findings above, there are lactose-free versions, and the book explains how to make your own low lactose milk, cream, yogurt, mascarpone, butter and cheese at home, with about 25 euros of kitchen equipment bought once.
One last warning: a product that suited you last month may not suit you today because of some changes in its recipe. Check the label, or scan it again, each time.
Going further on lactose intolerance: Lactose.help
Sources
The book "Mieux vivre avec son intolérance au lactose" was reviewed by two dietitian nutritionists. The lactose.help method was validated by an accredited laboratory.
Alaghehband, F. R., et al. (2025). Long-term consumption of liquid dairy products predicts lower fracture risk in aging women: a 25-year follow-up. European Journal of Nutrition, 64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-025-03709-7
Razmpoosh, E., et al. (2025). Dairy Intake and Iodine Status in Pregnant and Lactating Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients, 17. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17233765
Shi, Y.-J., et al. (2020). Effects of dairy products on bone mineral density in healthy postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Archives of Osteoporosis, 15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11657-020-0694- y
Yuan, M., et al. (2023). Types of Dairy Foods and Risk of Fragility Fracture in the Prospective Nurses' Health Study Cohort. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 118, 1172-1181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.09.015
Illustration by Summerizze on Unsplash
