A WOMAN who had a mystery illness wants to share the benefits of buffalo milk after the little-known ingredient transformed her life.

Debra Long, of Avalon Road, West Ealing, started suffering from abdominal problems in 2006 and struggled with them for two years until she found their cause.

The 47-year-old legal assistant, said: "I had a number of tests and was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It has symptoms which include bloating, stomach cramps, wind diarrhoea and constipation and I was experiencing some of them which caused a lot of discomfort.

"That's how it was left until later I read about food sensitivity tests and decided I'd take one. I found a company which did them and changed my diet according to the results. The change was amazing, my problems disappeared."

Ms Long discovered she had a sensitivity to casein, a protein found in all milk, except buffalo milk.

She added: "When I found that out I wondered where on earth I'd get it, I'd never heard of buffalo milk, then I discovered Waitrose stocked it.

"It's more expensive than cows' milk but it's worth every penny. It looks just like cow's milk and has the same consistency, it just tastes a bit more creamy. It was odd at first but now it's cows' milk that tastes funny to me.

"I just want to make people aware. I'm sure there are a lot of people with IBS symptoms and they don't know why they've got them. I'm not saying it's all because of casein or they shouldn't go to their GP first but people should really consider a food sensitivity test as another avenue.

It's a shame I wasn't offered one in the first place as it would have saved the NHS a lot of unnecessary procedures which were a complete waste of time.

"And buffalo milk has less cholesterol and fat so I've lost a few pounds now, my figure's pretty trim. It just goes to show, you are what you eat."