CONDITION
Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance is a condition in which your body isn’t able to digest lactose, the main carbohydrate in milk. Just like some people can’t digest other types of sugars, such as glucose or fructose, some people can’t break down lactose. When this happens, undigested lactose passes into your colon where it’s acted upon by bacteria that produce gas and other symptoms.
Lactose intolerance isn’t a disease—it could be an inherited trait. If both of your parents have trouble digesting dairy products, there’s a good chance that you’ll will have this condition too.
Many patients with Irritable bowel syndrome may have underlying lactose intolerance without them knowing it.
Causes of Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk and other dairy products. Lactose intolerance occurs when your body doesn’t have enough of an enzyme called lactase. This enzyme helps break down (digest) lactose into glucose and galactose so that it can be absorbed into your bloodstream. When you don’t have enough lactase, undigested lactose travels through your small intestine and into the large intestine, where it’s broken down by bacteria. These bacteria produce gas as part of their normal digestive process.
The resulting gas causes symptoms such as bloating, cramping, diarrhoea and abdominal pain/discomfort.
Lactose intolerance is caused by a deficiency in the enzyme lactase, which is needed to digest milk sugar. There are two types of lactose intolerance: primary and secondary.
Primary lactose intolerance occurs when your body stops making enough lactase during childhood. Secondary lactose intolerance can develop at any age due to an illness or medication that damages the small intestine and interferes with your body’s ability to break down dairy products.
- Get a test to check as soon as possible.
- Do not self medicate .
Risk Factors for Lactose Intolerance
If you have trouble digesting milk or milk products, you may be lactose intolerant. Many people can eat small amounts of lactose without a problem, but most people find that the amount they can tolerate varies from day to day.
Lactose intolerance often begins in late childhood or early adulthood. It is more common in certain ethnic groups (for example, African Americans and Mexican Americans) and affects about 65% of African American adults and 75% of Mexican American adults.
About 15 million people in the United States — almost half of them younger than 20 years old — have some degree of lactose intolerance
Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance
Watch for these Symptoms
The symptoms of lactose intolerance usually tend to begin a short while after eating or drinking foods that contain lactose. Common symptoms may include:
- Nausea and sometimes vomitting
- Bloating
- Gas
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal cramps and pain
Diagnosis and Tests of Lactose Intolerance
You can get tested by a doctor, this can be done via lactose breath testing. This will give them some more information about what’s going on inside your body when you eat something containing lactose.
There are other ways that people figure out whether or not they have this condition: some try eliminating dairy from their diet entirely for several weeks and then adding it back in one food at a time; others skip the testing altogether and simply avoid foods with high amounts of lactose until their symptoms go away (or until they feel like giving up).
Treatment of Lactose Intolerance
There is no treatment for lactose intolerance because there is no medications that can help your body make more lactase. But you can manage your symptoms by changing your diet.
Lactose Intolerance Prevention
You can manage lactose intolerance by avoiding milk and milk-based products, eating lactose-free foods, taking lactase enzyme pills or drops and taking probiotics.
Lactose intolerant people should avoid drinking milk or eating foods that contain it. They can choose to eat other dairy products like yogurt without worrying about them causing problems to their stomachs because they contain the enzyme that helps digest the sugar in milk (lactose).
However, some products do not have any added enzymes that help digest sugars so they may still cause gas and bloating in sensitive people.
- Limit dairy products in your diet
- Ensure you have a balanced and nutritional diet
- Talk to your doctor about vitamin D and calcium supplements
- Choose lactose-free or lactose-reduced products if possible
Conclusion
If you suspect that you have lactose intolerance, it’s best to see a gastroenterologist. He or she can perform tests and give you recommendations based on the results. In addition, if your symptoms are severe, a doctor may prescribe medication that helps minimise the discomfort caused by milk products.
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