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Learn More About Lactose Intolerance

75 % of the world’s population has lactose intolerance, which means they cannot eat anything with dairy products. If you can enjoy ice-creams, cheese and other dairy-derived products, count yourself lucky. So what exactly is lactose intolerance? It is a digestive disorder that enables the body’s digestive system. It helps in properly digesting and processing lactose which is the carbohydrate present in milk due to absence or less production of an enzyme called lactase. Although lactose intolerance is relatively harmless, its symptoms can cause adverse effects on your lifestyle. However, many people with lactose intolerance choose to consume dairy products and manage their symptoms.

Causes

Your body cannot digest and break down sugars present in the milk due to the absence of an enzyme. This causes the sugar to end up being deposited in the colon rather than being absorbed in the bloodstream. In the colon, this sugar starts fermenting, which can be a cause of lactose intolerance symptoms.

Lactose is also present in breast milk and babies are mostly able to digest it easily. It is quite rare to find someone under the age of 5 to have lactose intolerance. There are two different types of lactose intolerance with different causes:

   I. Primary Lactose Intolerance This is the most common type in which production of lactase decreases with age, causing the lactase to absorb poorly or not at all in the bloodstream. This is sometimes caused by genetics and is prevalent in Africans and Asians (60-80%), Americans (44%) and Europeans (5-17%).

 II. Secondary Lactose Intolerance This type of lactose intolerance is quite rare as it is caused by contracting a stomach bug, inflammation of the gut and other gut diseases. These can temporarily decline lactase production.

Symptoms and Signs That You Are Lactose Intolerant

Some common signs and symptoms of lactose intolerance are:

•    Bloating and gas

•    Abdominal cramps and pain

•    Diarrhoea

•    Vomiting and nausea

•    Flatulence or farting

If you notice these symptoms after consuming dairy-based products within 30 minutes to 2 hours, consult your doctor immediately. 

Diagnosing Lactose Intolerance and Treatment Options

Your health care professional will be able to diagnose lactose intolerance with the help of the Hydrogen breath test, lactose intolerance test and stool acidity test. Although there is no cure for lactose intolerance, its symptoms can be managed with success. Here are a few treatment options for lactose-intolerant people.

•    Limiting consumption of dairy products in large quantities. Some dairy products which have a high dosage of lactose are heavy cream, milk, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, evaporated or condensed milk, cottage cheese, cheese spreads and sour cream. The doctor may prescribe sapping alternative non-dairy options such as almond milk, coconut milk, rice, oat milk or soy milk.

•    Enzyme supplementation, which can help digest lactose

•    Frequent lactose exposure in the diet in low quantities

•    Probiotics and prebiotics

Apart from this, check for hidden labels, as many products contain dairy without you seemingly being aware of it. Moreover, try getting enough calcium from calcium supplements to replace the absence of milk in your diet.