Understanding Lactose Intolerance

Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest varying amounts of lactose. Lactose is the major sugar found in milk and other dairy products like cheese, sour cream and yogurt.

The shortage of lactase, an enzyme found in the small intestine, is what causes the lactose intolerance. Lactase is what breaks the milk sugar into two forms of sugar, which are called galactose and glucose. Once the sugar is broken down into two forms, they can be absorbed into the bloodstream.

The symptoms will vary from person to person but the biggest complaint is that people tend to feel uncomfortable after ingesting dairy products, especially milk. They may experience cramping, gas, bloating, diarrhea and nausea. This usually occurs anywhere from 30 minutes up to 2 hours after consuming a dairy product.

The amount of pain and discomfort varies and is dependent on each individual. The digestion rate along with the amount of lactose that can be tolerated has a lot to do with it.

Studies are also finding that ethnicity and age play a major role as well. As a person ages, their body produces less lactase which means they have a harder time digesting dairy foods and beverages that they used to eat and drink with no problems.

Most people living in the US are lactose intolerant. Your ethnicity plays a role and your tolerances was formed by the types of foods that your ancestors had available to sustain life. Generally speaking:

The population least likely to suffer from lactose intolerance are descendants of Northern Europe whose ancestors consumed more dairy than other cultures.

If you suspect you have an allergy or intolerance to dairy products (or other foods) there are three things you can do.

1. This is a quick way to test if any food is a potential allergen. Take your pulse to get a beginning number. Then eat or drink a little bit of the food and then take your pulse again. If your pulse is more than 6 beats per minute faster after eating or drinking that food, it's probably an allergen to your body.

2. Eliminate all dairy products for a few days, fasting on broth, juice or water, is best if you can do it. If your symptoms improve, drink some milk and see if your symptoms reoccur.

3. Go to your doctor and have them order the appropriate tests.

The easiest way to deal with this problems is to simply stop eating dairy products. In reality, most dairy products that are available to us today are simply not healthy for us because of the ultra pasteurizing and additives used to improve shelf life. However, that's another subject for another day.

Everyone has to learn their own tolerance level. For some it's just milk that produces symptoms and others have to avoid cheese, butter, sour cream, etc. Even when you are trying to avoid or eliminate dairy it can be difficult, especially when eating out.

Fortunately, there are lactase enzyme supplements available. They will help your body break down the sugar so that you can enjoy your milk and cheese, if you desire to do so. There are also many dairy products in the store that have lactose free versions.



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