Signs That You Are Lactose Tolerant

Many adults have difficulty digesting milk -- specifically, they can't digest the sugar, called lactose, in dairy products. This is lactose intolerance, and those who are lactose intolerant can have uncomfortable digestive symptoms when they consume dairy. Because it's easy to confuse some of the symptoms of lactose intolerance with symptoms of other sources of digestive difficulty, it can be hard to tell whether you're lactose intolerant or not. Thankfully, there are some clear signs you can use to help you determine whether you're tolerant of lactose.

Lack of Digestive Symptoms

Regardless of what your family members experience when they consume milk, you're lactose tolerant if you can eat and drink dairy products symptom-free. This is true even if you've occasionally had digestive upset after eating dairy-based foods. Temporary gut distress can result from many sources and cause you to react poorly to lactose or some other component of your food. The truly lactose intolerant, however, don't produce the enzyme lactase, Drs. Reginald Garrett and Charles Grisham explain in their book, "Biochemistry." As a result, those people are not able to consume dairy at any time without discomfort. True lactose intolerance doesn't come and go, so if your symptoms do, you're not lactose intolerant.

Non-Digestive Symptoms

Some individuals experience symptoms -- sometimes even severe ones -- upon consuming dairy. If these symptoms aren't digestive, however, you're not lactose intolerant. For instance, if you feel itchy, cough, have difficulty breathing, or produce large amounts of oral and nasal mucus after drinking milk, it's entirely possible that you're allergic to dairy. The Mayo Clinic notes that while milk allergies can be very severe -- and are definitely something you want to talk to your doctor about -- they're not the same as lactose intolerance. Unless you have digestive symptoms after consuming dairy, you're lactose tolerant.

Unable to Consume Lactose-Free Milk

If you have any symptoms whatsoever -- digestive or not -- after consuming lactose-free milk, it's not the lactose in the milk that's giving you trouble. Lactose intolerant individuals are not allergic to milk; they simply can't digest milk sugar. As such, if they consume lactose-free milk -- a milk product in which lactose has already been digested -- they should have no trouble whatsoever. If you have digestive upset, or any other symptoms, upon consuming lactose-free milk, you're likely lactose tolerant, but are also likely reacting to some other component of the milk, and should talk to a doctor.