Lactose intolerance and GERD, or for gastroesophageal reflux disease, are unrelated digestive complications. If you're lactose intolerant, you can't digest lactose, which is the sugar in milk. Consuming dairy causes bloating, gas, and uncomfortable digestive symptoms. GERD is the reflux of stomach acid into the sensitive esophagus, which causes heartburn. While it's certainly possible to have both conditions, the causes of each are separate and having one doesn't predispose you to the other.
Aging
Aging is a common cause of lactose intolerance. To digest lactose, you need to make an enzyme called lactase, explain Drs. Reginald Garrett and Charles Grisham in their book "Biochemistry." Almost all babies and children make plenty of lactase, since you need it to digest breast milk. Often, however, as you age, your lactase production falls off. If it falls off significantly, you can lose your ability to digest dairy.
Disease
It's possible to become lactose intolerant -- either temporarily or permanently -- if you contract an illness that damages your intestine. The small intestine is where you normally produce lactase and digest lactose. As a result, diseases that inflame and irritate the small intestine have the potential to interfere with lactase production and can lead to lactose intolerance.
Pregnancy
GERD results from anything that weakens the esophageal sphincter, a band of muscle that normally helps keep stomach acid confined to the stomach. One very common cause of sphincter weakening is pregnancy, notes MayoClinic.com. This is because the hormones of pregnancy loosen ligaments and reduce muscle tone in certain muscles throughout the body. As a result, many women who don't normally have GERD can develop it temporarily during pregnancy.
Obesity
Carrying excess body fat puts significant stress on your body. Body fat pulls muscles in abnormal ways, weakening them over time. One of the effects of obesity is GERD, caused by excess fat in the throat and abdomen, mechanically stressing the esophagus and stomach. Additionally, obesity increases your risk of diabetes, which is another risk factor for GERD, explains MayoClinic.com.
References
- "Biochemistry"; Reginald Garrett, Ph.D. and Charles Grisham, Ph.D.; 2007
- MayoClinic.com: Lactose Intolerance
- MayoClinic.com: GERD
