If you have digestive difficulty upon consuming milk or other dairy products, you may be lactose intolerant. While lactose intolerance isn't particularly dangerous in its own right, there are some risks associated with diagnosing the disorder and eating a healthy, balanced diet if you are unable to digest lactose. Also, certain circumstances put you at increased risk of lactose intolerance.
Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance is defined as the inability to produce sufficient quantities of lactase, where lactase is the enzyme your body uses to digest the sugar in milk. Drs. Mary Campbell and Shawn Farrell, in their book "Biochemistry," say that if you can't digest lactose, it passes through your digestive tract into your large intestine. There, bacteria break down the sugar and produce large quantities of gas. This leads to symptoms including bloating, cramping and diarrhea.
Risk of Developing Lactose Intolerance
Most babies and children produce sufficient lactase to digest milk and other dairy products, though there are some who have genetic lactose intolerance and can't consume any dairy from babyhood on. The primary risk factors associated with developing lactose intolerance, according to MayoClinic.com, are age and illness. As you grow older, your intestine produces less lactase, which can lead to developing symptoms of lactose intolerance. Illness can also insult your gut and lead to loss of lactase production, which can be temporary or permanent.
Risks of Having Lactose Intolerance
Being lactose intolerant isn't dangerous, and you can still live a healthy lifestyle. If you consume dairy without taking precautions, you risk the uncomfortable symptoms associated with lactose malabsorption, including gas and cramping. You can get around this issue by using a lactase supplement, available over-the-counter, before consuming dairy products. Using lactase supplements also helps you avoid calcium deficiency, since dairy is a source of the important mineral. If you choose not to consume any dairy, you should discuss a calcium supplement with your doctor.
Risks in Diagnosing Lactose Intolerance
Though lactose intolerance isn't dangerous, a milk allergy can be. The symptoms of lactose intolerance can share much in common with the symptoms of milk allergy, with the caveat that allergies can become increasingly severe -- even life-threatening -- over time. As such, if you're trying to determine whether you might be lactose intolerant, it's best to talk to a doctor. Experimenting on your own could lead to a serious allergic reaction if you're not, in fact, lactose intolerant and are instead reacting to the proteins in milk.
References
- "Biochemistry"; Mary Campbell, Ph.D. and Shawn Farrell, Ph.D.; 2005
- MayoClinic.com: Lactose Intolerance
