Lactose intolerance is a condition that is very common in adults, causing mild to severe discomfort after drinking or eating milk products. While there is no cure, you can treat it by making dietary adjustments. The severity of the condition can vary from person to person.
How Lactose Intolerance Happens
Lactose is a sugar in milk products. Ordinarily, it is broken down by the enzyme lactase and causes no problems. However, when there is too little lactase in a person's digestive tract, unprocessed food ends up in the colon where normal bacteria interact with it, causing abdominal discomfort within 30 minutes to about two hours. There are three types of lactose intolerance: Primary lactose intolerance is the normal result of aging in some people, secondary lactose intolerance results from an injury or disease, and congenital lactose intolerance is a congenital condition in infants and is quite rare. Symptoms including abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, gas, diarrhea and nausea are common.
Diagnosing Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance may not be diagnosed by symptoms alone so a doctor may suggest stopping milk products for a couple of weeks and then adding them back into your diet gradually to see if the problem stops or recurs. There are also three tests used to make or confirm the diagnosis: A lactose intolerance test measures glucose levels over time to see if abnormal levels of sugar are in the blood. A hydrogen breath test is used to determine if too much hydrogen is in the breath, indicating the presence of undigested lactose. A stool acidity test checks for too much lactic acid-producing fat and glucose in the stool.
Lactose Intolerance versus a Milk Allergy
Lactose intolerance does not implicate the immune system, but a milk allergy does. A milk allergy usually occurs before the first year of life. It causes allergy symptoms like hives and may be life threatening if the allergy is severe enough to cause anaphylactic shock. Many children outgrow a milk allergy by age 3.
Treatment for Lactose Intolerance
Reduction or deletion of milk products from the diet stops the discomforts of lactose intolerance. Sometimes, people may also need to take over-the-counter enzyme tablets to replace lowered lactase. Probiotics are also effective.
Foods to Avoid
If you are lactose intolerant, you should read food labels carefully to avoid foods containing any form of milk. Words on the label indicating the presence of lactose include whey, curds and milk by-products. Soy milk, or other non-dairy milk may be a good substitute. Other foods containing lactose include bread, baked goods, waffles, biscuits, processed cereals, instant potatoes, breakfast or protein drinks or bars, potato chips corn chips, processed meats, margarine, salad dressings, hot dogs and candies. Medicines may contain lactose.
Obtaining Calcium
Avoiding dairy products to help with lactose intolerance may cause low levels of calcium, important especially for bone health. You can obtain calcium from many foods including rhubarb, oranges, broccoli and pinto beans. Yogurt containing active and live cultures is also a good source of calcium and its cultures help lower the level of lactose. Pregnant and nursing mothers must be especially careful to obtain enough calcium.
