Lactose and lactase are two words that cause some confusion. People who are lactose intolerant lack the enzyme lactase and thus cannot consume dairy products without developing adverse symptoms within a few minutes of ingesting the milk. Lactose intolerance is confused with a milk allergy because both conditions cause digestive system problems after eating or drinking milk. Before you attempt to treat your symptoms, talk with your doctor for an accurate diagnosis.
Lactose
Lactose is a complex sugar found primarily in milk products. Lactose is found in cow's milk, goat's milk, sheep milk and breast milk. When you consume products that contain lactose, your digestive system needs to break down the sugar in order for the body to absorb the sugar into the blood stream. While most adults are intolerant to lactose to a certain degree, only people with noticeable symptoms, such as diarrhea, stomach pain and bloating are considered lactose intolerant. If you're lactose intolerant, your digestive system isn't able to properly break the lactose down.
Lactase
Lactase is an enzyme produced by your small intestines. This enzyme is only used by the body to simplify lactose. Newborns produce significant amounts of lactase because their primarily diet is based on milk. The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse states that most people stop producing as much lactase at the age of two years. Children hardly experience lactose intolerant symptoms until later in adulthood. Lactase breaks lactose down into glucose and galactose, which are simple sugars that the body can absorb.
Deficiency Effect
Every person can tolerate different amounts of lactose. Adults that produce enough lactase will not develop lactose intolerant symptoms. If you are mildly to moderately lactase deficient, you may be able to eat dairy products in small amounts, for example, one slice of cheese, a teaspoon of creamer in coffee or one slice of pizza. If you're severely deficient, you will develop symptoms after ingesting the smallest amount of lactose. The effect of undigested lactose is bloating, gas, cramping, loose stools and abdominal pain.
Solution
After being diagnosed by your doctor, you can avoid the adverse reactions of consuming products that contain lactose by using a lactase supplement. Lactase supplements are manufactured in pill or liquid form. When used right before you ingest dairy, the enzyme supplement will assist the digestion of lactose and prevent associated digestive problems.
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