You don't need lactose. Lactose is a sugar found in dairy products and is not essential for human development. If you've been diagnosed as lactose intolerant, you can't consume lactose because your digestive system can't digest it. Drinking or eating lactose-free beverages and foods will not harm your health. One instance that's concerning but treatable is if a baby is lactose intolerant because breast milk contains lactose. Talk with your doctor if you suspect that you're intolerant to lactose because other conditions have similar symptoms.
About Lactose
Lactose is milk sugar that needs to be simplified before it can be absorbed into the body. If you cannot tolerate lactose it's because you have low levels of the lactase enzyme. This enzyme breaks lactose down into simpler sugars that can be absorbed by your body. When you lack this enzyme, the lactose passes from your small intestines, where it should be absorbed, and enters the colon. In the colon, intestinal bacteria interact with the sugar and cause the most common symptoms: diarrhea, bloating, and gas.
Types of Intolerance
The most common type of lactose intolerance is the decrease of lactase production due to aging. As you age, your small intestines stop producing as much lactase as you did when you were a baby and young child. Most people experience lactose intolerant symptoms during late childhood and early adolescence. This type of intolerance can increase and decrease throughout life. Secondary lactose intolerance is the result of a gastric illness or injury that causes the intestines to slow down or stop producing lactase. In rare cases, newborns can be born with lactose intolerance, or congenital lactose intolerance.
Newborn Concern
Being born with lactose intolerance is very rare and is typically caused by a genetic condition or premature birth. Babies that are premature will most likely begin to produce lactose around the time of their expected due dates. If a baby is diagnosed with lactose intolerance, you can still breast-feed or bottle-feed your baby. Add lactose drops to your expressed breast milk or purchase lactose-free baby formula.
Other Considerations
Milk allergies and intolerances can be mistaken for lactose intolerance because they share symptoms. A milk allergy is a reaction that occurs in the immune system to the proteins found in cow's milk. Milk intolerance is a digestive condition where the gastrointestinal system cannot properly digest the proteins found in milk. Your doctor can provide you with a clinical diagnosis.
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