If you suffer from lactose intolerance -- the inability to digest milk sugar -- you experience gastric upset when you consume dairy. You may have heard of a variety of remedies for the condition, including eating a high-calorie diet, but the truth is that there's no way to treat lactose intolerance.
Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance results from insufficient production of lactase, which is the digestive enzyme that your small intestine uses to break down milk sugar. Lactose is made up of two smaller sugar units, called glucose and galactose, both of which your cells use for energy. Your small intestine can't absorb lactose, but it can absorb glucose and galactose, so breaking down lactose is necessary to being able to take up its constituent compounds, explain Drs. Reginald Garrett and Charles Grisham in their book "Biochemistry."
Causes and Prognosis
Several things can cause lactose intolerance, explains MayoClinic.com. Some individuals are simply born with it, though this is fairly rare. Many develop the condition as they age; humans naturally produce less lactose as they get older. You can also develop lactose intolerance if you have been ill or have taken medication that has inflamed or affected the intestine. If you were born with the intolerance or became intolerant with age, nothing can reverse the condition. If you've been ill or taking medication, however, you may naturally recover your lactose production.
High-Calorie Diets
There's a misconception that you can treat lactose intolerance in any number of ways, one of which is through consumption of a high-calorie diet. Not only is there no scientific evidence to support this, there's no scientific rationale for it working as a strategy. Eating more calories simply causes you to store more body fat; it in no way affects your production of digestive enzymes.
Effective Treatments
Instead of trying to treat your lactose intolerance with a high-calorie diet, there are other things you can do to avoid symptoms that are much more effective. Lactose-free milk and dairy products allow you to enjoy dairy without experiencing intestinal upset. Alternately, you can take a lactase supplement. These are available for purchase over-the-counter in pill form, and while they can't treat your lactose intolerance, they can allow you to enjoy a meal that includes dairy.
References
- "Biochemistry"; Reginald Garrett, Ph.D. and Charles Grisham, Ph.D.; 2007
- MayoClinic.com: Lactose Intolerance
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