1. What is Lactose?
Lactose is a common sugar that occurs naturally in milk, including human breast milk. Humans produce an enzyme called lactase that helps us to digest lactose and absorb it from the intestines for metabolic use. Infants produce a large amount of lactase for obvious reasons, but we appear to produce less and less over the decades.
2. The Prevalence of Lactose Intolerance
It is estimated that as much as 1/3 of the adult population is lactose intolerance. There is some tendency for lactose intolerance to run in families. Parents who are lactose intolerant themselves should be wary of feeding their toddlers a lot of dairy products.
3. The Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance
The ingestion of lactose when you lack the enzymes to digest it may produce mild and vague digestive upset, such as minor gas and bloating. In some individuals, the digestive symptoms may be more severe, including pain, nausea, diarrhea, or explosive, urgent bowel movements.
4. Mucous Membrane Congestion and Lactose Intolerance
Some people exhibit little obvious digestive symptoms from the consumption of dairy products, but rather develop congestion in the mucous membranes of the ears, sinuses, and throat. It you have chronic ear infections, chronic sinus congestion or infections or chronic sore throats and tonsil infections, try eliminating dairy from the diet for several months to see if your mucous membrane congestion might be due to lactose and dairy intolerance.
5. Dairy Substitutes for People With Lactose Intolerance
There are more and more milk and dairy substitutes available for people with lactose intolerance. Almond, rice and soy can be used to produce milks and are readily available. Soy yogurts and cheeses can also be found in the health food sections of most groceries stores. You can also find dairy-free cookbooks to help you convert your favorite soup, casseroles and other recipes to lactose-free options.
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