A person who is lactose intolerant means that this person is unable to digest lactose which is commonly found in milk and milk products. People with lactose intolerance do not produce enough lactase enzymes that are used in breaking up the lactose. What normally happens when a person eats something that contains lactose is that the enzyme in the intestine which is called lactase breaks down the lactose into its simple form which is called the glucose and galactose. The glucose and galactose are simple sugars which are more easily absorbed into the bloodstream and this will turn into energy which acts as the “fuel” of our bodies.
People who have lactose intolerance do not produce enough lactase enzymes which are used to break down lactose. The common signs and symptoms of lactose intolerance are bloating, stomach cramps and diarrhea. This happens because the undigested lactose only sits in the gut and a number of bacteria will be able to contaminate it.
Recent studies show that lactose intolerance is fairly common. It affects both the male and female population. Based on statistics, some of the ethnic groups are more likely to be affected than others basically because of their eating habits. Like for example, a lot of Asians and Native Americans are lactose intolerant. It has also been said that 80% of African Americans and Hispanic Americans also manifests symptoms of lactose intolerance. Maybe their ancestors are not fond of drinking milk and eating dairy products and this is the reason why their bodies are not prepared to take-in and digest dairy, and these then is passed through their genes from generation to generation.
Lactose intolerance develops when one enters adulthood. It is less likely for little kids to have lactose intolerance. But some people are already lactose intolerant during their teens. Lactose intolerance is considered as a normal health condition by some health care providers and they do not consider it as a disease.
If you are sure that you are lactose intolerant then here are some options that you would want to consider: if you really want to drink milk then you should drink only a small quantity of milk at one time, use special milk product such as “lactose-free milk”, to ensure adequate intake of calcium, then try calcium-fortified soy milk, Swiss cheese and cottage cheese is recommended for people with lactose intolerance because these types of dairy products have a low lactose content and you have to make sure that non-dairy commercial products are lactose-free.
Having stomach cramps after taking in a glass of milk does not mean that you are lactose intolerant. But if you experience stomach cramps every time you drink milk or eat ice cream then there is a good chance that you are lactose intolerant. Lactose intolerance may start suddenly even though you have no problems eating dairy products and drinking milk in the past.
Are you lactose intolerant? The simplest way of diagnosing lactose intolerance is the milk challenge test. A person is advised to fast overnight and drink a glass of milk in the morning. He/she should not eat or drink for 3-5 hours after ingesting the glass of milk. If the person is lactose intolerant then signs and symptoms of lactose intolerance will be experienced by the person. In doing this type of test, non-fat milk should be used to eliminate the possibility that the fat in the milk is the cause of the symptoms.
