Lactose Intolerance: The What, Why and How to Deal

When someone is lactose intolerant (also sometimes referred to as lactase deficient), it means that they are not able to digest lactose (or milk sugar) in dairy products fully. While not life-threatening, lactose intolerance can cause a lot of discomfort.

Lactose intolerance is caused by a lack of lactase which is an enzyme produced by the small intestine. This enzyme attaches to lactose molecules in the food you eat and breaks them into glucose and galactose (simple sugars) which can be absorbed by your blood. When there is not enough lactase, the lactose in your food moves into the colon unprocessed and intestinal bacteria interact with it. This causes lactose intolerance and its related symptoms.

Symptoms of lactose intolerance usually show up 30 minutes to 2 hours after consuming foods or drinks that contain lactose. Symptoms include diarrhea, gas, bloating, nausea and stomach cramps.

Lactose intolerance generally falls into three different categories:

1) Result of aging:  As a person's diet becomes less reliant on milk, their lactase production decreases.

2)  Condition from birth: While rare, some babies are born lactose intolerant with the condition being passed down from its mother and father.

3) Result of injury or illness: After illness, injury, surgery or intestinal disease, lactase production can sometimes decrease resulting in lactose intolerance.

If you think you may be suffering from this condition, try cutting dairy out of your diet for a few days and then see if you feel any better.  Lactose intolerance can be confirmed by a doctor performing one or more tests, including a stool acidity test, a hydrogen breath test, and a lactose intolerance test.  Unfortunately there is no cure for this condition, but it can be kept under control by avoiding dairy and using lactose-free or lactose-reduced products.  Taking over-the-counter lactase tablets or probiotics may also be helpful.