What is Lactose Intolerance and What Causes It?

Lactose Intolerance and Causes

milk is probably the first thing you taste when you come into the world even if you start transitioning to other foods later on the milk is still an essential supplemental drink that has many benefits. but is it healthy for everyone to drink milk and eat dairy products.

Lactose in milk 

you must have noticed the milk and milk products are naturally sweet. the sweetness of the  milk and milk products are comes from a natural sugar is called lactose. this type of natural sugars are very healthy for your body but not like that added sugars. lactase is produced by our bodies just fine during childhood but come adulthood and things may starts lowing down a little.

Lactose Intolerance


 if the enzyme isn't there the lactose from milk goes pretty much straight to the colon. that could have been fine and all if the lactose would have just passed straight through our bowels i mean. it would have been great if we could have extracted the energy from these sugars. but at least it isn't hurting you.

first of all, when lactose reaches the colon, it cannot just be absorbed by the walls of the colon. the gut bacteria, found in the colon, take up the unfinished job of lactase. these microflora, as they call them, break down and ferment these sugars into fatty acids. that's awesome! except, this breakdown is accompanied by the production of several gases namely carbon dioxide, hydrogen and methane.

 these gases can create havoc inside you. this isn't as bad as an allergy though but the symptoms are still very uncomfortable. you might be wondering what the difference might be between a milk allergy and milk intolerance.

allergy vs intolerance

a milk allergy is more severe and can be life-threatening. since people may attribute their allergy symptoms to lactose intolerance. since allergy and lactose intolerance can occur together it is difficult to pinpoint the cause of symptoms. in short milk allergy is characterized by extreme symptoms like eczema and rash vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, anaphylaxis and asthma.

6 signs of lactose intolerance

around 36 % of Americans are lactose intolerant. so there is a chance that you also have some of these symptoms. 

what are the symptoms of lactose intolerance?

let's look at six early signs of lactose intolerance that can signal you to get rid of dairy products

No 1. bloating

if you've got a big round belly and you are skinny otherwise then you're not just fat you're probably bloated. bloating is the result of a build up of gases and water in the colon. the gases from the fermentation of lactose in the colon.

Lactose Intolerance


the bloating can be experienced within 30 minutes to 2 hours of consuming a dairy product such as milk. the time interval is important as it is an important marker that can tell which food you are intolerant to. if the bloating doesn't start even after two hours of drinking milk then you're probably not lactose intolerant.

overtime these micro flora become good fermenting lactose. the result well an air freshener follows you wherever you go an interesting thing to note here is that the smell that accompanies your farts is not due to the fermentation of lactose. but due to the fermentation of protein. we have been blaming it on carbon dioxide for no reason.

No 2. stomach pain

you should remember one thing that is not normal and experiencing pain in the stomach. right after you enjoy a scoop of ice cream that's not included in the deal. if you have pain and cramping after having dairy products don't try to blame it on the pizza that you had last month. it's probably due to you being lactose intolerant.

Lactose Intolerance


as we said the lactose from the dairy products goes undigested to the colon where the bacteria turn into fatty acids and gases. when the gases build up and the gut wall stretches. there are all the chances of some pain too. these pains are usually felt in the lower abdomen area especially around the navel. also the amount of pain is not directly related to how much lactose you have. it depends on how sensitive you are to the feelings of distension or the stretching of the gut wall.

no 3. Acne

people may also attribute acne to many reasons lactose intolerance is probably not one of them however there is some evidence there that dairy can cause acne too. we think that only the bacteria on our skins causes inflammation of pores but that is not true. what we eat also has a profound impact on our skin health.

even dairy milk and ice cream are more often associated with the problem of acne. this is an open area of research and more studies are needed to form a clear link between lactose intolerance and acne. if you have an acne problem try leaving the dairy products and see if it works for you.

No 4. Constipation

severe constipation is among the most painful things that we could ever encounter. if you have hard infrequent bowel movements accompanied by bloating and stomach discomfort then you're most probably constipated. there can be many reasons for constipation lactose intolerance is one of them the problem is not so much due to the lactose in dairy but due to the proteins in it.

Lactose Intolerance


however, lactose intolerance can also contribute to it. when a lactose intolerance person consumes dairy, the lactose is fermented by bacteria, that releases gases methane being one of them. this methane can slow down the passage of food through the gut, thus causing  a constipating effect. other more common causes of constipation include dehydration. lack of fiber in the diet, irritable bowel syndrome, hypothyroidism etc.

No 5. Diarrhea

consumption of dairy in small quantities can cause bloating and lactose intolerant people as we already said but what if the temptation to have an extra large bowl of ice cream is so great that you are prepared to feel a little uncomfortable then things will not remain at being only a little uncomfortable. when a large amount of dairy is consumed despite being lactose intolerant then you are more likely to encounter diarrhea.

lactose intolerance can increase the water content in our stool. this increases the volume of stool. you'll be paying a lot more visits to your bathroom this problem is more common in babies and young children. when the lactose in sugar goes to the colon you must have memorized it by now! remember we mentioned something about fatty acids as well?

most of these acids are absorbed by the walls of the colon, but not all of them. the remaining gases and acids are what cause diarrhea. this effect of diarrhea is not only caused by lactose, but any carbohydrate, if it goes to the gut undigested it can have a similar effect.

 as a rule of thumb, if 1.6 ounces of carbohydrates are present in the gut, then it increases the chances of diarrhea. lactose intolerance is not the only culprit behind diarrhea. there can be many other causes too, including medications, inflammatory bowel syndrome, and some medications.

No 6. greasy stool

the coloring texture of your stool can tell a thousand tales about your health one of them being lactose intolerance maybe you don't look at your do because of well obvious reasons. however you are experiencing some of the symptoms that we have described then you'd probably want to have a sneak peek at it.

 if you see some peculiar looking orange greasy mass floating around then don't get scared. instead visit your doctor and see what he thinks. if he also thinks that you have a case against lactose intolerance then he'll maybe run a test or two to confirm the suspicions. 

when you are experiencing with these symptoms. then it is probably time to say goodbye to wait not yet before you call it quits on dairy you need to make sure that it is dairy and not something else that is behind these symptoms. your doctor can give you a final verdict by maybe running a hydrogen breath test.

this test determines the hydrogen levels of the breath after lactose intake. if the hydrogen level rise after lactose intake then you are lactose intolerant. the most standard treatment of lactose intolerance is to get rid of dairy products in your diet. it's not for you however and you most definitely just have to have some dairy in your diet then you can try yogurt and cheese.

as these fermented foods are less likely to trigger symptoms when had in a lesser quantity. dairy is a great source of healthy fats calcium and other important nutrient show ever it is more harmful than good for people with lactose intolerance. parents sometimes don't understand their children's problems with lactose and force them to have milk. if there is a genuine problem and your child is not just trying to avoid milk then you should consult a doctor. consumption of food doesn't have to be painful.

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