Lactose intolerance can develop at any age. Many cases first develop in people aged 20 to 40, although babies and young children can also be affected. Lactose intolerance is not the same as a milk or dairy allergy. Food allergies are caused by your immune system reacting to a certain type of food. This causes symptoms such as a rash, wheezing and itching.
If you're allergic to something, even a tiny particle can be enough to trigger a reaction, while most people with lactose intolerance can still consume small amounts of lactose without experiencing any problems, although this varies from person to person. There's no cure for lactose intolerance, but cutting down on food and drink containing lactose usually helps to control the symptoms.
Your GP may also recommend calcium and vitamin D supplements. You may be advised to take lactase substitutes, which are drops or tablets you can take with your meals or drinks to improve your digestion of lactose. Milk and other dairy products contain calcium, protein and vitamins, such as A, B12 and D. Lactose also helps your body absorb a number of other minerals, such as magnesium and zinc. These vitamins and minerals are important for the development of strong, healthy bones.
If you're lactose intolerant, getting the right amount of important vitamins and minerals can prove difficult. This may lead to unhealthy weight loss and put you at increased risk of developing the following conditions:. Lactose is used in several facets of food processing. When added to food, lactose may reduce cost and regulate sweetness.
Lactose is fermented to produce foods like cheese, yogurt, kefir, and acidified sour milk. Lactose is also fermented to produce lactic acid, which has a number of uses in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries. The process of fermentation involves adding lactic acid bacteria and less commonly, yeast to milk or to a milk product.
In the clinical laboratory, the ability of bacteria to ferment lactose might help differentiate which bacterial species is causing an infection, such as food poisoning.
For example, Escherichia coli ferments lactose while most Salmonella species do not. Lactose is commonly used as a cutting agent for illegal recreational drugs. Cutting agents are chemicals or drugs that are used to dilute and add bulk to recreational drugs. The use of cutting agents is prevalent in illegal drug production, and the substances used for this process are typically less expensive than the recreational drug itself.
Lactose has some health benefits for babies. Human breast milk is composed of 7. The lactose found in human milk has a beneficial effect on the development of microorganisms that live in the digestive tract of babies. It also helps babies absorb calcium better. Lactose intolerance is when your body is unable to break down and digest lactose that's consumed in milk and other dairy products. The condition usually causes stomach discomfort.
Normally, lactase enzymes help to break down lactose. Lactose intolerance is very common, and it causes symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, cramps, and flatulence after consumption of dairy products that contain lactose. Lactose intolerance is somewhat different from lactose maldigestion. With lactose maldigestion, the activity of the lactase enzyme is reduced—making lactose digestion difficult. But it causes little or no symptoms at all.
Some babies are born with a lactase deficiency and cannot digest lactose in breast milk or formula. Severe diarrhea is the major symptom of this kind of lactose intolerance, and babies with this condition may develop dehydration and weight loss. Often, lactose-free formula is recommended.
Lactose is a natural sugar that's present in dairy foods. It also has a number of uses in the food processing and pharmaceutical industries. While lactose has many health benefits for babies in their development stage, adults can do without it. Instead, look for foods that are labeled lactose-free or lactose-reduced. But keep in mind that there are other important components of dairy products—such as calcium and protein—that you need to make sure you are getting in adequate amounts.
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You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Your in-depth digestive health guide will be in your inbox shortly. You will also receive emails from Mayo Clinic on the latest health news, research, and care. Lactose intolerance occurs when your small intestine doesn't produce enough of an enzyme lactase to digest milk sugar lactose. Normally, lactase turns milk sugar into two simple sugars — glucose and galactose — which are absorbed into the bloodstream through the intestinal lining.
If you're lactase deficient, lactose in your food moves into the colon instead of being processed and absorbed. In the colon, normal bacteria interact with undigested lactose, causing the signs and symptoms of lactose intolerance. There are three types of lactose intolerance. Different factors cause the lactase deficiency underlying each type.
People who develop primary lactose intolerance — the most common type — start life producing enough lactase. Infants, who get all their nutrition from milk, need lactase. As children replace milk with other foods, the amount of lactase they produce normally drops, but usually remains high enough to digest the amount of dairy in a typical adult diet. In primary lactose intolerance, lactase production falls off sharply by adulthood, making milk products difficult to digest.
This form of lactose intolerance occurs when your small intestine decreases lactase production after an illness, injury or surgery involving your small intestine. Diseases associated with secondary lactose intolerance include intestinal infection, celiac disease, bacterial overgrowth and Crohn's disease. Treatment of the underlying disorder might restore lactase levels and improve signs and symptoms, though it can take time.
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