LACTOSE INTOLERANCE

From time to time you might have taken milk or any product processed from milk and later got stomach discomforts. If you have, you may be lactose intolerant. Lactose intolerance is a condition that causes some people to develop digestive problems after taking milk or other dairy products.  Milk is largely made up of the carbohydrate lactose. Lactose is a disaccharide because it is made up of 2 different sugars namely glucose and galactose. The body cannot absorb lactose for it has no mechanism in place to facilitate this. Therefore, when milk is ingested, the lactose in milk has to be digested (broken down) into these 2 sugars which can be readily absorbed into the body. The digestion of lactose is undertaken by an enzyme called lactase that is produced in the small intestines.

The production levels of enzyme lactase have been known to diminish with age. For this reason, intolerance to lactose has been known to become prevalent with increasing age. It is still not clear as to why but it is theorized that babies solely depend on milk when they are young hence produce large amounts of lactase but as they age and develop, they are introduced to other foods and their digestive tract adapts by producing less and less lactase. This applies to everyone and thus it is fair to conclude that all adults are lactose intolerant for they produce little but sufficient enough lactase for their lactose intake. However, for some after the age of roughly 15, due to difference in genetics, produce far much less lactase than usual (too little to sustain digestion of the lactose ingested) and as a result end up digesting just a fraction the ingested lactose. It is these people who produce deficient lactase amounts that ultimately present with symptoms and are referred to as the lactose intolerant. The undigested lactose accumulates in their digestive tract and is broken down by bacteria (naturally present in the digestive tract) to produce short chain organic acids which are further broken down into gases. The accumulated gases are what cause flatulence (bloating, abdominal cramps, rumbling and constant breaking wind). The short chain organic acids before being broken down to gases cause water to be drawn into the intestinal tract from the surrounding cells leading diarrhea.

A one-time occurrence of the above mentioned symptoms is not confirmation for being lactose intolerant. You might just be having a ‘bad stomach’ day. The symptoms have to manifest every time you take milk or other dairy products and if so, it would be prudent to consult a doctor for medical advice. The primary way of managing the symptoms of lactose intolerance is to limit/avoid the intake of lactose to a level that can be tolerated by your body. When lactose avoidance is next to impossible, or on occasion one wishes to consume dairy products, there are lactase supplements that can be taken to top up the body’s lactase levels.