Have you ever felt abdominal pain, cramps, or bloating just after eating? Isn’t normal? No, you should check if you are lactose intolerant or not.
This article will give you an understanding of things you should know about lactose intolerance, things as what is lactose intolerance, its symptoms, and how it’s diagnosed and treated.
Dairy product contains sugar and carbs called lactose. Generally, the body breaks down this lactose with the help of an enzyme called lactase. The inability to digest lactose is referred to as lactose intolerance or dairy allergy. This condition occurs when the body is unable to produce enough lactase.

In recent times, 2/3 of the world’s population is suffering from different types of lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance can be managed without giving up dairy products.
Symptoms
Symptoms of lactose intolerance generally appear from 30 minutes to 2 hours after consuming dairy or lactose products.
- abdominal pain
- abdominal swelling (bloating)
- Nausea and Gas
- Diarrhea
If you have any of these symptoms, please consult your GP.
It is significant not to dispose of dairy food varieties totally from your eating routine on the off chance that lactose bigotry is thought, as dairy food sources are rich wellsprings of supplements. Some dairy items (like hard and mature cheeses) contain no lactose, and others, (for example, cream, margarine, curds, and ricotta) contain very little. Many individuals with lactose bigotry can endure limited quantities of lactose with insignificant side effects.
Types of Lactose intolerance
There are three main types of lactose intolerance group:
Primary Lactose intolerance
Individuals who foster essential lactose prejudice — the most well-known type — begin life creating sufficient lactase. Newborn children, who get all their nourishment from milk, need lactase.
As youngsters supplant milk with different food sources, how much lactase they produce ordinarily drops, yet normally stays sufficiently high to process how much dairy is in a regular grown-up diet. In essential lactose bigotry, lactase creation tumbles off forcefully by adulthood, making milk items hard to process.
Secondary Lactose intolerance
This type of lactose narrow-mindedness happens when your small digestive tract diminishes lactase creation after sickness, injury, or medical procedure including your small digestive tract. Sicknesses related to auxiliary lactose bigotry incorporate digestive contamination, celiac infection, bacterial excess, and Crohn’s illness.
Treatment of the fundamental problem could re-establish lactase levels and further develop signs and side effects, however, it can require investment.
Cognitive lactose intolerance
It’s conceivable, however uncommon, for infants to be brought into the world with lactose narrow-mindedness brought about by an absence of lactase. This problem is passed from one age to another in an example of legacy called autosomal latent, implying that both the mother and the dad should pass on a similar quality variation for a youngster to be impacted. Untimely newborn children can likewise have lactose narrow-mindedness on account of a deficient lactase level.
Lactose intolerance diagnosis and monitoring
There is various method to diagnose and monitor the level of lactose intolerance, a few includes
- Hydrogen breath test – Generally, when the lactose is not completely broken by lactase, undigested food produces more hydrogen. This method basically tracks the hydrogen output from the breath.
- Diet Elimination – In the process, diet products are eliminated one by one, and the doctor monitors the response of the body after product elimination. If the symptoms reappear once the food is reintroduced, then lactose intolerance is most likely the cause.

Food that contains hidden lactose
- biscuits and cakes
- processed breakfast cereals
- cheese sauce
- custard
- milk chocolate
- pancakes and pikelets
- scrambled eggs
- quiche
- muesli bars
Check the food label before buying
- milk solids
- non-fat milk solids
- whey
- milk sugar
FAQ:
Can lactose intolerance cause cancer?
Cancer is a product of damaged body cells that multiply and attack healthy body cells. Lactose intolerance is a type of allergy to dairy products. These two are two different things.
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Reference:
- Lactose intolerance, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
- Lactose intolerance, MedlinePlus, National Institutes of Health.