Lactose intolerance isa condition in which the sugar (lactose) in milk cannot be completely digested by those who are lactose intolerant. They consequently experience bloating, gas, and diarrhoea after consuming dairy products. Although the disorder, also known as lactose malabsorption, is mostly benign, its symptoms can be upsetting.
Lactose intolerance is typically caused by insufficient amounts of the enzyme lactase, which is produced in the small intestine. You can still digest milk products even if your lactase levels are low. However, if your levels are too low, you get lactose intolerance, which manifests as discomfort when you consume dairy products.
Symptoms
The first signs and symptoms of lactose intolerance typically appear 30 minutes to 2 hours after consuming lactose-containing food or beverages. Typical indications and manifestations include of:
- the diarrhoea
- nausea and occasionally vomiting
- cramps in the stomach
- bloating
- fuel
When to visit a physician
If you often have symptoms of lactose intolerance after consuming dairy products, schedule a consultation with your physician. This is especially important if you are concerned about your calcium intake.
Causes
When your small intestine doesn’t generate enough of the enzyme lactase to break down lactose, which is the sugar found in milk, you get it.
Normally, lactase breaks down milk sugar into glucose and galactose, two simple sugars that pass past the intestinal lining and enter the bloodstream.
Lactose in your diet goes into your intestines rather than being broken down and absorbed if you have a lactase deficiency. Undigested lactose interacts with regular bacteria in the colon to produce the symptoms and indicators of lactose intolerance.
There are three varieties of intolerance to lactose. The underlying lactase deficit in each type is caused by a different factor.
First intolerance to lactose
The most prevalent type of lactose intolerance, primary, is caused by an insufficient amount of lactase being produced from birth. Since milk is an infant’s only source of nutrition, lactase is necessary.
The quantity of lactase that children generate typically decreases as they switch from milk to other foods, but it usually stays high enough to digest the amount of dairy in an average adult diet. When a person has primary lactose intolerance, their adult lactase synthesis abruptly decreases, making milk products difficult to digest.
Lactose intolerance secondary
This type develops when your small intestine reduces the synthesis of lactase following a disease, trauma, or surgery that affects the small intestine. Bacterial overgrowth, Crohn’s disease, intestinal infection, and celiac disease are among the conditions linked to secondary lactose intolerance.
Though it may take some time, treating the underlying problem may raise lactase levels and improve symptoms.
Inborn or acquired lactose intolerance
Babies born without lactase may have it, albeit this is uncommon. A kid must inherit the same gene mutation from both parents in order to be affected by this disorder, which is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern that is passed down from generation to generation. A low level of lactase can also cause lactose intolerance in premature babies.
Factors at risk
You or your child may be more susceptible to lactose intolerance due to the following factors:
Growing older. Typically, it manifests in maturity. In infants and early children, the syndrome is rare.
Ethnicity. The majority of people with it are those who identify as African, Asian, Hispanic, or American Indian.
Early birth. Because the small intestine doesn’t grow lactase-producing cells until late in the third trimester, babies delivered preterm may have lower amounts of lactase.
Illnesses that impact the small intestine. It can be brought on by bacterial overgrowth, celiac disease, and Crohn’s disease, among other small intestinal issues.
Certain cancer therapies. Your chance of developing it increases if you have received radiation therapy for stomach cancer or if chemotherapy has caused intestinal issues.
How it can be diagnosed?
You will discuss your family history and past health with your healthcare professional. They will examine you physically.
To evaluate if your symptoms improve, you might be requested to abstain from all milk and milk products for a brief period of time.
Your doctor can screen for lactose intolerance with a few tests. These could consist of:
Test of lactose intolerance. This test measures how well your digestive tract breaks down lactose. About eight hours prior to the test, you will be instructed not to eat or drink anything. Usually, this entails skipping meals after midnight. You are going to drink a lactose-containing beverage for the test. A few blood samples will be drawn over the course of two hours. These will measure the amount of blood glucose (blood sugar). Should your blood sugar levels remain unchanged, you might have a lactose intolerance.
Breath test for hydrogen. You are about to consume a beverage that is high in lactose. We’ll check your breath multiple times. You might be lactose intolerant if you have high hydrogen levels in your breath.
Stool acidity measurement. Infants and young children take this test. It measures the amount of acid in the faeces. A person’s stool will contain lactic acid, glucose, and other fatty acids if they are not digesting lactose.
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