Learn about the symptoms of - and a strategy to deal with lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance occurs when the intestinal cells do not produce enough of the enzyme lactase to ensure that the disaccharide lactose is being digested and absorbed efficiently. Lactase production declines with age. Only about 30% of the world’s population will retain an adequate amount of lactase production throughout their lifetime.
The symptoms of lactose intolerance are:
- bloating
- abdominal discomfort
- diarrhea
Total elimination of milk products is not necessary, since the body can take in about 6g of lactose (1/2 cup milk) without any symptoms. A strategy to deal with lactose intolerance is to:
- gradually increase the amount of milk products that are being consumed
- take milk products with other foods
- spread their intake over the day
This will change the bacteria in the GI tract so that the change in bacteria will help digest & absorb more lactose; there is no reappearance of the missing enzyme lactase!
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