Lactose Intolerance explained

Milk contains a sugar called lactose, and an enzyme called lactase digests it. If milk is not digested, it moves to the colon where the bacteria cause fermentation, leading to gastrointestinal problems.

Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance

1. Abdomen and bowel “grumble”.
2. Within a few hours of consuming milk or milk products there is bloating, abdominal pain and cramps.
3. Excessive gas and diarrhea

What causes Lactose Intolerance?

Some infants are born with the ailment and others develop it at around 3 years, when there is a steady decrease in lactase production. It continues throughout life. Illness like gastroenteritis, irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease and antibiotic medications are other factors.

Treat Lactose Intolerance at home

1. If you drastically cut down on dairy products, compensate by eating calcium rich sources.
2. Go in for lactose-reduced milk. You can even add lactase drops or tablets to the milk yourself, to reduce lactose.
3. Hard, aged cheese like Cheddar, Parmesan and Swiss have most lactose removed, and can be consumed.
4. Eat dairy products along with food so that more time is available to lactase to act upon the food.
5. Drink 2 glasses of skim milk on empty stomach and see if there are lactose-intolerance symptoms for the next 3 hours.
6. Prepared and processed food and sweeteners may contain lactose, so read the label carefully before buying any product.
7. Soymilk can be tried.
8. Fermented milk products such as yogurt with active cultures are easier to digest.
9. Whole milk causes fewer symptoms than skim milk. People can consume moderate amount of milk and dairy products without symptoms.