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Lactose is a very important component in our nutrition. Lactose is the type of sugar that is present in milk and any other milk products. Our human body is engineered in such a way that we have special enzymes to breakdown special sugars and so does lactose have a special enzyme. Lactase is the enzyme that breaks down lactose in our body and the people who lack a proper amount of lactase, often grow lactose intolerant. This process is also referred to as lactose malabsorption, which is a condition wherein our small intestine cannot digest the lactose taken in by the body.
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What causes lactose intolerance?
Like we read above , the prime reason of lactose intolerance is the lack of lactase production in our bodies. Although your body can digest the most heavy sugars but it also depends upon the gut tolerance of a person. This process is called as gut biome and everyone has a different gut biome. Initially it was believed that lactose intolerance is caused only to people who are older in age because as you age your body starts producing less lactase than before. There may also be factors such as age , ethnicity , premature birth , and etc that may be responsible for lactose intolerance.
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Symptoms of Lactose intolerance
The production of less amount of lactase in ones body is an internal process and hence the latter cannot be predicted easily. A person who is suffering from lactose intolerance may take a little time to show symptoms after the consumption of lactose consisting dairy products. The symptoms may vary from bloating , to gas . stomach issues . diarrhea , nausea and vomitting as well.
Treatment for lactose intolerance
Lactose intolerance is mainly a digestive issue which is caused if heavy amount of dairy is consumed without proper spacing in between them. There are various ways in which the lack of lactase can be treated like, for example:
- One may consume the dairy products with proper intervals between them or have them with their regular meals to ease down the digestion process. Dairy products like cheese , yoghurt , or milk can be a part of the meal.
- If a person finds it difficult to avoid the consumption of milk or dairy , he or she can opt for supplements like Lactaid, which act as artificial lactase supplements and breakdown the milk sugars readily.
- If a person id ready and willing to cut down dairy from their diet completely , they can find their calcium supplements in foods like almonds , dried beans , tofu , fatty fish and etc.
Research suggests that one can not completely avoid being lactose intolerant but it can easily be tackled. If a person decides to limit milk and other dairy products they can replace them with calcium substitutes and avoid the problem of lactase breakdown.