Consider yourself lucky if you can consume ice cream, cheese and other dairy products without having to rush to the bathroom few hours later. The ability to digest dairy or lactose, the main sugar found in milk, needs an enzyme called lactase. Not all of us has that in our body. People who lack this enzyme, can experience discomfort like bloating, gas, cramping, and even diarrhea from consuming dairy products. This condition is known as lactose intolerance.
Dairy doesn’t always agree with 65% of the population’s stomach. Lactose intolerance can develop as you get older and also depends on where you’re from. More than 90% of East Asians are thought to be lactose intolerant and only around 5% of northern European descent suffer from this digestive problem.
Here are some more facts about lactose intolerance which you might be unaware of.
1. Not everyone shows symptoms
Lactose intolerance has its own way of showing up, depending upon person to person. It doesn’t affect everyone the same way.
Undigested lactose can cause major gastrointestinal symptoms in some, while others may only experience mild reactions. The symptoms can range from gas and bloating to abdominal pain and diarrhea.
2. Even if you’re not lactose intolerance now, you could develop it later
There is a likelihood that you usually grow into becoming intolerant towards lactose. Maybe as a kid, you could chug down milk like crazy, but not so much anymore. Most people lose the ability to break the lactase enzyme as they get older. Research states that 75% of the population turn lactose intolerant over time.
3. It is not an allergy
Lactose intolerance is not exactly the same as being allergic to milk. Milk allergy could be more dangerous as your body doesn’t recognize milk & attempts to fight against it.
It is recommended to get tested to identify is you are allergic to milk.
4. Infants can be lactose intolerant too
Babies can inherent genes from their parents and suffer congenital lactose intolerance. This is due to the mutation of the LCT gene, which causes the small intestine of the baby to produce little or no amount of lactase when they are born.
However, doctors say that this condition in babies is really rare.
5. Lactose could be found in places you’d not expect
Apart from the obvious milk products, dairy can also be found in sneaking in other products too. Cereals, baked goods, and candies all contain lactose. To be on the safer side, check labels for the words that indicate dairy like whey, curds, and dry milk solids, and avoid these products if they aggravate your stomach.
6. Not everything is off-limits
You still have options. You don’t have to say goodbye to each and every dairy product out there. As mentioned earlier, being lactose intolerant is different for everyone. It might not affect you in a major way and you still might have no trouble consuming certain forms of cheese and yogurt. Dairy products which contain low levels of lactase include hard or aged cheese, and yogurt which has fermented milk.
If you are not sure of you’re symptoms and are still in doubt, consult your doctor and run some allergy tests to find out whether or not you can enjoy that scoop of your favorite ice cream.
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