I recently found out I'm lactose-intolerant. My goddaugher Annie knows several people in her close circle who are lactose-intolerant and has coined the name "Lac-tard."
Lactose intolerance develops when the body has difficulty digesting whole and skim milk and other dairy products. Lactose is a milk sugar and like most sugars, it is broken down by enzymes in the intestinal tract so it can be absorbed as an energy source. The enzyme that breaks down lactose is called lactase. When the intestine does not contain lactase, then lactose intolerance can occur. It is a troublesome and annoying problem, but it is never a serious one. Symptoms include nausea, abdominal cramps and rumbling, bloating, gas, and diarrhea.
I've learned that it's fairly common. Most infants and small children have lactase to be able to digest their mother's milk, but as we get older, we lose the ability to produce lactase.
So, I'm now a lactaid-carrying member of this group. I've never been fond of milk or yogurt, but I LOVE cheese. Fortunately, swallowing a couple of Lactaid with the meal seems to work. It's great not being bloated all the time!
4 comments:
I'm mildly lactose intolerant as well -- it mainly bothers me if I drink a lot of whole milk (which I never do) or milk without food (which I rarely do). I used to use special Lactaid milk and tablets, but eventually switched to light soy milk at home. My symptoms were always fairly mild, though; yours sound more severe.
I'm glad the tablets help. I know you're like me, and could not live without cheese.
You might find that goats' and sheep cheese don't provoke a reaction like cows' milk does.
At least they have found out (hopefully) the cause of all your discomfort. Great though that you can take a tablet for it rather than having to avoid the products altogether.
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