A kind of carbohydrate or sugar which is found in milk and other dairy products is called lactose. On the other hand, lactase is the enzyme responsible for metabolizing and breaking down lactose in order for it to be used and absorbed by the body and they are found in the digestive system. Insufficient amount of lactose in the body will result into the body's inability to metabolize and absorb lactose which will result into symptoms of digestive problems including stomach pain and diarrhea. The inability of the body to produce enough amount of lactase to break down lactose or sugar in milk is known as lactose intolerance.
Babies that experience irritability to some foods are usually diagnosed wrongly and are recommended to consume lactose free formula instead of the usual formula that they consume. However, people should know that the occurrence or the possibility of babies being lactose intolerant is rare. Typically, most lactose intolerance occurs or develops after weaning and this is known as secondary lactose intolerance. Secondary lactose intolerance may be cause by different factors including having frequent gastroenteritis which causes the stomach lining to weaken. This cause of secondary lactose intolerance is commonly a temporary condition and will improve when the stomach lining heal and strengthens.
Some of the basic symptoms of lactose intolerance are flatulence, abdominal pain and swelling and diarrhea after consuming milk or milk-products. But there are also people who are lactose intolerant but have some degree of tolerance for lactose. This means that they are able to consume foods containing lactose but in a limited amount or quantity. However if they consume excess amounts of food that contains milk or dairy products, symptoms of lactose intolerance may appear.
There are four main causes of lactose intolerance including:
-Congenital is the main cause of lactose intolerance. This means that it is in your genes and that the genes are the reason why lesser than normal amount of lactase is produced by the body.
-Next main cause of lactose intolerance is parasitic infection which causes the body to decrease production of lactase. This will then result to the inability of the body to digest and absorb lactose.
-Another main cause of lactose intolerance is Gastroenteritis because it causes weakness to the linings of the stomach and lactase to be stripped off from the digestive system. However, this cause of lactose intolerance is typically not permanent and normal functions of the digestive system will resume once gastroenteritis has been treated and healed.
-Iron deficiency is also another main cause of lactose intolerance since this may lead to the inability of the body to digest and absorb lactose correctly.
People that are lactose intolerant don't need to worry though, because despite the fact that they need to avoid or limit their intake of milk and other dairy products, there are already a lot of alternative food that they can enjoy without the burden of thinking and worrying that they will experience the symptoms of digestive problems as a result of being lactose intolerant. Therefore they will be able to eat foods like desserts that may contain milk or milk products.
Babies that experience irritability to some foods are usually diagnosed wrongly and are recommended to consume lactose free formula instead of the usual formula that they consume. However, people should know that the occurrence or the possibility of babies being lactose intolerant is rare. Typically, most lactose intolerance occurs or develops after weaning and this is known as secondary lactose intolerance. Secondary lactose intolerance may be cause by different factors including having frequent gastroenteritis which causes the stomach lining to weaken. This cause of secondary lactose intolerance is commonly a temporary condition and will improve when the stomach lining heal and strengthens.
Some of the basic symptoms of lactose intolerance are flatulence, abdominal pain and swelling and diarrhea after consuming milk or milk-products. But there are also people who are lactose intolerant but have some degree of tolerance for lactose. This means that they are able to consume foods containing lactose but in a limited amount or quantity. However if they consume excess amounts of food that contains milk or dairy products, symptoms of lactose intolerance may appear.
There are four main causes of lactose intolerance including:
-Congenital is the main cause of lactose intolerance. This means that it is in your genes and that the genes are the reason why lesser than normal amount of lactase is produced by the body.
-Next main cause of lactose intolerance is parasitic infection which causes the body to decrease production of lactase. This will then result to the inability of the body to digest and absorb lactose.
-Another main cause of lactose intolerance is Gastroenteritis because it causes weakness to the linings of the stomach and lactase to be stripped off from the digestive system. However, this cause of lactose intolerance is typically not permanent and normal functions of the digestive system will resume once gastroenteritis has been treated and healed.
-Iron deficiency is also another main cause of lactose intolerance since this may lead to the inability of the body to digest and absorb lactose correctly.
People that are lactose intolerant don't need to worry though, because despite the fact that they need to avoid or limit their intake of milk and other dairy products, there are already a lot of alternative food that they can enjoy without the burden of thinking and worrying that they will experience the symptoms of digestive problems as a result of being lactose intolerant. Therefore they will be able to eat foods like desserts that may contain milk or milk products.
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