You might be one of those people who get into digestive fits every time you eat some dairy product. It has happened time and again and you must have wondered what is causing all of the problems? Well, chances are that you are suffering from a condition called lactose intolerance.
What is lactose intolerance and why does it happen?
According to gastroenterologist specialists, lactose intolerance is a condition that happens when you have a deficiency of lactase, an enzyme produced in the small intestine that breaks the sugar found in milk ‘lactose’ into simpler forms like galactose and glucose.
In this case, when your small intestine does not produce enough of this lactase and the lactose goes unprocessed and undigested. In time, bacterial activities start in the food material and that eventually leads to symptoms like diarrhea, bloating, and abdominal cramps.
What should you do about it?
If you have lactose intolerance, then you need to avoid food containing dairy. Instead you can try alternatives like almond milk, soy milk, and other organic products. If you are having repeated attacks of lactose intolerance, then consulting a GI specialist in Dunn might be a good idea.
Here are the types of lactose intolerance you might be suffering from –
1.Primary lactose intolerance – In this case, you develop a tendency to not process lactose after you stop taking most of your nutrition from breast milk. This is the most common case and most people who have lactose intolerance belong to this primary category. As humans take more of their daily food needs from other sources which are not milk, lactase production goes downhill and sometimes to the extent of developing this condition.
2.Secondary lactose intolerance – This starts to happen when your small intestine stops producing the enzyme after a particular illness, injury, or surgery. This is quite common and if you like your dairy then getting on with alternative vegan sources is not at all a difficult thing today!
3.Sometimes people with certain types of cancer also develop lactose intolerance as part of a side effect.
Now that you know all there is learn about lactose intolerance, you can finally figure out where all the discomfort stemmed from. However, if your symptoms persist even after stopping dairy intake, then you need to see a GI doctor Durham immediately.
Getting your condition thoroughly checked is always a good thing to do!
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