What is lactose intolerance? how do you get it? what are the symptoms? and how do you deal with it?
Lactose intolerance (LI) is the inability to produce enough of the enzyme lactase in the digestive tract. Without it, lactose (the sugar in milk and other dairy products) cannot be digested properly, hence the digestive discomfort, bloating and other symptoms.
Most people in the world are lactose intolerant in fact, lactose tolerance is a mutation allowing people to produce lactase after childhood and so digest dairy products.
People of western and northern European origin are more likely to be lactose tolerant, while people of east and south Asian, African, Mediterranean or native American origin are more likely to be lactose intolerant.
Also, the older you get, the less lactase you produce. So many older people develop mild lactose intolerance without realising it.
Symptoms
Lactose intolerance (LI) affects everyone differently. The most common complaints include:
Abdominal pain, Bloating, Flatulence, Diarrhoea, Stomach cramps, Vomiting. The seriousness and frequency of these symptoms can vary hugely from one person to another.
Diagnosis
Lactose intolerance can be easily misdiagnosed. If you experience any discomfort after consuming milk in any form, you may be lactose intolerant. Take our simple test.
Management
The good news is lactose intolerance (LI) needn’t affect your life at all.
In fact, the vast majority of people in the world are lactose intolerant and lead perfectly normal lives.
Try replacing milk with LACTOFREE to ease your digestive discomfort.
