Many people suffer from Lactose intolerance symptoms. Sometimes it is easy to catch and diagnose, yet other times it is more difficult. How do you know for sure if you are lactose intolerant?
Symptoms can be different for each person. Each symptom of lactose intolerance is a form of discomfort in the digestive system. Symptoms may be severe or mild depending on each individual case of intolerance.
Basically when someone has lactose intolerance, their body lacks an enzyme called lactase. The body produces lactase in the small intestine. This enzyme is what the body then uses in digesting lactose. The trouble is when the small intestines do not generate enough of the enzyme to handle lactose when it is ingested.
The most common symptoms of having lactose intolerance are loose stools, abdominal cramps, bloating and excessive gas. Flatulence increases after consuming products containing milk. Some people will experience only a little nausea; while others will begin to throw up. These are all caused because the body cannot break down lactose. Usually lactose intolerance symptoms will begin somewhere around 30 minutes after consuming a dairy product. It can be as long as 2 hours before the onset of symptoms.
Lactose is a natural sugar which is common to milk, or dairy, products. It occurs in milk, cheese, and butter. Lactose is also found in product made using milk such as, yogurt, ice cream or cottage cheese.
Some people who have lactose intolerance symptoms can consume a small amount of milk products and show no symptoms. Others experience symptoms by only consuming a small amount of a product containing lactose.
A doctor can diagnose lactose intolerance by asking a lot of questions about what kind of symptoms you are having and how frequently they occur. They may also ask you to remove all dairy products from your diet for a little while to see if the symptoms subside. Other tests the doctor may perform is a hydrogen breath test or a blood sugar test. These can both confirm lactose intolerance.
A simple way for you to test to see if you are experiencing lactose intolerance symptoms is to totally remove all dairy products from your diet. If symptoms stop when these items are taken away you may very well be lactose intolerant. Do not consume any milk or dairy products for at least two weeks. Then add only one item back into your diet, such as milk. If the symptoms return you most likely suffer from lactose intolerantce.
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