What is Lactose Intolerance?

Dairy intolerance can cause people to miss out on favorite foods, like ice cream.

People hear the words “lactose intolerance” or “dairy intolerance”, and  it makes many of them stop and wonder “am I lactose intolerant?“  To know the answer to the question of dairy intolerance, we must first ask ourselves “what is lactose intolerance?”

Lactose intolerance could better be known as a dairy intolerance.  When you ask yourself, “am I lactose intolerant,” you need to stop and think of the times when you eat dairy food.  If you have gotten sick one time after drinking milk or ingesting other dairy products, then you can probably stop asking “am i lactose intolerant”.  On the other hand, if find yourself with a dairy intolerance every time you ingest dairy products or milk, then you might be lactose intolerant.

What is lactose intolerance ?  It is a medical condition when the body does not produce enough lactase. Lactase is the compound that breaks down the lactose in milk and other dairy products.   Lactase is normally found in the small intestine.  When the body is working correctly, the lactase in the small intestine breaks down all of the lactose in milk and dairy products before it ever leaves the small intestine.  But, for those who have a lactase deficiency, the body is unable to break down the lactose in the small intestine.  So, the lactose is able to freely move on to the large intestine, where it begins to cause problems.

Lactose intolerance symptoms vary widely between people. There are several reasons for this.  People may have different amounts of lactase in their body.  Therefore, they are able to break down different amounts of the lactase.  The more the body is able to break down, the less problems the lactose is able to cause in the large intestine.  Also, people intake different amounts of dairy products.  This creates a discrepancy in lactose intolerance symptoms, as well.  So, different people may show different levels of dairy intolerance.

Lactose intolerance symptoms cannot be cured, at this time.  However, with proper diet and some medications, it can be kept under control. So, what is lactose intolerance?  It is a condition that can be controlled and managed, if you keep yourself informed.

If you find that you may, in fact, be lactose intolerant, the following eBook can be a good source of information to help you regain control of your life.