What are the Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance?

There are a lot of people today who are suffering from lactose intolerance and many of them are not aware of it. Luckily, there are various lactose intolerance symptoms that helps people determine if they indeed have the said condition. But first, what is lactose intolerance? It is characterized as the body's inability to absorb and digest lactose (the sugar found in milk) when drinking milk or eating food that contain milk. Lactose intolerance happens when the body is deficient in lactase which makes it difficult to split lactose. Lactase deficiency occurs because of congenital, secondary or developmental reasons. Developmental causes are the most common reason for having lactose intolerance. In developmental situations, there is believed to be a decrease in lactase production as the person ages.

The symptoms of lactose intolerance appear after some 30 minutes to 2 hours after the consumption of milk products. Most often, the symptoms begin during the teenage years and will continue until they get older. Among the most common symptoms include abdominal pain or cramps particularly in the lower abdomen, bloating and gurgling sounds in the tummy. Other symptoms include loose stool (if not foamy) and flatulence. Although it rarely happens, newborn babies may also become lactose intolerant. Their symptoms include diaper rash vomiting, dehydration, foamy diarrhea, weakness and slow weight gain.

The severity of lactose intolerance symptoms vary. Some people can tolerate lactose more than the others. It is not clear why but many think that it is because of the different amount of intestinal bacteria present. It is a good thing that lactose intolerance is fairly easy to treat. The best approach to this is through diet. It is advisable for people suffering from lactose intolerance to limit their intake of food that contain milk such as dairy products. If you think you are experiencing lactose intolerance symptoms, you should speak with your doctor. It is best for him to diagnose your condition as its symptoms are quite similar to that of irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel syndrome, laxative overuse and difficulty digesting food that contain fructose and sorbitol.