Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose which is the sugar that is in milk. Causes by the body’s inability to produce a sufficient amount of the enzyme lactase, lactose intolerance can cause considerable discomfort for those who suffer from it. Without lactase to break down lactose it travels down to the large intestine undigested, where it produces symptoms.

Symptoms can range from mild to severe, and a person’s tolerance for lactose can vary depending on the amount of lactase their body produces. A person’s ethnicity and age as well as their metabolism can also affect the severity of their symptoms.  Hence some people will be able to tolerate small amounts of dairy, whereas others may be unable to tolerate any dairy at all. Symptoms can take between 30 minutes and 2 hours to appear after ingesting the offending food.

The most common symptoms of lactose intolerance are abdominal pain, diarrhea, floating stools, foul smelling stools and gas. Not quite so common and usually found in people who are the most sensitive are abdominal bloating, abdominal distention, and nausea.  In some if lactose intolerance is severe and not treated it can slow growth, cause weight loss and lead to malnutrition.

With lactose intolerance there is no need to treat the symptoms, since the primary treatment for lactose intolerance is to avoid lactose. There are medicines available that can replace the lactase that your body is not producing, this work well for some but not all people. It has also been reported that sometimes these enzyme pills can stop working after a period of time so it is not recommended for regular use only on occasion where avoiding lactose may be impossible.

Probiotics have also had some success in treating the symptoms of lactose intolerance but this varies according to the person and is not successful for everyone. Lactose intolerances symptoms are still best addressed by avoiding them which means avoiding the foods that cause them.