Lactase deficiency, also called lactose intolerance is a medical condition in which the person who has lactose intolerance symptoms cannot digest lactose or milk sugar that is normally found in milk products or in milk itself. Lactose intolerance is not a life-threatening condition, on the other hand, most lactose intolerance symptoms are absolutely absolutely that it forces people who suffer from this to completely avoid eating any kind of dairy products.
Lactose Intolerance is resulting from the deficiency of lactase. Lactase is an enzyme that the small intestine produces that helps in the digestion of lactose into two simpler kinds of sugar – galactose and glucose. As a result of deficiency of lactase, milk sugar is improperly digested and absorbed into the blood stream.
There are approximately 30-50 million people in America who have lactose intolerance. It was recently found that certain ethnic and racial communities are far more prone to have this condition. For instance, Lactose Intolerance strikes 90% of Asian Americans, 80% of American Indians, and 80% of African Americans.
Lactose Intolerance Causes
.Primary Lactase Deficiency
Primary lactase deficiency is a medical condition that develops through time. The deficiency in lactase enzyme normally starts at 2 years after birth with this kind of lactose intolerance.
. Secondary Lactase Deficiency
Secondary lactase deficiency happens when the digestive system or the small intestines have been through a disease and cause a significant decrease in lactase production in the body. Examples of the conditions that may cause problems for the small intestine are celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn’s Disease.
. Genetic Reasons for Lactase Deficiency
it has been discovered by experts that lactose intolerance may be linked to the genetic composition of someone. This implies that there are some individuals who have higher chances of acquiring primary lactase deficiency as they inherited this condition directly from their biological parents.
What are the usual lactose intolerance symptoms?
One of the major symptoms of lactase deficiency is the uneasy feeling after consuming dairy foods. Diarrhea, bloating, gas, nausea and cramping are just some of the usual lactose intolerance symptoms that can either be mild or severe. The lactose intolerance symptoms pointed out previously can manifest in as quickly as 1 or 2 hours after consuming foods high in lactose.
There are different factors that could influence the degree the above mentioned lactose intolerance symptoms including the person’s metabolism rate, the person’s ethnicity, the person’s age and the person’s tolerance to lactose. The severity of lactose mal-absorption must not be associated with the degree of lactose intolerance symptoms. Considering this, the symptoms are indeed associated with numerous reasons such as how the food is absorbed, ethnicity as well as age.
If you believe that you are experiencing lactose intolerance symptoms, you need to consult a health care professional. Self-diagnosing isn’t a good plan as you can’t predict if there are other illnesses that cause your condition. Your physician will be able to help you in finding if you’re manifesting lactose intolerance symptoms, and develop a proper course of treatment.
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