Lactose intolerance is known as the ability to digest dairy products such as milk which gives rise to gastrointestinal systems. It is caused by a deficiency of the intestinal enzyme lactase that divides lactose into two smaller sugars called galactose, and glucose, allowing lactose to be absorbed from the intestine. A survey carried out shows that 75 percent of people around the world are lactose intolerant, and many do not consume any dairy at all. You might fall into the same category as more than half of the world’s population.
Here are some signs to know if you are lactose intolerant
1. Diarrhea or Nausea after consuming Dairy
Symptoms of nausea, diarrhea and stomach pain that appear after you consume dairy products are an indication that you might be lactose intolerant. This doesn’t mean if it happens once then you are lactose intolerant, it is something that must have happened a few times for you to realize that you might be lactose intolerant.
2. You feel sick some hours after consuming dairy
If it often happens especially when you are not sick, then it’s an indication of lactose intolerance, people with lactose intolerance most often feel the unpleasant symptoms a few hours after consuming lactose as it is unable to digest in their system.
3. Abdominal pain or cramping after eating a dairy product.
When your stomach feels bloated and is accompanied by pain or cramping after eating dairy then it shows that you might not be able to digest lactose in your system, another embarrassing symptom is painful gas, this symptom occurs almost immediately to a few hours after eating dairy products. If this symptom repeatedly occurs on dairy products, then it’s because of the lactose.
4. There’s a change when you remove lactose from your diet.
Try removing lactose from your diet to see if there are changes in your body system and if your stomach feels better if it does then it’s safe to assume that dairy products cause your pain and you have to stop consuming them.
5. Undergo tests in the hospital
This is a foolproof way to confirm whether you are lactose intolerant or not. Go to the hospital to undergo tests. There are lots of tests you can perform like the milk test or the hydrogen breath test which measures the amount of hydrogen in your breath after consuming a lactose-loaded beverage; these tests should be performed under the doctor’s supervision to get the right results.
