The Lowdown on Lactose Intolerance

Picture this: You’re at a party and everyone’s having the time of their lives - drinking, dancing, eating. Soon enough, it’s time for the best part of the night. Yep, time for that gloriously rich,  succulent mud cake. Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate – doesn’t get any better than that, right? Well, unfortunately that’s not quite the case for approximately 65% of the world's population who are, to some degree, lactose intolerant.

What is lactose intolerance?

Lactose intolerance is characterized by the inability to completely digest the sugar found in dairy products, called lactose.

Lactose is a disaccharide, meaning it is composed of two single sugar molecules – one unit of galactose, and one unit of glucose joined together. This inability to digest lactose is most often caused by the body’s deficiency in the lactose-digesting enzyme called lactase.

In rarer circumstances, an individual can develop an intolerance to lactose due to damage to the small intestine, known as secondary lactose intolerance. This is often seen in those with undiagnosed coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or even after a bout of an infection such as gastroenteritis. This type of lactose intolerance often disappears once the underlying problem is eradicated.

What are the symptoms?

Firstly, let’s explain the science behind why the particular (and very unpleasant) symptoms behind this intolerance occur.

When a person consumes dairy, lactase is released from the small intestine to break down the galactose and glucose into their separate monosaccharide components. In a person with lactose intolerance, the lack of lactase in the body results in lactose passing through the small intestine indigested and unabsorbed, leaving it to be fermented by the bacteria making a home for themselves in your large intestine and causing those awful symptoms.

Common symptoms include abdominal cramps, bloating, gas, rumbling in the lower abdomen, diarrhoea – and a less commonly spoken about symptom, nausea -  that occur 30 minutes to 2 hours after the consumption of dairy.

So I think I may be lactose intolerant – how do I find out?

Even though you may be adamant that you absolutely, 100% do not get along with dairy whatsoever, it is always best to get it officially diagnosed by a health professional to rule out any potential underlying problems.

A hydrogen methane breath test is a common, non-invasive way to diagnose lactose intolerance (and other intolerances too). Simply all you need to do is drink a cup of lactose solution and breathe into a machine every half an hour for approximately three hours. If there is a significant increase in the amount of hydrogen or methane your body produces after consuming the lactose drink, and you begin to feel those terribly distinct symptoms you know all too well, you will be diagnosed with being lactose intolerant.

Other forms of diagnosis include blood tests, elimination diets and stool tests.

Okay, I now know I’m lactose intolerant – does that mean no more dairy, ever?

Being lactose intolerant absolutely does not mean you have to eliminate all dairy from your diet. Intolerant and allergic are not synonymous, and our lactase-deficient bodies are still able to produce some lactase, meaning we don’t have to shy away from that little bit of ice-cream on a scorching hot day. Lactose intolerance varies for everyone, and some people can handle more dairy than others – it’s all about finding out what works best for you and your health.

Some dairy foods, such as hard cheeses, contain little to no lactose and can be enjoyed without the fear of facing those dreaded symptoms later on. Yoghurts are another dairy food to not be feared, as the probiotics found in yoghurt do some of that lactose-digesting for you, so your body doesn’t have to.

Eating smaller amounts of dairy throughout the day rather than having an all-in-one-hit kind of approach is also a great way of still being able to enjoy the benefits of the nutritional properties of dairy minus the usual consequences.

Fortunately, the prevalence of lactose intolerance has brought about countless alternatives to regular dairy products to manage it. Lactose-free products - such as milks, ice creams and yoghurts – have been an absolute life saver for me. The only difference between them and their regular lactose-filled counterparts? Thankfully, it’s not an altered taste – the only difference I’ve personally noticed across the board is perhaps a slightly higher price tag due to the cost and effort involved in removing the lactose from these products.

Lactase tablets can be taken before eating dairy and once consumed, allow you to completely forget that you were ever lactose intolerant. These tiny lifesavers are loaded with the enzyme lactase, the one us lactose intolerants naturally lack, and allow us to enjoy any kind of dairy you can imagine – including that heavenly, chocolate-laden birthday cake you’ve been missing out on for too long.

Now, pass me a slice, please?