Lactose intoreance symptoms or food alergy?

You avoid all dairy products because you have, gas, bloating and maybe diarrhea after you drink a glass of milk or have a bowl of ice cream?

Lactose intolerance is often confused with a dairy allergy and end up eliminating some foods unnecessarily from their diet.

Food allergies are caused by the body's reaction to the protein found in a food and in case of dairy products, that means the whey or casein. When allergic situation, occure the body sends out a whole drama of reactions to fend off what it perceives to be invader. This cause symptoms beyond intestinal distress.

But, lactose intolerance is simply a case of limited production of the enzyme (lactase) that breaks down the double sugar, lactose. Enzyme is normally produced in the lining of the small intestine.When low levels occur because of genetics, alcoholism, increasing age,intestinal parasites, use of certain antibiotics,cystic fibrosis, some cancer treatments, or because of trauma to or inflammation of intestinal lining.

Lactose intolerance could be temporary situation with some people. As example would be someone with celiac disease who produces inadequate lactase while consuming gluten. When they become gluten-free and the intestines return to normal, lactose intolerance vanish.

Causes of lactose intolerance symptoms - bloating and gas: When the lactase enzyme is in low level, lactose does not broke down and travels into the colon. There it is consumed by the bacteria that live there, what results in gas production. With some people, undigested lactose in the lower bowel is causing diarrhea.

Suffering from lactose intolerance

Between 15 and 25 percent of northern Europeans suffer from lactose intolerance syptoms.

"The diagnosis arouses fear in many people, but it's something you can live with fairly easily," notes Anja Baustian from the Aachen-based Society for Nutritional Therapy and Prevention.

Lactose intolerance is caused by a deficiency of the lactase enzyme in the lining of the small intestine, which breaks down lactose.


It usually appears later, often after puberty. Declining lactase production with age is normal in healthy people too, so lactose intolerance so the discomfort associated with it occur gradually.

Some patients who have trouble digesting lactose aren't aware of it, and avoid dairy products intuitively.

Lactose intolerance is nearly universal in parts of Africa and in China. The condition is irreversible.


The consultation should determine how much lactose, and which foods, you can tolerate. Whether you tend to eat more carbohydrates or more protein makes a difference.

Fresh milk has a lot of lactose, yoghurt less, cheese even less, and butter hardly any at all, that is why hard cheese and butter are better tolerated.

If you avoid dairy products, make sure to get sufficient calcium from other sources.

Some vegetables provide calcium. There's also mineral water that contains calcium. Calcium tablets are alo option.


You can get lactase enzymes in dietary supplements if you dont want to avoid dairy product.