Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance
is thought to affect up to 15% of people in
the United Kingdom alone.
Lactose Intolerance
is the inability to completely break down
lactose - the sugar found in milk and other
dairy produce - due to a lack, or reduced
production, of an enzyme called
lactase. Under normal circumstances,
this enzyme breaks lactose down in to two
smaller sugars (glucose and galactose) that
are then absorbed. Without lactase,
lactose travels to the colon where bacteria
ferment it, producing gases such as hydrogen
and methane.
This condition can
vary in severity from person to person, but
the following symptoms are often seen:
- Abdominal pain -
cramps
- Bloating -
caused by formation of gases that expand
in the warm conditions of the digestive
system
- Flatulence -
caused by the gases produced by the
bacteria
- Rumbling of gas
passing through the intestines - audible
to the patient and on physical
examination
- Vomiting -
particularly adolescents
- Nausea - may be
present, probably due to acidity and
gases escaping backwards
- Weight loss - if
kept unattended
- Malnutrition -
especially in babies
