Lactose Intolerance
Final Paper
5/2/2013
Lactose Intolerance The topic I chose to research was lactose intolerance. Lactose is the natural sugar found in milk. Lactose is made by joining a molecule of glucose with one of galactose (Willett 101). We are born with the enzyme lactase, which digests and breaks down the lactose. Some people do not digest lactose well due to a lack of lactase or their body may make lactase that does not work properly. Not all people with a lactase deficiency have digestive symptoms, but those who do have lactose intolerance.
The symptoms of lactose intolerance are not severe. The severity of the symptoms varies from person to person and how much of the food you have consumed. The symptoms also depend on the amount of lactose consumed (what food you ate or drank) and what other foods you consumed throughout the day. Your body usually reacts within thirty minute to two hours after consuming the food. You get symptoms because when “lactase can no longer break down lactose, it passes intact through the intestine until it reaches the colon, where it is finally fermented by the bacteria that reside there. As the bacteria do their job, they produce gas as a byproduct”, which causes discomfort and pain as well as bloating, cramping, nausea, stomachaches, gas, loose stool, and diarrhea (“Lactose Free Diet”). The symptoms are not terrible, but they can make a person very uncomfortable and might as well be prevented. Lactose intolerance can sometimes be mistaken as a milk allergy. However, they are not the same; being allergic to milk is more serious. A milk allergy is a reaction by the body’s immune system to one or more milk proteins and can be life threatening when just a small amount of milk or milk product is consumed. Milk allergy most commonly appears in the first year of life and typically fades after childhood (“Lactose Intolerance”). The symptoms include blood in their stool and abdominal pain.
Lactose intolerance affects many people; between 30-50
5/2/2013
Lactose Intolerance The topic I chose to research was lactose intolerance. Lactose is the natural sugar found in milk. Lactose is made by joining a molecule of glucose with one of galactose (Willett 101). We are born with the enzyme lactase, which digests and breaks down the lactose. Some people do not digest lactose well due to a lack of lactase or their body may make lactase that does not work properly. Not all people with a lactase deficiency have digestive symptoms, but those who do have lactose intolerance.
The symptoms of lactose intolerance are not severe. The severity of the symptoms varies from person to person and how much of the food you have consumed. The symptoms also depend on the amount of lactose consumed (what food you ate or drank) and what other foods you consumed throughout the day. Your body usually reacts within thirty minute to two hours after consuming the food. You get symptoms because when “lactase can no longer break down lactose, it passes intact through the intestine until it reaches the colon, where it is finally fermented by the bacteria that reside there. As the bacteria do their job, they produce gas as a byproduct”, which causes discomfort and pain as well as bloating, cramping, nausea, stomachaches, gas, loose stool, and diarrhea (“Lactose Free Diet”). The symptoms are not terrible, but they can make a person very uncomfortable and might as well be prevented. Lactose intolerance can sometimes be mistaken as a milk allergy. However, they are not the same; being allergic to milk is more serious. A milk allergy is a reaction by the body’s immune system to one or more milk proteins and can be life threatening when just a small amount of milk or milk product is consumed. Milk allergy most commonly appears in the first year of life and typically fades after childhood (“Lactose Intolerance”). The symptoms include blood in their stool and abdominal pain.
Lactose intolerance affects many people; between 30-50