Lactose Intolerance Research Paper

The lactose is milk sugar, a disaccharide consisting of one glucose and one galactose. When lactose reaches the small intestine, the lactase enzyme acts on the lactose found in ingested food, dividing it into the two molecules that compose it, so they can be absorbed, digested and transported through the bloodstream.

When the person has a lactase deficiency (lactase enzyme has a low concentration or does not occur), the dietary lactose cannot be digested in the small intestine directly passing into the large intestine where it is fermented by the bacterial flora, causing nausea, diarrhea , cramps, gas and bloating. This situation is known as lactose intolerance, hereditary lactase deficiency, congenital lactase deficiency or hypolactasia.
Lactose intolerance is very common and affects 75% of the population worldwide.
There are certain more likely to develop this condition, as the Asian races, where about 90% of the population has these intestinal disorder ethnic groups. It is also common in African, Hispanic and from southern India groups. In Spain, the disorder affects approximately 19-28% of the population.

Causes of lactose intolerance

Lactose intolerance can be hereditary (primary) or acquired (secondary). In primary source intolerance lactase deficiency is inherited in a recessive occurs (the presence of two copies of an abnormal gene for the disorder is needed). In humans, ingestion of milk is vital during childhood, and therefore at this stage of life lactase usually have high levels, which decrease progressively with age. Therefore, primary lactose intolerance is often manifested from adolescence, but can begin before age seven.

The congenital lactase deficiency (present at birth) is common in premature babies, as full-term infants often do not show signs of lactose intolerance until about three years old; symptoms occur when starting the intake of milk and include diarrhea watery, abdominal pain and irritability, and resolved to eliminate lactose from the
diet.

As for lactose intolerance or acquired secondary , stems damage of the intestinal mucosa or decreased absorption surface caused by different bowel diseases as gastroenteritis , malabsorption syndromes, Crohn's disease , celiac disease , malnutrition , short bowel, et cetera.

You can also shop lactose intolerance transient , or functional impairment as a result of any intestinal disease or treatment with antibiotics has affected the gastrointestinal tract, and in patients who have undergone rapid gastric emptying, usually after surgery. In these patients the activity of the enzyme remains, however there is no complete digestion of lactose by reducing the time of contact with the intestinal mucosa.

Symptoms of lactose intolerance

To identify this problem, think they can receive one or more of the following symptoms of lactose intolerance after the intake (between 30 minutes and two hours later) products containing lactose:

Sickness.
Abdominal swelling .
Abdominal pain.
Gases.
Diarrhea .
Foul-smelling stools.
Weight loss.
In some cases, it can also paradoxically, appear constipation by decreased gut motility due to methane-producing bacteria. These symptoms are similar to other digestive diseases such as celiac disease, the Crohn's disease or intolerance to milk proteins by other mechanisms, so that one must distinguish between them by relevant evidence, particularly in the case removing lactose diet and absence of symptom improvement.

Also, the intensity of the symptoms of lactose intolerance will not only depend on the threshold of each person, but also its intestinal motility activity lactose (responsible for metabolizing lactose) and its activity flora.