Cheese, ice cream, milk, butter... These, but also many other products, are so delicious and desired by people during meals, in restaurants and wherever they choose to consume their food.
But are there any ingredients in these products that are not good for our health? It seems that over time, dairy becomes more difficult for our bodies to digest. If you have noticed that you cannot drink a coffee with a lot of foam, or you do not consume something very sweet, you are probably lactose intolerant.
Lactose is the natural sugar found in dairy products. According to the American College of Gastroenterology, our bodies rely on a digestive enzyme called lactase, which helps break down lactose into simple sugars (called glucose and galactose). The small intestine then absorbs these and they reach the bloodstream as nutrients.
If lactose is not digested properly, it moves into the large intestine and is broken down by fermentation. This results in unpleasant symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc. Approximately 75% of the world's population loses the ability to digest lactose over the years.
Why does lactose intolerance increase with age?
Drinking milk is a daily habit for many of us! Doctors say that after babies are weaned and introduced to solid foods, they consume less lactose-containing foods. Because people are not consuming as many lactose-containing foods, bodies adapted and naturally began to produce less and less of the lactase enzyme over time, meaning that we are unable to digest milk properly.
This "gradual reduction" in lactase production is "a natural process that occurs in most people" after childhood.
You may notice these symptoms as a child, but they can also appear in adulthood depending on how your body's lactase production slows down. Your genes play a big role.
Ask your parents if they became more lactose intolerant as they got older and that might give you an idea of ??your future. The ability to digest lactose in adulthood depends on specific gene variants inherited from the parents.
Your body's ability to break down milk varies from person to person. While some may struggle with digesting fresh milk, others find it easier to consume certain dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, etc.
Your genetics are a potential indicator of whether you may struggle with lactose intolerance. Other external factors such as gastrointestinal diseases, accidents leading to damage to the small intestine, operations also affect this issue.
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Source: Huffington Post
