Why a lot of people decrease their lactose tolerance when they are aging?
| Lactose intolerance | |
|---|---|
| Synonyms | Lactase deficiency, hypolactasia |
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| Lactose is made up of two simple sugars | |
| Specialty | Gastroenterology |
| Symptoms | Abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, gas, nausea[1] |
| Complications | Does not cause damage to the GI tract[2] |
| Usual onset | 30–120 min after dairy products[1] |
| Causes | Decreased ability to digest lactose(genetic, small intestine injury)[1] |
| Diagnostic method | Symptoms resolve following eliminating lactose[1] |
| Differential diagnosis | Irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, milk allergy[1] |
| Treatment | Decreasing lactose in the diet, lactase supplements, treat the underlying cause[1] |
| Frequency | 10% (Northern Europe) to 95% (parts of Asia and Africa)[3] |
Lactose intolerance is a condition in which people have symptoms due to the decreased ability to digest lactose, a sugar found in dairy products.[1]Those affected vary in the amount of lactose they can tolerate before symptoms develop.[1] Symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, gas, and nausea.[1] These symptoms typically start 30 minutes to two hours after eating or drinking milk-based food.[1] Severity typically depends on the amount a person eats or drinks.[1] Lactose intolerance does not cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract.[2]
Lactose intolerance is due to the lack of enzyme lactase in the small intestines to break lactose down into glucose and galactose.[3] There are four types: primary, secondary, developmental, and congenital.[1] Primary lactose intolerance occurs as the amount of lactase declines as people age.[1]Secondary lactose intolerance is due to injury to the small intestine such as from infection, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or other diseases.[1][4] Developmental lactose intolerance may occur in premature babies and usually improves over a short period of time.[1] Congenital lactose intolerance is an extremely rare genetic disorder in which little or no lactase is made from birth.
