Lactose intolerance
What is lactose intolerance?
Lactose intolerance (also known as lactose intolerance or lactose intolerance) is a digestive disorder, an enzyme deficiency affecting a significant proportion of the Hungarian and European population.
In lactose intolerance, the digestive system cannot fully break down (digest) milk sugar because the body does not produce enough of the lactase enzyme needed to do so.
As a result, the lactose enters the large intestine undigested, where it is broken down into fatty acids and hydrogen gas – causing bloating, diarrhoea and intestinal cramps.
Symptoms can be mild to severe, with individual differences being caused by the amount/lack of lactase enzyme.
Lactose intolerance can be a congenital condition, but in many cases it develops gradually into adulthood.
It can be caused by several factors: genetic predisposition, acute digestive infections or chronic conditions that damage the intestinal lining (e.g. untreated celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease).
Diagnosis of lactose intolerance
There are several ways to diagnose lactose intolerance.
ONDIAGNOSIS
Formal diagnosis is often preceded by self-observation by patients.
It may be useful information for your doctor if you carry out the self-diagnosis tests listed below and consult him or her with the results.
It is important to note, however, that this does not trigger a medical examination.
Lactose intolerance or its symptoms may be caused by more serious conditions, so it is important to consult a specialist if you suspect you have lactose intolerance or if you experience the symptoms mentioned above.
SELF-DIAGNOSIS CAN BE DONE IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS:
a) Diet test: consciously avoid dairy, dairy products and lactose for several days.
(Many foods and medicines contain lactose, so always read the list of ingredients during the diet.)
If the symptoms disappear, it raises the suspicion of lactose intolerance.
b) Exposure test: after a lactose-free diet, dissolve 50-100 grams of lactose in a glass of water and drink it.
If symptoms return within a few hours, it will confirm the suspicion.
However, the latter method does not give clear results, as the body may still be able to tolerate a certain amount of lactose.
HYDROGEN (H2) EXHALATION TEST
The H2 inhalation test involves ingesting 50 grams of lactose dissolved in water on an empty stomach.
An instrument is then used to measure the composition of the exhaled gases.
The test takes a few hours and is completely painless.
Read more read more here.
BLOOD GLUCOSE TEST
The test also involves drinking the lactose solution on an empty stomach and measuring blood glucose levels every 10-15 minutes after ingestion.
Examining the results, it can be seen that a flat function curve is obtained in subjects with poor lactose digestion, while subjects who are able to digest lactose show a characteristic peak in the curve, which is reached with a rise of 50-100% in 1-2 hours.
However, as this requires frequent blood sampling, it is nowadays increasingly replaced by the exhalation test.
GENETIC TESTING
Congenital lactose intolerance can also be detected by genetic testing.
The sample is taken from the mucous membrane of the mouth using a thin brush.
So the sampling is completely painless.
Managing lactose intolerance
At present, we are not aware of any method to help restore lactose tolerance.
Since lactose intolerance does not cause any health problems other than possible discomfort, treatment consists of minimising the occurrence and severity of symptoms.
Lifestyle changes should start with the following guidelines:
- avoiding lactose in the diet;
- supplementing it in order to increase nutrient intake;
- regulating calcium intake;
- use of enzyme replacers.
