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Dairy dilemma
Have you ever felt bloated after having a glass of milk or got crampy after eating a pot of yoghurt? If so, you may be suffering from lactose intolerance, an affliction that occurs when the body is unable to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk. In order for lactose to be absorbed, it must be broken down by an enzyme called lactase, which is produced in the lining of the stomach. Lactase is usually secreted along with the other digestive enzymes, but people who suffer from lactose intolerance don't produce lactase in sufficient quantities for the milk sugar to be broken down. The result is that lactose passes through the body undigested, causing stomach pain, bloating and diarrhoea.
An inability to digest lactose is usually hereditary. It tends to be more common in adolescents and adults from South East Asia, India, the Middle East and parts of Africa where milk is normally not consumed after infancy and therefore the natural production of the enzyme lactase decreases at a young age. Many people (particularly infants whose systems are prone to infections) experience temporary lactose intolerance if they have suffered from a gastrointestinal infection. This lasts only a few days and occurs because such infections can damage the stomach lining causing a sensitivity, or intolerance, to lactose.
Because milk and milk products form a large food group that provide an important source of calcium, protein, vitamins B12, and vitamins A and D, omitting these foods from your diet without appropriate substitutions can pose a serious risk of malnutrition. Women and children who eliminate milk and milk products from their diets are at the greatest risk. Children need adequate amounts of calcium to grow and build strong, healthy bones and teeth, while women need calcium throughout their lives to prevent the development of osteoporosis.
Fortunately for most people with lactose intolerance, small quantities of ordinary milk and dairy products such as yoghurt, hard cheeses and lactose-reduced milk can usually be consumed without significant symptoms. This is because hard cheeses and lactose-reduced milk have lower levels of lactose and the bacteria present in yoghurt is believed to actually produce lactase, which leads to partial digestion of lactose in the gut.
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