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BATTLING LACTOSE INTOLERANCE It is estimated that around 68 per cent of people in the world have lactose malabsorption, as reported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in the UK. When lactose malabsorption produces specific symptoms – including nausea, bloating, diarrhoea, cramps, and gas – it is referred to as lactose intolerance – a condition that is not to be confused with milk allergies. These symptoms usually start within half an hour to two hours of consuming foods with lactose. Being lactose intolerant does not mean you can never enjoy milk products, but you may need to experiment until you discover your personal dairy intake limits. WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS
Your small intestine cannot digest lactose if it has low levels of the digestive enzyme, lactase. The latter normally breaks down lactose into two simple sugars – glucose and galactose – which are absorbed into the bloodstream through the intestinal wall. In individuals who are lactose intolerant, lactose moves directly into the colon, where it reacts with bacteria, thus causing an array of symptoms. Scientists at the University of California - Los Angeles have found that there is a specific genetic mutation that is present in lactose intolerant people. This mutation was found across adults of different ethnicities (African, Asian, and European), which revealed that it was very old. Researchers said, “We believe that the variant we identified in patients is the original form of the gene – which (subsequently) mutated to tolerate milk products when early humans adopted dairy farming. This suggests that everyone was originally lactose intolerant.”
172 / OCTOBER 2021 ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE
Milk-like products from alternative sources
WHAT CAUSES LACTOSE INTOLERANCE?
