What Causes Lactose Intolerance?

The medical community commonly divides the causes of lactose intolerance into four categories: primary, secondary, developmental, and congenital.

Primary - This common cause of lactose intolerance is a result of genetic selection. It affects specific populations, primarily Asians, Asian Americans, Africans, African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, and certain Jewish populations, whose diets over centuries have been lacking dairy products. Interestingly, the incidence of lactose intolerance among people of northern and western European descent is only 2% because their diets are traditionally rich in dairy products. Primary lactose intolerance usually begins in adolescence and continues into adulthood. In some populations, it begins during childhood.
Secondary - This can be attributed to damage to the lining of the small intestine. Damage can be caused by surgery or infection.
Developmental - An error in an individual's genetic makeup causes developmental lactose intolerance, which starts during gestation and can continue into adulthood.
Congenital - This is attributed to an extremely rare inherited genetic recessive trait that prevents the body from producing sufficient lactase. Symptoms begin right after birth.

More than 50 million Americans suffer from lactose intolerance. If you are one of these people, you need to take a close look at lactose and its function in the body to better understand the condition:

Lactose is a disaccharide sugar commonly found in milk and milk products.
It is absorbed through the lining of the small intestine.
For absorption to occur, lactose must be split into its components, glucose and galactose.
The enzyme lactase, found in the small intestine, triggers this split.
If your body lacks lactase, it can't split lactose. This remaining lactose causes the symptoms of intolerance, such as abdominal bloating, cramps, gas and nausea, occur.

To stop or at least reduce these symptoms, you may want to stop drinking milk and stop consuming dairy products. This is generally the recommended treatment for lactose intolerance.

But, giving up milk creates another health situation that can't be ignored. Your body loses milk's essential proteins and vitamins, including calcium, vitamin D, and riboflavin . These are all critically important for good health. In fact, getting the right amount of calcium (1,200 milligrams to 1,500 mg per day) is vital for growth and development in infants and children. Plus, if you don't get enough calcium throughout life, you can develop osteoporosis, or loss of bone mass, in your later years.

If you suspect that lactose intolerance causes you to experience bothersome symptoms, it's not a good idea to just give up drinking milk. Check with your doctor for a definitive diagnosis and for a recommended lactose intolerance treatment program, which is likely to include vitamin-rich dietary substitutes for milk and milk products, and perhaps a daily calcium supplement.