What is the Treatment for Lactose Intolerance?
The proper treatment for lactose intolerance depends on the severity of your symptoms, but nearly always involves reducing the intake of milk and other specific dairy products. This strategy is used because lactose is only found in that category of food and drinks and its consumption is what causes lactose intolerance patients to feel ill.
But if removing milk and milk products from your daily diet is the central component of your lactose intolerance treatment plan, you may need to replace the important proteins and essential vitamins found in them. These include vitamin D, calcium, and riboflavin.
In order to get proper amounts of these nutrients, you may choose to consume:
- Yogurt. It contains lactose in a composition that more easily metabolized by lactose-intolerant people.
- Goat's milk. Not recommended for children unless it's fortified with amino acids.
- Foods rich in vitamin D and calcium -- spinach, broccoli, shrimp, and salmon.
- Calcium-fortified orange juice.
- "Lactose-free" or "lactose-reduced" milk, readily available in stores.
At times when you feel you must eat or drink dairy products, there are over-the-counter caplets that can be taken to help ease the digestion process. You may also want to consider taking a calcium supplement, since calcium is so important for bone health. Nutritionists recommend that most people ingest 1,200 milligrams (mg) to 1,500 milligrams of calcium each day -- derived from food, drink, or a calcium supplement.
It's critically important to address calcium intake when lactose intolerance has been diagnosed in children. Calcium and vitamin D are essential for proper growth and development. If your child cannot tolerate milk or milk products, your pediatrician can make recommendations for sufficient calcium intake. He will likely recommend soy milk and formulas for children under age 2 and soy or rice milk for toddlers, and possibly a calcium supplement.
Aside from avoiding lactose-containing food, another lactose intolerance treatment option for adults and children is adaptation. This means adapting your body to lactose by gradually increasing the milk and milk-based products in your diet. You may be able to increase your tolerance to lactose without developing symptoms. Many lactose-intolerant people can tolerate small amounts of lactose, for example, up to 4 ounces (one-half cup) of milk at a time.
Due to considerable public awareness of the symptoms and causes of lactose intolerance, it's not surprising that so many lactose intolerance treatment options are available. But, before making any dietary changes, check with your doctor to ensure a proper diagnosis is made.
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