As you know, lactose intolerance is the inability to absorb lactose, which is found in milk and dairy products. Learn more, how to recognize it and not confuse it with other diseases.

It's all about enzymes. Usually our body produces an enzyme called lactase. When you drink a glass of milk or eat cottage cheese, lactase helps to split milk sugar into simpler sugars, which then enter the bloodstream. Lactose intolerance arises if you have a deficiency is lactase, that is, your body does not produce enough of it.

Turn to the doctor Some stomach diseases have the same symptoms as lactose intolerance, and only a doctor who prescribes tests can make an accurate diagnosis.

Lactose can be found in a variety of foods For example, in bakery products, cereals and sweets.

Not all have symptoms of intolerance. Usually, stomach problems for those who do not tolerate lactose, begin several hours after drinking a glass of milk. But, nevertheless, there are cases when the symptoms of intolerance do not appear in a person.

Intolerance manifests itself with age Most people who suffer from lactose intolerance lose the ability to digest milk as early as childhood, between 2 and 12 years old, but symptoms may begin to appear only in a more mature period of life.

Intolerance is different from allergy Allergy to milk is less common, and its symptoms are more serious - rashes, itching in the eyes and wheezing. People with allergies are generally prohibited from eating dairy products.

There are many such people About 65 percent of the world's people do not tolerate lactose in one way or another. Most often this affects Africans, Asians and Hispanics, and least of all - the inhabitants of northern and western Europe.

Not all dairy products are "intolerable" Most people with lactose intolerance can eat hard, aged cheeses or drink a little milk and yogurt and they will not have any side effects.

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