Have you ever eaten something and immediately felt bloated, nauseous, or just bad? You may have experienced an intolerance to gluten or lactose, both common issues.
Lactose intolerance causes gastrointestinal symptoms when you lack the enzyme necessary to break down dairy products. The symptoms can be vague, so it's essential to know the signs of lactose intolerance to avoid discomfort.
At Gateway Gastroenterology, our team specializes in GI issues, including lactose intolerance. Our six specialists and the rest of our team offer various testing and treatments when you're tired of feeling lousy in your gut.
Lactose is one of the main products in dairy. It's essentially milk sugar that some people have a hard time digesting. Lactose only occurs in milk that comes from mammals, such as cows, goats, and humans.
Lactose intolerance is the inability of the body to break down lactose in dairy products. An enzyme called lactase typically works to break down lactose in the small intestine. However, people with lactose intolerance may have too little lactase, which causes difficulty breaking down the sugar.
You may have lactose intolerance for different reasons, some of which are genetic. For example, congenital lactase deficiency occurs in babies who can't digest the lactose in formula or breast milk and often results in severe diarrhea.
Adults with lactose intolerance have reduced lactase production, which causes gastrointestinal discomfort within a few minutes to a few hours of eating dairy products.
Some people can have a decreased production of lactase without having any symptoms. Others may have symptoms when ingesting large amounts of lactose, while others may only need small doses for symptoms to appear.
People who are lactose intolerant often have varying symptoms, depending on the severity of the condition and how much lactose is in their diets. If you eat dairy products and have any of the following symptoms within two hours, you could have lactose intolerance:
Symptoms of lactose intolerance happen when the undigested lactose sits in the large intestine. Food typically takes up to 10 hours to get into your large intestine after ingestion. Then, it takes another 24 to 36 hours to get through your large intestine.
That time range means you could experience symptoms up to a day or two after eating products with lactose. These symptoms can be severe enough to interrupt your everyday activities or be uncomfortable and embarrassing.
When you have symptoms of lactose intolerance, you may feel like there's no help available – but there certainly is. At Gateway Gastroenterology, we're happy to provide two forms of lactose intolerance testing to get you fast and efficient results.
We offer two forms of testing: hydrogen breath testing and glucose blood testing. Hydrogen breath testing is an innovative option for people with lactose intolerance.
During a hydrogen breath test, you drink a solution containing lactose. Afterward, we measure the amount of hydrogen in your breath to determine if you have poor digestion. The higher the levels of hydrogen, the less your body is digesting lactose.
The blood glucose test is similar to the hydrogen breath test in that you drink a lactose solution. Afterward, we draw your blood to determine if you have a rise in blood glucose levels. The higher the glucose level, the less your body is digesting lactose.
Both tests are good determinants of lactose intolerance, along with symptoms after eating or drinking dairy products. The best way to manage lactose intolerance is to eat or drink products without lactose or take over-the-counter supplements to aid in digestion.
If you'd like to learn more about our lactose intolerance testing, please call one of our offices in Chesterfield, St. Louis, and Ballwin, Missouri, today. You can also request a consultation on our website.