Lactose intolerance is when the human body cannot digest lactose, a component of sugar found in many dairy products, mainly milk. Lactose intolerance happens when the small intestine doesn’t produce enough lactase to break down lactose for digestion; thus, it stays around the large intestines, which triggers symptoms like:
- Bloating
- Gas
- Stomach aches
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
What to do when lactose intolerance symptoms occur:
Many people try to take matters into their own hands and start working on improving these symptoms themselves. However, it is highly recommended that you go and visit your physician immediately before changing your daily diet, as these symptoms can also appear in different diseases like inflammatory bowel syndrome or celiac disease.
Lactose intolerance tests:
Your physician might suggest taking some lactose intolerance tests to verify if it is a case of lactose intolerance and its severity. Also, they might do a physical checkup of your abdomen to examine the bloating or tenderness in the area. Finally, they will take your family history to detect any inherited type of lactose intolerance.
Other lactose intolerance tests might include:
- The hydrogen breath test: This may involve you fasting for around 8 hours before the test, where you’ll be asked to blow in a balloon-shaped bag after drinking a lactose-concentrated solution to measure the hydrogen level in your breath if it keeps on increasing after every breath to exhale in the bag, you’re likely suffering from lactose intolerance.
- The lactose intolerance test: This would also require you to drink a lactose solution and draw a blood sample out of your body after two hours; if your blood sugar levels stay the same or only increase slowly, there is a chance that you’re lactose intolerant.
- The milk tolerance exam: In this test, you will be asked to drink a milk solution ranging around 50 ml and then asked for a blood sample. The lab will again check the blood sugar levels, like the lactose intolerance test results; if the levels remain unchanged or rise slowly, you’re likely to be suffering from lactose intolerance.
Physicians can perform all three of these tests on adults and condescending children.
Lactose intolerance tests for children:
The stool acidity test for infants and other young children is the only type of lactose intolerance test there. The child or baby is given some lactose to drink in this test. People who are not lactose intolerant will be able to digest the solution, and those suffering from lactose intolerance will have high amounts of acidity in the stool they pass later on.
Conclusion:
Your doctor will suggest which test to take based on age. It’s best to take lactose intolerance tests before making changes. Once verified, the doctor will make changes in your diet, removing lactose-focused foods from your diet to relieve symptoms. You also have other milk options like almond milk, soya bean milk, or coconut milk. Hue companies are now selling lactose-free milk and curd options. For adults, meat-focused can replace lactose foods moderately with other options in the food hierarchy.