What to do if an adult is lactose intolerant

Adult lactose intolerance is a very common disease in daily life. It not only causes great harm to the patient's physical health, but also seriously affects their normal life and work. People need to seek medical treatment in time when they find related symptoms and choose appropriate treatment methods according to their physical condition to recover health as soon as possible.

Lactose intolerance refers to a series of clinical symptoms mainly characterized by abdominal distension, diarrhea and abdominal pain due to the lack of lactase in the small intestinal mucosa, which leads to the difficulty in digesting and absorbing lactose in milk. Clinical manifestations of lactose intolerance:

1) Congenital lactase deficiency is often familial. Newborns will develop diarrhea as the main symptom 1 to 2 hours after breastfeeding, accompanied by abdominal distension, hyperactive bowel sounds, spastic diarrhea, and in severe cases, vomiting, dehydration, and acidosis. The stool is watery, foamy, acidic, and contains lactose. Physical signs: no weight gain, malnutrition, emaciation, anemia, abdominal distension, etc.

2) In addition to gastrointestinal symptoms, secondary lactase deficiency also includes general weakness, weakness, sweating, palpitations, chills, dizziness, headache, and sometimes precordial pain and muscle contractions. Adults who suffer from this disease for a long time may develop osteoporosis due to calcium deficiency.

3) Primary lactase deficiency is mainly characterized by intestinal symptoms, such as intestinal discomfort, such as abdominal distension, bowel sounds, excessive gas, abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc. Milk protein intolerance usually refers to symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, abdominal distension, etc. caused by drinking milk. A more serious manifestation is milk allergy, and a more common manifestation is lactose intolerance. The former is caused by an allergy to milk protein, while the latter is caused by a lack of enzymes in the intestines that break down lactose. The symptoms caused by the two are similar, and sometimes they occur together. In addition to gastrointestinal symptoms, milk protein allergy is also accompanied by systemic symptoms such as fever, fatigue, itchy skin, urticaria, angioedema, joint swelling, eosinophilia and other allergic symptoms. The above symptoms may appear within minutes after drinking milk, while others may take several hours to 12 hours to appear. Prevention of lactose intolerance 1) Consume dairy products in small amounts and frequently. Even individuals with lactase deficiency can tolerate small amounts of milk (120ml to 240ml) without experiencing intolerance symptoms. Limit the total amount of lactose consumed in a day. The general lactose limit is 12 grams. Eating small amounts frequently can also reduce lactose intolerance reactions. The amount consumed at one time should not exceed 250 ml. As long as you can grasp the reasonable interval time and total daily milk intake when drinking milk, you can avoid symptoms of lactose intolerance. 2) It is not advisable to drink milk on an empty stomach. People with lactose intolerance should not drink milk on an empty stomach in the early morning. Drinking milk while eating other foods, such as dairy products with meat and fatty foods, can reduce or eliminate lactose intolerance symptoms. 3) Use fermented milk (especially yogurt) instead of fresh milk first. 20% to 30% of the lactose in fermented milk has been degraded, making it easy to digest and absorb. Eating yogurt can also improve lactose malabsorption and lactose intolerance, and it is also very convenient to eat.