Lactose Intolerant

A nutritional diet includes a well-balanced meal; yet this task is not easily established by every individual. Can you imagine going day to day without the intake of dairy products? Typical foods that people find highly enjoyable are dairy based products, such as milk, cheese, and butter. However, some are restrained from consuming dairy products due to lactose intolerance. Many Americans encounter this problem on a daily basis. When people are diagnosed as lactose intolerant, digestion of dairy products can be difficult and harming to their overall health. The adaptation of this condition is so common, it has caused many grocery stores to have a special section for lactose free foods. There are symptoms, causes, treatments, and tests associated with this condition. Lactose intolerance has its own proper symptoms. When an individual stops ingesting dairy products and their symptoms improve, it can be reaffirmed that they are diagnosed with lactose intolerance (Bhatnagar). This is not to be confused with a common stomach ache. “Common symptoms includes abdominal pain and bloating excessive flatus, and watery stool following the indigestion of foods containing lactose” (Swagerty). People have different levels of severity when it comes to being lactose intolerant; some symptoms are worse than others depending on the individual. For example, ranging from a simple stomach ache, to a more complex nausea and vomiting. The severity to some go as far as to having uncontrollable diarrhea. One of the most common discomforts include bloating and abdominal pain. People who notice these symptoms should visit a doctor for proper treatment. For every symptom there is almost always a known cause. As for lactose intolerance, it occurs from the absence of lactase commonly known as lactase deficiency. This can occur via Congenital, Secondary and developmental. In a congenital cause, the lactase deficiency would have lacked since birth due to genes not producing lactase. Another benefactor for lactase deficiency is secondary cause of lactose intolerance. This deficiency is due to the unintentional harmful consequences of a pre-existing condition, where the lining of the small intestines has been damaged. Developmental causes are the most common of those who suffer from lactose intolerance. Like myself, lactase has decreased genetically as the years go by. The subject would have a sufficient amount of lactase