Are You Experiencing Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance?

For starters, do you have:

1. Abdominal cramping

2. Rumbling abdominal sounds

3. Abdominal bloating

4. Gas

5. Diarrhea

Not pleasant. The symptoms of lactose intolerance usually occur within 30 minutes to 2 hours after you eat or drink some kind of a dairy product.

The intolerance is a result of not being able to digest lactose, a natural sugar found in milk. And you can't digest lactose because your body is not producing the enzyme called lactase that is needed to break down the lactose.

Your intolerance level can vary, depending upon different factors, such as the amount of lactase produced, age, and ethnicity. Your tolerance level can vary from being able to eat small amounts of dairy products to having zero tolerance to any amount.

By now, you may be asking, “How do I know for sure if I am having lactose intolerance symptoms?”

The most obvious way, of course, is to abstain from any kind of milk product. This can be tricky, because you have to read all labels to make sure you avoid all forms of milk products.

Next, you can ask your doctor to administer the Hydrogen Breath Test. In this test, you are given a lactose-loaded drink. If you are lactose intolerant, the lactose is undigested in the colon. It is then fermented by bacteria, producing various gases, including hydrogen. The hydrogen is then passed through the bloodstream to the lungs. For the next 2 to 3 hours, the hydrogen levels are measured by having you exhale into a tube. Raised levels of hydrogen indicate lactose intolerance, resulting in symptoms of lactose intolerance.