Lactose intolerance: symptoms, treatment, diet

Lactose intolerance. This term is familiar to some mothers of newborn babies, and also to those whose body can not normally perceive dairy food.

What is this disease? What are its causes and symptoms? How to overcome the ailment? And is it possible to somehow prevent its appearance?

All this (as well as many other things) you will find in our article!

What is lactose

Lactose is a carbohydrate found in milk and dairy products, sometimes called milk sugar. For the human body, it is very important and useful.

For example, lactose stimulates the formation of beneficial bifidobacteria, activates the production of vitamins C and B, promotes the absorption of calcium and serves as a source of energy.

Also, this organic substance can be used as a food additive to improve the taste and quality of products such as toffee, marmalade, chocolate and even sausage.

Very often lactose is used for medicinal purposes, for example, during the production of penicillin, and also for the manufacture of infant formulas. Of lactose is a very valuable drug - lactulose, which is used to treat serious intestinal diseases, effective for constipation, dysbiosis and other ailments of the gastrointestinal tract.

However, despite the use of lactose in medicine, some people have a rejection of it, which causes disruption in the digestive system and causes a lot of discomfort and unpleasant sensations.

Why is this happening?

Specificity of the disease

The fact is that for the assimilation of lactose is an enzyme such as lactase. It takes part in the hydrolysis of the disaccharide of this carbohydrate, so the inadequacy of the enzyme constantly affects the digestion of milk and dairy products.

Lactose, previously not sufficiently split in the body, reaching the large intestine, begins to cause unpleasant pain. It is noteworthy that some people suffering from this type of disease are not at all able to process dairy products, so they do not even touch them. Others who are ill can slowly digest lactose products, so periodically use small doses of milk and any of its varieties.

Lactose intolerance is more likely to occur in adults than in children. It is noteworthy that it is mainly affected by Americans, Asians and Africans. Europeans as a whole suffer from this ailment very, very rarely.

What are the causes of lactose intolerance?

Causes of the disease

The fact that a person can not tolerate this type of carbohydrate is often influenced by reasons beyond his control.

For example, with age, the human body begins to produce less and less enzymes for the processing of lactose.

In addition, sometimes this disease is affected by hormonal or genetic failure. Sometimes children are already born with a congenital lactose intolerance.

In addition, the effectiveness of the splitting of milk sugar can affect such diseases of the gastrointestinal tract as gastroenteritis, dysbacteriosis, ulcerative colitis, chemotherapy, intestinal injuries and others.

How can you tell if you or your child has lactose intolerance?

Alarming symptoms in children

It should be remembered that each individual lactose intolerance manifests itself in different ways. However, there are a number of main manifestations of this ailment. In total, this bloating and gas.

How to determine lactose intolerance in infants? Symptoms can be very obvious and intense.

First of all, observe how the baby feels when breastfeeding. Does he shrink to the breast himself or refuses to eat, realizing that it will hurt? Is it sweet to fall asleep after feeding or does he regurgitate milk and cry loudly?

In general, a strong, sudden and repeated crying of a newborn often indicates that it is disturbed by colic and pain in the tummy. This may be a result of lactose intolerance.

Also it is necessary to pay attention to feces baby. Does he have a sharp, sour smell? Is the stool is frequent and foamy, with a large admixture of mucus?

When examining a sick baby, bloating is also revealed.

Symptomatic Adult

How is lactose intolerance manifested in adults? Symptoms of this disease are as follows:

- a sharp periodic pain in the abdomen (following the use of dairy products);

- diarrhea (frequent and watery);

- flatulence (bloating and loud gas);

- nausea.

Effects

Against the background of the symptoms of lactose intolerance described above, other disturbing manifestations can also occur. First of all, it is:

- restless sleep;

- weight loss;

- headache;

- constant fatigue;

Irritability and bad mood.

If a newborn shows a neglected form of intolerance to milk sugar, then it is accompanied by a delay in growth and development.

What should you do if you find the symptoms listed above in yourself or your baby?

Diagnosis of the disease

Of course, it is necessary to consult a doctor who will prescribe the necessary examination and will carry out an analysis for lactose intolerance in order to be convinced of the correctness of the diagnosed diagnosis.

First of all, the doctor can advise you to pass on the acid analysis of the feces of the baby. If the indicator is below the mark of 5.5, then most likely there is intolerance to milk sugar.

Also, the attending physician will certainly recommend refraining from breastfeeding and using mixtures using lactose. If the child's condition improves, then it means lactose intolerance.

By the way, the rejection of dairy products will be relevant for a sick adult. This will help him to determine whether the enzyme lactase is actually lower in the body.

Also, the doctor can attribute a sample to the hydrogen content when exhaled. If the hydrogenic factor is above 20, then an alarm should be sounded.

And here's another way to diagnose a disease - a blood test for sugar. Sometimes you have to take blood several times to detect fluctuations in lactose.

So, the diagnosis is made. We proceed to treatment!

Treatment of the disease in infants

Treatment of lactose intolerance in children and adults can be very different.

If the disease occurs in a newborn, then, first of all, it is necessary to monitor the feeding of the nursing mother. She should use with the permission of the pediatrician preparations with lactase - an enzyme for the correct digestion of lactose, which, when ingested with milk into the baby's body, will help him to break down the milk sugar.

To improve the structure of the intestinal microflora, you may need to use drugs such as Lineks, Bifidumbacterin and others. People's remedies can also help here, which should be used very carefully and carefully.

For example, with bloating and colic, a light broth of chamomile and a weak fennel tea, which are recommended to give the baby three times a day, one teaspoon or 50-70 ml, respectively, can help.

Moreover, herbal decoctions of coriander, fennel, anise and chamomile will help improve the digestion of the child. Such a weak gull can be given three or four times a day, ten drops or less.

To eliminate symptoms, you can also use medicinal preparations such as Smecta, Espumizan, Bobotik and others.

Often, it may be necessary to completely abandon breastfeeding and transfer the child to artificial lactose-free feeding. Such an important step should be taken only after consultation with the attending physician.

However, we discussed the combination of methods for treating lactose intolerance in children. How to be an adult?

Treatment of an ailment in adults

Often the treatment itself in adults is manifested only in a complete and categorical rejection of milk and dairy products. And yet, remember that lactose is not only found there. Products containing this carbohydrate are sausages and sausages, spices and sets of instant foods, muffins and chocolate, chewing gum and vodka, as well as almost all fast food.

If you are horrified by the above list, do not worry - there are many products without milk sugar! Diet in lactose intolerance includes the use of such useful ingredients as:

- vegetables, fruits, berries;

- coffee, tea, juices;

- honey;

- rice, all cereals, pasta and legumes;

- soy, nuts and eggs;

- home alcoholic beverages (beer and own wine).

However, do not rush completely to switch to dairy-free food - listen to your body. Perhaps, in accordance with your health, you can from time to time, in small doses to consume dairy products. In addition, it is worth considering to switch to lactose-free milk and cheeses, which are sold in some supermarkets.

What to remember when dieting

It must be remembered that a complete rejection of dairy products is a huge deficit of calcium, necessary for bones and the whole body. Therefore, try to intensively eat foods rich in this trace element.

It can be:

- soy and nuts;

- greens and sesame;

- sardines in oil and dried fruits;

- Shrimp and olives;

- oatmeal.

Often, it may be advisable to take drugs rich in calcium, as well as other minerals - magnesium, sodium and phosphorus.

And what about the babies? How to enrich their body with useful micronutrients in the lactose-free diet?

First of all, the baby can introduce lure with broccoli puree and liquid oatmeal. It is also necessary to give the baby a drug with vitamin D. It should be remembered that the main source of this vitamin is, of course, the sun. Therefore, walk with your baby more often and do not be afraid of the tender morning sun.

As we see, lactose intolerance is a rather complicated and unpleasant disease. But this does not mean that all your life you will be deprived of the pleasure of eating tasty meal. On the contrary, thanks to a corrected diet and a wise approach, you will be able to enjoy even more proper nutrition and feel fully, completely healthy person!