Not Everyone Can Drink Milk

Do you feel uncomfortable after drinking that cup of milk? After all, milk is the first food that is taken in after birth. It is a highly nutritious food that meets the dietary needs of a child. It is rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals and is essential to meet the body's nutritional demands. You have been drinking milk since your birth but lately it doesn't seem to agree with you. What could be the reason for this? Are you developing intolerance for milk, or what is referred to in medical terms, suffering from lactose intolerance.

What is lactose intolerance?

To understand this, it is necessary to give a little bit of background. All foods that we eat contain sugars. These are present in different forms but the body can only utilize glucose. So all the sugars are first converted to glucose with the help of enzymes and then utilized by the body. The main sugar present in milk is lactose. When the digestive system is not able to breakdown this sugar present in milk, you are lactose intolerant. This happens due to deficiency of an enzyme called lactase.

In the normal process, the body breaks down the food, with the help of enzymes, into simple bits and pieces, which is then used to maintain bodily functions. Similarly when you drink milk, the body breaks down the complex milk sugar lactose to simpler sugar glucose, which is easily utilized but when the enzyme lactase is lacking, the body is unable to do this and you are lactose intolerant. Lactase is found in intestines and is deficient mostly because of certain digestive diseases and intestinal injuries. The deficiency starts developing over a period of time and symptoms appear only after reaching a certain age.

Symptoms

When lactose is not broken down to glucose it is not absorbed and starts fermenting in the intestines. This results in the production of gases and the following symptoms are observed:

• Cramps
• Nausea
• Wind/gas
• Bloating
• Diarrhoea

Treating lactose intolerance

The simple treatment lies in avoiding the intake of lactose rich food. The levels of intolerance vary among different people. Some are able to digest certain milk products while other cannot digest any at all. So it is by trial and error that you are able to determine what to take and what to avoid. Those suffering from lactose intolerance can go for soyamilk, a good substitute for milk and comparable in terms of nutritional value. Even Lactase enzyme is available in liquid and tablet forms but should be taken only under medical supervision. Milk is a rich source of calcium. So to prevent calcium deficiency one should increase the intake of calcium rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, fish and other calcium rich foods free of lactose.

A carefully selected and planned diet along with proper intake of calcium supplements is the key to a healthy and milk-free future.