Why is lactose intolerance so common

Godfrey advises that you choose foods that are lactose-free. However, this is not the case. All milk products contain lactose but not all dairy products have it. There are plenty of other food sources that can provide you with enough calcium to meet your requirements and support strong bones.

As always, leafy green vegetables can do you no wrong. Kale and bok choy, for example, contain plenty of calcium. Soy products and canned fish like sardines are great choices, as are almonds, poppy seeds, and sesame seeds.

Lactose intolerance is becoming more prevalent in this day and age. There are plenty of alternative lactose-free and calcium sources that you can have. This way, you can still enjoy most of the same foods, just without the side effects! Here is a list of 15 foods that are rich in calcium, many of which…. A lactose tolerance test measures how well your body can process lactose, a type of sugar found in dairy products, using the enzyme lactase.

Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Lactose intolerance is very common. What Is Lactose Intolerance?

It can cause various symptoms, including bloating, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Lactose is a disaccharide, meaning that it consists of two sugars.

It is made up of one molecule each of the simple sugars glucose and galactose. The risk varies greatly between countries, as shown on this map: Share on Pinterest. Causes of Lactose Intolerance. There are two main types of lactose intolerance, which have different causes.

Primary Lactose Intolerance Primary lactose intolerance is the most common. Secondary Lactose Intolerance Secondary lactose intolerance is rare. Bottom Line: Primary lactose intolerance is common and involves reduced lactase production with age. What Are the Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance? If not managed properly, lactose intolerance can cause severe digestive problems. The most common symptoms are 3 , 7 , 8 : Bloating Abdominal cramps Gas Diarrhea Some people also experience urgency to go to the toilet, nausea, vomiting, pain in the lower belly and occasionally constipation.

Bottom Line: Lactose intolerance can cause digestive problems. Which Foods Contain Lactose? Lactose is found in dairy foods and products that contain dairy.

Bottom Line: Dairy products contain lactose. Bottom Line: Most people with lactose intolerance can tolerate small amounts of lactose. Good Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium. The recommended intake for calcium is 1, mg per day. Some good non-dairy sources of calcium include: Calcium-fortified foods: There are many calcium-fortified foods, including juices, breads and non-dairy milks such as almond , soy or oat milk.

Shake the carton before use, since the calcium can settle on the bottom. Boned fish: Canned fish with bones, such as sardines or whitebait, are high in calcium. High-calcium plants foods: Many plant foods contain reasonable amounts of calcium. However, this calcium is often poorly absorbed due to the presence of antinutrients like phytate and oxalate.

The signs and symptoms of lactose intolerance usually begin from 30 minutes to two hours after eating or drinking foods that contain lactose. Common signs and symptoms include:. Make an appointment with your doctor if you frequently have symptoms of lactose intolerance after eating dairy foods, particularly if you're worried about getting enough calcium.

There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Subscribe for free and receive your in-depth guide to digestive health, plus the latest on health innovations and news.

You can unsubscribe at any time. Error Email field is required. Error Include a valid email address. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you.

If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices.

You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Your in-depth digestive health guide will be in your inbox shortly. You will also receive emails from Mayo Clinic on the latest health news, research, and care. Lactose intolerance occurs when your small intestine doesn't produce enough of an enzyme lactase to digest milk sugar lactose.

Not having milk and other dairy products in your diet can lead to a shortage of calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin, and protein. You need 1, to 1, mg of calcium each day depending on your age and sex. Some things you can do to get more calcium in your diet are:. Symptoms most often go away when you remove milk, other dairy products, and other sources of lactose from your diet.

Without dietary changes, infants or children may have growth problems. If the lactose intolerance was caused by a temporary diarrheal illness, levels of lactase enzyme will return to normal within a few weeks. There is no known way to prevent lactose intolerance. You can prevent symptoms by avoiding foods with lactose.

Lactase deficiency; Milk intolerance; Disaccharidase deficiency; Dairy product intolerance; Diarrhea - lactose intolerance; Bloating - lactose intolerance. Maldigestion and malabsorption. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap Updated February Accessed May 28, Semrad CE.

Approach to the patient with diarrhea and malabsorption. Goldman-Cecil Medicine.