Intolerance to lactose, milk in adults and children: symptoms, causes, treatment. How to determine lactose intolerance in a newborn?

Causes, symptoms and methods of treating lactase deficiency.

Dairy products are indispensable ingredients of the daily menu. They are rich in calcium and protein, which contributes to the growth of bones, and also protects the health of teeth, nails and hair. But there are people who do not tolerate milk.

Milk intolerance, lactose: symptoms, causes

The milk contains a complex compound - lactose, it breaks up into the gastrointestinal tract into glucose and galactose, which are then absorbed in the intestines. In order for the body to be able to split lactose, a special enzyme is necessary - lactase, which is formed in the small intestine. With a lack of production of this enzyme, milk intolerance is observed.

Symptoms of milk intolerance:

• Diarrhea, gas formation
• Bloating
• Abdominal pain
• Spasms

If after taking dairy products you have such symptoms, it is worth checking the concentration of lactase. This can be done in the laboratory.

Lactate deficiency can be congenital, but is extremely rare. Most often, doctors diagnose acquired intolerance to milk. It occurs due to such ailments:

• Ulcerative colitis
• Gastroenteritis
• Bacterial intestinal infections
• Allergy
• Crohn's disease
• Valikalia
• Viral bowls of the intestine

Even ordinary food poisoning can lead to intolerance to milk.

How to determine lactose intolerance in newborn and infants?

In infants, lactase deficiency manifests itself brightly. This is due to the fact that the baby is born with a practically sterile stomach. It does not have the necessary microflora to digest lactose. But this is easily corrected, first you need to make sure that lactase failure.

Symptoms of milk intolerance in infants:

• Bending with a fountain
• Anxiety at the chest or a bottle with a mixture
• Liquid stool with white lumps
• The sour smell of a chair

Analysis for lactose intolerance

Symptoms are not enough to make a diagnosis, usually doctors prescribe additional studies.

Lactose intolerance tests:

• Analysis for sugar. This is a common analysis that patients with diabetes often pass. During the test, a person on an empty stomach donates blood early in the morning. After that, he drinks a glass of milk and again goes to the laboratory to pass the analysis. With normal breakdown of lactose, the sugar level increases significantly. If there is lactase deficiency, then the indicators will practically not change
• Analysis for hydrogen. These are studies of exhaled air. With a huge amount of hydrogen after taking milk, we can judge lactase failure
• Supplies of the mucosa. Simply put - this is a study, during which a piece of the mucosa is taken and its structure is studied. Now this type of research is not applied

Genetic intolerance to lactose

Genetic intolerance is characteristic of all newborns. After all, the baby is born into the light, without any inhabitants in the intestine. After the first attachment to the chest, the intestines are populated by microorganisms. By age -old age, all symptoms associated with lactase deficiency disappear.

There is a category of people whose lactase is not produced at all. Accordingly, they have to live without the use of dairy products. This feature is associated with the mutation of the gene, due to which the intestines work incorrectly.

Lactose intolerance allergies

There are different concepts that people confuse. Allergy to milk and intolerance are different ailments. With allergies, a lot of histamine is formed in the body. With lactase insufficiency, the body simply cannot digest milk.

To clarify the diagnosis, you should contact a gastroenterologist or allergist. It is enough to take a blood test for allergens and feces.

What products contain lactose?

Despite the confidence of many that lactose is available only in milk and dairy products, this is not so. Oddly enough, but this protein is contained even in sugarin and tablets.

List of lactose products:

• Ice cream
• Dairy
• Chocolate
• Mashed potatoes
• Bakery products
• Confectionery and baking
• Fast food
• Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise
• Soups in bags
• Sausages

Is it possible to replace them with lactic cheese and milk?

• It all depends on the diagnosis, if you are allergic to lactose, then in lactic milk or cheese, milk protein remains unchanged
• You will still have a liquid chair, lacrimation and skin rashes. If you have lactase failure, then you can safely eat foods without lactose
• In such products, lactose is already split into galactose and glucose, respectively, in your body, the product will not need to split
• In general, the composition of products is such as in ordinary dairy. Cheese and milk contain proteins, calcium and useful trace elements

Lactose intolerance drugs

It all depends on the type of ailment. Children up to a year are often prescribed drugs with lactobacilli, it is they who will heal the microflora and allow the intestines to work normally.

Drugs for lactose intolerance:

• Lactase
• Lactraz
• Lactozym
• Maxilak
• Lact-aid

All these drugs make up for lactase deficiency and are effective for genetic lactase failure in children.

Lactose intolerance treatment

If we are talking about acquired lactase deficiency, then it is necessary to cure the main ailment. That is, you need to drink antibacterial and antiviral drugs for colitis and gastroenteritis.

After eliminating the main problem, the production of lactase will work out. After antibiotic therapy, drugs containing lactobacilli are often prescribed:

• Linex
• Lactovit
• Biogay
• Lactiala

If genetic intolerance associated with a violation of lactase production is confirmed, then the patient is prescribed a diet. The entire diet should not contain lactose. In this case, the patient is prescribed calcium and vitamins.

It is impossible to limit the consumption of milk and dairy products independently. It is worth finding out the cause of milk intolerance and eliminate it.

Lactic deficiency is a complex and common disease, from which 16% of the earth's population suffers. Only 1% of patients have genetic lactacus insufficiency, which is treated with refusal of dairy products. It is impossible to abandon milk with secondary failure.

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