So * that is * why you get more lactose intolerant as you get older

Cheese is the ultimate comfort food – well, and ice, milk and butter. Is there anything that does not make these ingredients better? Unfortunately for our taste buds, dairy can become more difficult for our body to digest as we get older.

If you notice that you are unable to drink coffee with heavy cream or eat something too cheesy without getting sick, then you can be lactose -intolerant – even if you have never had a problem.

Lactose is the natural sugar found in dairy products. According to the American College of Gastroenterology, our body trust a digestive enzyme called Lactase to help break down lactose in simple sugars (called glucose and galactose). The small intestine then absorbs it and they reach the bloodstream as nutrients.

If lactose is not digested properly, it moves to the colon and is broken down by fermentation. This results in uncomfortable symptoms such as abdominal pain or cramps, excess gas, diarrhea and/or the sudden urge to have a bowel movement.

About 75% of the world’s population lose their ability to digest lactose as they get older. We have consulted with experts to find out why this happens exactly, plus some advice on how to deal with:

Why does lactose intolerance increase with age?

Drinking milk is needed for us survival … In the beginning.

“As babies, people produce significant amounts of lactase to digest the lactose found in breast milk,” said Linna Goelz, a doctor of natural medicine at Sonoran University of Health Science. “Historically, as soon as breastfeeding was done and solid food had been introduced, people no longer consumed lactose-containing food.”

And because people don’t ate so much lactose-containing food, their bodies have been adapted and naturally started “producing less and less lactase enzymes over time, which means that we are unable to properly digest dairy products”, said Goelz.

This “gradual reduction” of the lactase production is called lactase-not-persistence or acquired lactaseficiency. Dr. Janese slander, a gastroenterologist and founder of the Total digestive care intestinal theory certified by the Council, said that this is ‘a natural process that occurs in most people’ after childhood.

You may notice these symptoms as a child, or they can pop up on adulthood, depending on how slowly the production of lactase of your body decreases. Or you could be part of the approximately 25% of people who notice no change at all.

Your genes play a major role.

Ask your parents if they were more lactose intolerant with age, and that can give you an idea in your own future. “The ability to digest lactose in adulthood depends on the specific gene variants inherited from parents, which influences the level of present lactase activity,” said Lader.

She explained that the ability of your body to break down dairy is dependent on the person. “Although some may struggle with digesting fresh milk, they can find relief when consuming certain dairy products such as cheese or yogurt, thanks to the fermentation process that breaks down a considerable part of the lactose,” she continued.

Dr. Menka Gupta, a doctor for functional medicine at Nutra Nourish, noted that lactose intolerance is more common in people in Southeast -Asian, Eastern Asian, West -African and Spanish descent “because they are more likely to wear the gene mutation (APVEGETOA2, MCM6 ). ”It can happen to anyone.

There are other reasons for an increase in lactose intolerance.

Of course your feeling is complicated and there can certainly be other reasons why it does not break down dairy products as well as before.

“External factors such as gastrointestinal diseases, accidents that lead to injury injury, operations that influence the small intestine or disorders such as Crohn’s disease can contribute to the development of lactose intolerance,” Lader explained. “After a gastrointestinal disease, there can be a temporary reduction in the lactase stores of the body, which influences lactosetolerance.”

Other things that can cause an increase in lactose intolerance are infections, inflammatory or car -immune diseases such as gastroenteritis, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, chemotherapy and antibiotics, according to Gupta. These “cause injury to the intestinal mucosa, generally known as leaking intestine.”

You can manage symptoms of lactose intolerance.

Although a natural decline in lactase production cannot be reversed, there are ways in which you can help manage your lactose intolerance symptoms.

Our experts recommend the following:

• Restriction which dairy products give you the worst symptoms and eliminate them. Items such as hard cheeses, butter and ghee may be easier to digest because they have less lactose than milk or ice cream.

• Limit the amount of lactose that is consumed per meal.

• Eat fermented dairy products, such as probiotic yogurt or kefir, to break down lactose.

• Avoid other well -known food sensitivities and allergens. For example, if your stomach is sensitive to hot sauce, the food will lower your lactase production even further and your symptoms can worsen.

• Switch to vegetable, non-dairy products when you can.

• Take probiotics, especially those with bifidobacterium, saccharomyces and lactobacillus strains.

• Take a lactase supplement before consuming dairy products to reduce the symptoms.

Keep in mind that nothing lactose -not -persistence can really ‘heal’. “Although changes in the microbiome enable individuals to better tolerate various forms of fermented dairy, it is unlikely that changes in gene expression that would significantly increase the lactase activity to levels observed in childhood,” said Lander.

You must always talk to your doctor before you start new supplements or if you are worried about your increased lactose intolerance. Gupta said: “It is important to find out the cause of your lactose intolerance”, which can be done through different tests.

“Your doctor can recommend a suitable way of acting by removing lactose from your diet or taking steps to improve your intestinal health,” she added.

This article originally appeared on Huffpost.