Late Onset Lactose Intolerance

I am now a sufferer of late onset lactose intolerance. A few weeks ago, I drank a glass of milk and became sick to my stomach later that day. I figured it was something I ate. Two days later, I drank another glass of milk and, too, attained mud-butt. I had become lactose intolerant at the ripe age of 24. I did some research and found this from: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/930971-overview. I guess I’m not a freak after all!

Lactose intolerance in adulthood is very common and is the result of a genetically programmed progressive loss of the activity of the small intestinal enzyme lactase. Some scientists believe that human adult lactase polymorphism evolved in the Neolithic period, after animal milk became available for the nutrition of older children and adults. Expression of the lactase enzyme starts to decline in most persons at age 2 years; almost 4 billion people worldwide have lactose malabsorption. However, symptoms of lactose intolerance rarely develop in people younger than 6 years.

Milk intolerance is more frequently due to milk-protein allergy than primary lactase deficiency. Although transient lactose intolerance may occur during acute gastroenteritis and as part of any process that leads to reduction of the small intestinal absorptive surface (such as untreated celiac disease), it is rarely clinically significant and, when present, can be easily treated with a short course of a lactose-free diet. Diagnosing lactose intolerance based on symptoms is fairly inaccurate; however, self-reported symptoms of lactose intolerance correlate with low calcium intake. Calcium supplementation should accompany any restriction of milk products.

So, cheers all my lactose intolerant friends. Asian soy-milk is now my favorite! Also, I can strangely eat all the cheese I want without any hitches – fingers crossed!