Lactose Intolerance Symptoms & Solutions

Understanding Lactose Intolerance in Kids

by WONDERMOM
Nov. 28, 2022

An individual who suffers from lactose intolerance is unable to digest the sugar known as lactose, which is present in cow’s milk and all other dairy products that are produced from cow’s milk. The small intestine produces an insufficient amount of an enzyme known as lactase, which leads to the condition. Even if their lactase levels are lower than average, some individuals are nevertheless able to digest a certain quantity of dairy products without experiencing any discomfort. Nevertheless, if this threshold of tolerance is achieved during a meal, you may begin to have difficulty digesting dairy products. This leads to a range of symptoms, the majority of which manifest themselves anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours after consuming meals that contain lactose. These symptoms often include, but are not limited to:

Diarrhoea
a feeling of nausea and, at times, vomiting
Cramps in the stomach
Bloating
Gas

The majority of individuals who develop lactose intolerance start out their lives producing a sufficient amount of lactase on their own. Lactase is essential for infants since they get all of their necessary nutrients from breast milk. The amount of lactase that young children produce decreases as they mature and begin replacing milk with other foods; however, the level of lactase that they produce typically remains at a level that is high enough to digest the dairy products that are typically included in the diet of the average adult. On the other hand, the lactase production of most individuals who are lactose intolerant drops drastically by the time they are in their early twenties, which makes it very difficult for them to digest dairy products.

Secondary Lactose Intolerance

In certain cases, the development of lactose intolerance may be traced back to an injury that occurred in the small intestine. This may take the shape of a physical injury, a medical condition, or certain sorts of surgical procedures. Some digestive illnesses, such as Crohn’s disease and celiac disease, as well as an overgrowth of dangerous bacteria in the gut and some internal gut infections, have been related to a secondary form of lactose intolerance. In addition, it is possible to be born with lactose intolerance; however, this circumstance is rather unusual and is often already prominent within the family.

What components of the risk are there?

There are a few things that, when combined, make a person more likely to develop lactose intolerance than the average member of the general population. Nevertheless, it is important to keep in mind that not all members of these groups will have these intolerances. These factors are as follows:

Age: the condition is far less prevalent in infants and young children.

Origin of ancestry: persons of African, Asian, Hispanic, and American Indian origin are more likely to be affected.

Due to the fact that lactase-producing cells in the small intestine don’t mature until the third trimester of pregnancy, infants who are delivered prematurely are more likely to have lactose intolerance.