A few years ago, many people who asked for soy or almond milk in a restaurant were looked at questioningly. If you then replied to the waiter, "I'm lactose intolerant," many looked like a cow in a thunderstorm. Keyword "cow": Nowadays almost everyone knows what lactose intolerance means. Avoiding milk and dairy products has even become a trend. Skeptical people, however, claim that only Asians are lactose intolerant or that lactose intolerance is even made up because we can all drink milk as babies.
In this article, we would like to clarify the myths surrounding lactose intolerance based on facts. With regard to the current state of scientific knowledge, we would like to shed light on the dilemma of dairy products:
Who can be lactose intolerant? What does that actually mean? And can lactose intolerance be cured? And if so, how?
You will learn this and more in this article.
What is lactose intolerance?
If a person suffers from lactose intolerance, they cannot digest the milk sugar from dairy products sufficiently or hardly at all. This milk sugar in milk is called lactose. Lactose is not only found in cow's milk, but also in the milk of cows, sheep, goats and donkeys, as well as in a woman's breast milk.
If a person with lactose intolerance consumes a product that contains lactose, diarrhea, flatulence, bloating and stomach pain are common consequences. Some people even vomit or become constipated.
People who are lactose intolerant have difficulty digesting milk sugar (lactose) because they lack the enzyme “lactase” necessary for the digestive process or because the body produces too little of it.
Lactase is an enzyme that breaks down lactose in the intestine. Our body produces it itself. If a person consumes a certain amount of milk sugar, the lactase breaks down the lactose in the intestine.
However, if there is more lactose in the intestine than the available lactase can break down, the remaining lactose is transported to the large intestine. There, the so-called fermentation process of the lactose then causes gas formation and other breakdown products that lead to the typical symptoms of lactose intolerance.
How can this happen?
There are basically different types of lactose intolerance. In most cases, lactose intolerance is congenital, i.e. hereditary. Lactose intolerance can also be acquired and acquired unconsciously. This can happen through a balanced diet or illness - more on that in a moment.
If we look at the entire world population, lactose intolerance is relatively widespread – although less so in Europe.
Who is genetically predisposed?
In Europe, only 5 to 15% of adults are lactose intolerant. In Northern Europe, this percentage is even lower. In East Asia and Africa, however, 65-90% of adults are lactose intolerant. In Switzerland, only one in five people is lactose intolerant, while in Germany, for example, 15% of the population is lactose intolerant.
This astonishingly different distribution can be explained by evolution: Dairy farming has been practiced in Europe, and particularly in Northern Europe, for many, many hundreds of years. The local population therefore had enough time to get used to digesting dairy products. In addition, people who could digest lactose well at that time probably had a higher survival rate than people who could not digest milk sugar well and had to resort to alternative, less available foods that often had less nutritional value. Those people who could digest lactose reproduced successfully and spread lactose intolerance across Europe.
Therefore, those who are genetically or hereditarily predisposed mainly come from Asia or Africa or have roots in these regions of the world.
Now you might say that you are indeed lactose intolerant, even though you do not have roots in the “lactose intolerant” regions of the world. This may be true and you may be one of the few people in Europe who actually suffers from lactose intolerance.
However, it is more likely that you have acquired lactose intolerance unconsciously and unknowingly. And how does that happen?
Acquired lactose intolerance
In infancy and childhood, our bodies are designed to digest lactose because it is contained in breast milk. For this reason, children under five are very rarely lactose intolerant.
However, it is completely normal that the enzyme activity of lactase decreases with age. We eat solid food, eat a more varied diet and are no longer dependent on breast milk, which is why our body also has to produce less lactase.
Some people mistakenly describe lactose intolerance as an allergy - but this is incorrect. It is possible to be allergic to cow's milk protein, but this is clearly different from lactose intolerance.
Acquired lactose intolerance occurs, for example, when a person can generally digest lactose, but abruptly stops consuming dairy products. Gradually, this person's body will limit the natural production of lactase to such an extent that a sudden and unusual consumption of dairy products cannot be digested with sufficient lactase - the symptoms of lactose intolerance arise.
Another reason, related to the one already mentioned, is damage to the intestinal flora. If our intestinal mucosa is damaged by an illness such as Crohn's disease or celiac disease, then the digestion of lactose can be disturbed - lactose intolerance is acquired.
Many people who avoid dairy products and do not consciously balance the supply of good intestinal bacteria unconsciously damage their intestinal flora, which in turn can result in acquired lactose intolerance.
Likewise, taking antibiotics damages the intestinal flora and can lead to lactose intolerance.
Can this damage or acquisition of lactose intolerance be reversed?
Can you become lactose tolerant again?
The answer is “yes”.
If you are not one of the few people who actually suffer from lactose intolerance, then the cause of your problems digesting lactose may be due to damaged intestinal flora or an acquired weaning of lactase enzyme activity.
The path to lactose tolerance can be achieved through intestinal cleansing. Before you take this path, you should check with a doctor to make sure that you are not actually suffering from congenital lactose intolerance.
Colostrum , for example, is ideal for regenerating intestinal mucosal cells. Colostrum is the first substance that is given to a newborn after a female mammal becomes pregnant. Colostrum is produced in liquid form by the mammary glands and contains concentrated and versatile ingredients in the form of antibodies, proteins, vitamins, amino acids, and much more.
Colostrum is particularly suitable for people who are lactose intolerant, whether it is hereditary or acquired. This is because with a normal daily intake of high-quality, freeze-dried colostrum in an amount of around 1 gram per day, the lactose content is so low that even with lactose intolerance, no reaction can occur.
If you want to cleanse your intestines in order to become lactose tolerant again in the long term, then colostrum is a healthy and natural measure for this. Colostrum helps to cleanse the intestines and keep the intestinal microbiome healthy and active. Our Swiss Immune® 1 capsules with colostrum and probiotics strengthen the intestinal flora and support the intestinal microbiome. They contain the optimal combination of high-quality probiotic strains and Swiss colostrum.
The probiotic Bifidobacterium Bifidum, for example, helps maintain a healthy intestinal flora and strengthens the immune system. The intact state of the intestinal microbiome has a positive influence on digestion, metabolism, body weight, the immune system, appetite and general well-being.
Once the intestines have been cleaned and are back in balance, you can then slowly start to integrate dairy products into your daily routine again.
In the long term, digesting lactose should no longer be a problem.
references
https://www.gesundheitsinformation.de/laktoseintolerant-milchzucker-unvertraeglichkeit.html
https://landeszentrum-bw.de/,Lde/Startseite/wissen/wenn-man-milch-nicht-vertraegt
https://www.sge-ssn.ch/media/merkblatt_ernaehrung_und_laktoseintolerant_2013_21.pdf