Diagnosing Lactose Intolerance
Individuals who regularly experience digestive discomfort could be lactose intolerant. Symptoms range from a rumbling stomach and cramps to flatulence and diarrhoea, all experienced within two hours of consuming dairy, dairy products or other products which include lactose in the ingredients.
Those
with lactose intolerance can be born with this intolerance or, far more
commonly, it develops at a later age.
Typically, lactose intolerance
results from the natural decline in the body’s own lactase production after
weaning, but it may also occur as a side-effect of various digestive diseases.
However, lactose intolerance can
be mistaken for a range of common misdiagnoses or even cows’ milk allergy.
DIAGNOSIS
The diagnosis of lactose intolerance is fairly easy and can be done at home with a simple elimination diet.
COWS' MILK ALLERGY
Lactose intolerance can often be confused with an allergy to cows’ milk, but the two conditions are actually very different.
RELATED CONDITIONS
Conditions like irritable bowel syndrome and coeliac disease can present with similar symptoms to lactose intolerance.
