Lactose Intolerence is a condition a person has when their body cannot correctly process lactose. Lactose is a milk sugar that is often found in foods made from milk products, such as yoghurt, ice cream and other dairy foods.

When a lactose intolerent person consumes a product containing lactose, their body cannot process the food and this can result in unpleasant symptoms, which commonly include stomach cramping, diarrhea, and flatulence. Depending on the amount of dairy the person consumes and to what degree their body can process lactose, will determine their degree of adverse reaction.

The medical explanation of lactose intolerence is fairly straightforward when lactose and lactase are distinguished. Lactose is milk sugar found in milk products and lactase are the enzymes that aid in digesting lactose. Lactase enzymes can be found on the wall lining of the small intestine. They aid in digesting and absorbing lactose into the body. If lactose cannot be broken down into Glucose, it will sit and ferment in the body creating excess amounts of methane/ hydrogen and water. With these excess amounts in the small intestine, it creates the common lactose intolerent symptoms that include flatulence, stomach cramps, and diarrhea.

There are 3 main causes to why people experience lactose intolerent symptoms. These include congenital, secondary and developmental causes. Congenital (after birth) is caused by a rare condition that involves a mutation of the gene that produces lactase. Lactose intolerent symptoms usually begin to appear soon after birth. The secondary cause of lactose intolerence is the lack of lactase in the small intestine, due wall lining damage by a disease or illness. The third and last cause of lactose intolerent symptoms is called developmental or hypolactasia. This is when the decrease of lactase in the body occurs over time due to the programming of an individual