Although lactose intolerance is not considered a true disease, it strongly affects the lifestyle of those who suffer from it. But how do you find out if you are really intolerant?
In general, for a correct diagnosis of food intolerance, it is necessary to distinguish between:
1. Functional intolerance: it is caused by an isolated functional disorder (e.g., lactase deficiency) and is initially not accompanied by other anatomical or morphological changes in the gastrointestinal tract.
2. Structural intolerance: it is of anatomical origin and is morphologically demonstrable as it involves alterations in the tissue/organ; some examples are:
- Achalasia, where there is an esophageal motility disorder due to a lack of or reduced peristalsis.
- Jaundice: excessive levels of bilirubin in the blood.
- Pancreatitis: acute or chronic inflammation of the pancreas.
- Abdominal angina: a clinical syndrome characterized by severe postprandial abdominal pain.
Only once you are certain that you do not have structural intolerances, thanks to accurate examinations, can functional intolerances like lactose intolerance be taken into consideration.
In fact, if discomfort such as abdominal cramps and an urgent need to go to the bathroom begins to manifest from one to three hours after eating something containing lactose, there is reason to be suspicious.
Here is a list of common symptoms of lactose intolerance:
- Abdominal cramps
- Colic
- Diarrhea
- Flatulence and bloating
- Feeling of heaviness
- Insomnia
- Bloated stomach
- Nausea and vomiting
- Dizziness and headache
- Itching and skin irritation
These are the most recurrent symptoms presented by people who are lactose intolerant. It is possible to be intolerant without showing all of them, however, this does not mean that anyone who experiences a few has a lactase deficiency and is therefore lactose intolerant. Many digestive system disorders have similar symptoms, such as:
Crohn's disease: a chronic inflammation that can theoretically affect the entire alimentary canal, from the mouth to the anus, but is mainly localized in the last part of the small intestine called the ileum (ileitis) or in the colon (colitis) or both (ileo-colitis). In the affected intestinal segments, there is inflammation, swelling, and ulcerations that involve the entire thickness of the intestinal wall.
Irritable bowel syndrome: a functional gastrointestinal disorder that involves an alteration in bowel frequency and stool consistency, in the absence of other identified pathologies.
Celiac disease: an intestinal immune disorder caused by the ingestion of gluten, which is digested in the intestinal lumen into amino acids and peptides, including the 33-amino acid alpha-gliadin, which is resistant to proteolytic degradation. Gliadin induces the release of IL-15, an inflammatory cytokine that activates and induces the production of CD8+ lymphocytes, which express NKG2D. These lymphocytes become cytotoxic toward enterocytes that express MICA.
Neoplasms: tumors of the large intestine.
Microscopic colitis: a chronic intestinal inflammation characterized by chronic watery diarrhea.
Other intestinal inflammations.
Manifestation of symptoms following an infection, for example, from rotavirus.
What should you do if you notice the listed symptoms?
Undoubtedly, consult your doctor and follow their advice and therapies. If you think you are intolerant, you can try changing your diet... by reading food labels, it will be simple to stop the intake of products containing lactose and see if the symptoms subside or disappear within a few days.
For confirmation, you must then perform an intolerance test, whether it is a DNA test or a Breath Test; the latter is described in another one of our articles.
If you test positive for lactose intolerance, do not despair. Today there is an innovative product, a lactase enzyme supplement, that will allow you to return to your normal life! Discover it here.