Lactose Intolerance Essay

Lactose intolerance is the inability of the body to digest the sugar lactose, which is a sugar that is found in dairy products. While some people believe that lactose intolerance is an allergy to milk, it is not (Lactose Intolerance: Overview). A milk allergy is a disorder different from being intolerant to lactose. Adults or adolescence are more likely to develop lactose intolerance than children and it is a very common disorder worldwide (Lactose Intolerance: Overview). People of African or East Asian descent are more likely to be effected than people of European descent. In fact, only 5-15% of people of European descent are affected, whereas 65-90% of people in Africa and East Asia are affected (Lactose Intolerance: Overview). There are three different types of lactose intolerance which include primary lactose intolerance, secondary lactose intolerance, and congenital/developmental lactose intolerance (Diseases and Conditions: Lactose …show more content…
Along with hearing your symptoms the doctor could do a lactose tolerance test, stool acidity test, or a hydrogen breath test (Diseases and Conditions: Lactose Intolerance). A lactose tolerance test is when you drink a liquid with lactose then your doctor will take blood after two hours to determine how much glucose is in your bloodstream; “if your glucose level doesn’t rise, it means your body isn’t properly digesting and absorbing the lactose” (Diseases and Conditions: Lactose Intolerance). A stool acidity test is when the doctor will take a sample of your stool to test the levels of lactic acid in your stool (Diseases and Conditions: Lactose Intolerance). The hydrogen breath test involves drinking lactose then the doctor measures the level of hydrogen in your breath multiple times and if you aren’t digesting the lactose you will have a high hydrogen level in your breath (Diseases and Conditions: Lactose