Lactose intolerance is a condition referring to the inability to properly digest and metabolize lactose, the dissacharaide component in milk. This inability is the result of an deficient amount of lactase, the naturally-occurring enzyme needed to break down lactose, in the small intestine. There are several reasons as to why a person may have deficient levels of lactase in their digestive system. The most common reason for lactase deficiency is that adults naturally produce less lactase as they age, and the amount of lactase can eventually decrease to a level which results in an inability to digest the lactose dairy products. Another common cause is the result of another pre-existing digestive disorder that destroys the tissue of the small intenstine, such as Crohn's Disease, which as a result also destroys the body's ability to produce lactase. A rare cause of deficient levels of lactase is genetic and present from birth, resulting in an infant's inability to digest breast milk as well as animal dairy products.
Symptoms of lactose intolerance often include but are not limited to abdominal discomfort and cramping, bloating, diarrhea and flatulence when consuming dairy products.
