hypolactasia?

Hypolactasia is the medical term for having less lactase than normal. If there is little or no lactase in the lining of the gut:

- lactose is either not digested or only partially digested;

- lactose remains in the gut and can cause diarrhoea, bloating or stomach cramps, the symptoms of lactose intolerance.

If lactose is not digested, it passes through the gut and acts as a laxative. When it reaches the large bowel, it is digested by bacteria. Bacteria digest lactose differently and the gas hydrogen is produced. Hydrogen causes bloating. (The amount of hydrogen is never dangerous). Cramps "(or spasms) occur because the gut responds to the bloating by contracting.

There is no cure, lactase cannot be replaced. However in some cases of lactose intolerance the problem may only be temporary.

Children with congenital lactase deficiency need a milk free diet and should be advised by a dietician to avoid deficiency of essential nutrients.

For affected adults, taking lactose in milk causes no harm, the worst that can happen is the development of wind or mild diarrhoea. For most adults, it is a matter of finding how much milk can be taken without causing symptoms. This is done by noting when you take milk or a milk product and whether or not it causes any symptoms. Most people will find, for example, that they can take milk in tea or coffee, though a glass of milk or a milk pudding causes them a mild upset.

Some people can take yoghurt without trouble because the lactose in the milk has been fermented by the bacteria used to make it. Hard cheese is naturally low in lactose and is usually well tolerated. There are lactose reduced milks, which are available in supermarkets. These can be used with cereals or in puddings.

It is important to try to include cheese, yoghurt and low lactose milk in the diet if normal milk is being avoided. Dairy products are an excellent source of vitamins and calcium.

A food intolerance is a repeated adverse reaction to a specific food. Every time the food to which there is an intolerance is eaten, the same reaction occurs. Lactose intolerance is not a food allergy, but is an intolerance to. lactose - the sugar in milk - due to lack of a ferment (enzyme) in the lining of the intestine. (Allergy to the protein in milk does occur and such people cannot take milk).

Milk is a very nourishing food, rich in protein, calcium and vitamin D which .are important for the development of strong bones and teeth. Milk also contains a naturally occurring sugar called lactose. Like all sugars, lactose is a good source of energy. The body cannot absorb lactose until it is broken down into two component sugars which can then pass from the gut into the blood stream.

The body uses a ferment (enzyme) called lactose in the lining of the small bowel to break down the lactose to the two sugars of which it is composed. Some people get upsets from milk and the most common reason for an upset is lactose intolerance.

Hypolactasia is the medical term for having less lactase than normal. If there is little or no lactase in the lining of the gut:

- lactose is either not digested or only partially digested;

- lactose remains in the gut and can cause diarrhoea, bloating or stomach cramps, the symptoms of lactose intolerance.

Please see the Google search for more details on Hypolactasia.

Lactose-intolerant. A natural deficiency of the intestinal enzyme lactase, which prevents a person from properly digesting lactose, leading to gastrointestinal disturbance.

Hypolactasia is the term used to describe the absence of lactase enzymes or when they are deficient. This leads to lactose intolerance which is essentially a malabsorption of dietary lactose in the small intestine results in gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, passage of loose, watery stools, and excessive flatus.

It is supposed to be heritary and can be easily treated by monitoring your diet etc..