I remember when I was about 6 years old, my mother took me into a medical facility. There was a room full of adults there, and I had to takes a series of tests, along with my mother. I remember drinking an awful-tasting drink; it was white and cloudy. I remember the man who was administering the test, and how he instructed me to drink the white substance in one gulp, without stopping between sips. But I couldn’t take the awful taste; I ended up not being able to swallow it all at once. Finally however, I managed to make my way to the bottom of the cup. After everyone in the room had finished their drinks, we were given a long break. It wasn’t for a couple of hours until we returned to the room where the testing was. Then we were told to breathe into a tube that led into a container a few times. The people in charge of this test then took the containers filled with our air elsewhere.
The test I took over ten years ago was a test for a condition known as lactose intolerance. Also known as lactase deficiency, it is a type of food intolerance in which the individual lacks or has very small traces of the lactase enzyme. 1 Lactase is a digestive enzyme located in the villi tips of the gastrointestinal tract (GI).1 The function of this enzyme is to act as a catalyst and break down the complex milk sugar, lactose. People without this enzyme present in their bodies, or with an amount insufficient to normal levels, are unable to process and digest dairy products.
Research has shown that this condition tends to be prevalent in Asians, and less in Europeans and some Africans. This is most likely the result of the diets of different races throughout the world.
The test I took was a breath hydrogen test. It is a very widespread method of testing for lactase deficiency. The test is administered by first having the subject drink or swallow a known amount of a substance that contains the carbohydrate. In my case, it was a milk sugar-saturated drink that contained the lactose sugar. The long break we all took allowed the lactose to travel throughout our bodies and enter and complete most of the digestion process. After the hours were up we took the breath-analyzer test. If the milk sugar was unable to be digested in our bodies (the enzymes were not present to complete this job), there is bacteria located in the colon lumen which will form hydrogen gas. This gas will travel across the colon mucosa and into the bloodstream and finally come to be present in the person’s breath. The individual is analyzed repeatedly to test the effects at different time intervals. If the breath analyzer indicates an amount of expired hydrogen greater than a certain level (10-20ppm), there is a strong indication that the lactose was unable to be broken down and digested, and a strong case of enzyme deficiency exists.
In most cases, lactose intolerance will not be fully diagnosed until the individual is an adult. This is because the lactose levels in a person will gradually decline over time or a person will not be aware enough of the condition to get formally tested. Infants and very young children are not typically susceptible to developing lactase deficiency; they are capable of digesting breast milk and other essential dairy products. This condition also tends to be hereditary; my mother has it, as well as my brother.
There are two basic ways of conquering lactose intolerance, since the consequences are extreme physical discomfort. One method is to completely eliminate dairy products from one’s diet, including cheeses and milk, or to take very minute amounts that will not trigger harmful effects to the body. However, this way is not common nor practical since dairy products are a major source of calcium and fats, essential to the development of the body, are a major source of energy, and aid in the development of bones.
The second way is by taking dietary supplements to aid in the process of digesting the dairy and act as synthesized enzymes. I take pills, called Lactaid, before eating any dairy products. The pills travel throughout my body and act on the dairy, which normally would be unable to be chemically processed. The quantity of pills taken vary directly with the amount of dairy present in the food. For example, I would take three pills for ice cream, whereas I would take maybe one pill for one slice of cheese in a sandwich. Other types of pills are available over-the-counter. Different people also have different levels of severity when it comes to lactase deficiency. Some people are not as sensitive to the dairy products, and do not have to take as many pills before eating, whereas others have to take more pills for little traces of dairy.
The condition of lactose intolerance is a condition that although can be a nuisance at times, is also manageable. As long as the individual is aware of his/her condition, and of the steps in which to treat the affliction, life with lactose intolerance can be controllable. However, it is important to note that until one is lactose deficient, the significance of dairy in one’s diet can often be taken for granted. I realize only by being limited in my food selection how big of a role dairy products play in everyday life, and how they help your body to grow in necessary ways. A person with lactose intolerance will often sacrifice his or her pleasures in eating habits. It is especially difficult if the person is a cheesecake lover or loves the taste of milk. People with lactose intolerance have to learn to balance these two factors or risk suffering the consequences.
REFERENCE:
Rudolph, Abraham M. Rudolph’s Pediatrics. Appleton and Lange, 1996