LACTOSE: HOW MUCH CAN YOU TAKE?

If your doctor has just broken the news that you’re lactose-intolerant, don’t jump to the conclusion that you’ll never be able to savor another bite of ice cream again.
At first, many people fear that they’ll have to give up all dairy products. But with some experimentation, most people with lactose intolerance discover that they can eat small amounts of dairy without triggering distressing symptoms, such as bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea or nausea.

Who Gets Lactose Intolerance?

Lactose intolerance occurs when the body doesn’t make enough of the enzyme lactase, which digests lactose, the sugar found in milk and other dairy products. Infants produce high levels of lactase in order to digest milk. After weaning, though, lactase levels decrease, meaning that eventually, as people age, many can no longer digest as much lactose.

Although lactose intolerance is viewed as a disorder, about 75% of all people around the globe have some degree of lactase deficiency. Lactose intolerance is much more common among Asians, Hispanics and blacks than in people of Northwest European descent.
Lactose intolerance is actually a misleading term, says Yuri A. Saito-Loftus, MD, MPH, an assistant professor in the Mayo Clinic’s division of gastroenterology and hepatology.
“The majority of the world population is lactose intolerant. It’s actually the people who are lactose tolerant that are the minority group.”

Find Out How Much You Can Eat

If you’re not sure which foods you can handle, or how much, start experimenting with one dairy food and see how much you can eat without prompting symptoms, Sandquist says. For example, start out by drinking a half-cup of dairy milk and see how well you tolerate it. If milk doesn’t agree with you, try other dairy products that have less lactose. For example, an ounce of American, Swiss, cheddar, or Parmesan cheese has 1 to 2 grams of lactose, compared to 10-12 grams in one cup of milk, she says.
Typically, any discomfort from lactose intolerance arises 30 minutes to two hours after a person eats milk or dairy products. If a food triggers symptoms, you can still try to cut back on amounts to see if you can handle a smaller portion. You can also try a variety of lactose-free dairy options or find a substitute non-dairy product.
Although some people keep a mental tally of foods or amounts to avoid, others might gain better understanding by jotting down notes. “A diary is extremely helpful because then they can log what symptoms they have, what they’ve eaten,” Sandquist says. “They can look back and see if there’s a pattern.”
To reduce symptoms, also try eating dairy products with other foods to slow digestion. “I think that makes a huge difference,” Saito-Loftus says. “If you eat [lactose] with other foods, it mixes and it empties out of your stomach at a slower rate. It’s not like eating ice cream and suddenly, you have all this lactose coming out all at once. If you eat dairy with meat or rice or other such things, it gets mixed in and diluted. It’s easier for your body to tolerate in that context.”


More reading: http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/how-much-lactose?src=RSS_PUBLIC