Lactose intolerance is a common digestive disorder affecting the body’s ability to digest lactose, a sugar in milk and dairy products. This condition arises when the small intestine does not produce enough lactase, the enzyme responsible for breaking down lactose into simpler sugars called glucose and galactose. Undigested lactose passes through the digestive system without sufficient lactase, leading to various symptoms.

Symptoms of lactose intolerance

The symptoms of lactose intolerance can vary in severity and may include bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, gas, and nausea. These symptoms typically occur within a few hours after consuming lactose-containing foods or beverages. Lactose intolerance is not the same as a food allergy to milk. While lactose intolerance is a digestive disorder, a milk allergy is an immune response triggered by proteins in milk, not lactose itself.

Difference between lactose intolerance and food sensitivities

On the other hand, food sensitivities refer to adverse reactions to certain foods that may cause various symptoms but do not involve the immune system, like allergies. Food sensitivities can manifest as a wide range of symptoms, including digestive issues, headaches, skin problems, fatigue, and mood disturbances. Unlike lactose intolerance and food allergies, food sensitivities are often more challenging to diagnose because they lack specific diagnostic tests.

When do food sensitivities occur?

Food sensitivities can occur due to several reasons, such as the inability to digest specific food components, an imbalance in gut bacteria, or the presence of naturally occurring chemicals in foods. Some common food sensitivities include gluten sensitivity (non-celiac gluten sensitivity), sensitivity to food additives like sulfites or monosodium glutamate (MSG), and sensitivity to histamine-rich foods.

Lactose intolerance is not dairy intolerance

It is important to note that lactose intolerance can sometimes be mistaken for food sensitivity to dairy products. However, lactose intolerance refers explicitly to the body’s inability to digest lactose, whereas food sensitivities encompass a broader range of adverse reactions to various components in food.

Do you think you have a food sensitivity?

Suppose you suspect you have a food sensitivity. In that case, it is advisable to consult with a healthcare professional or US Food Intolerance, as we can help identify the specific triggers through an elimination diet or other diagnostic approaches.

For example, managing lactose intolerance involves reducing or avoiding lactose-containing foods or using lactase supplements to aid digestion, while managing food sensitivities may involve identifying and eliminating specific trigger foods from the diet. Lactose intolerance would require speaking to a dietician.

Lactose Intolerance Test Options and Dietary Solutions

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Your doctor might suspect lactose intolerance based on your symptoms and your response to reducing the amount of dairy foods in your diet. Your doctor can confirm the diagnosis by conducting one or more of the following four tests:

 

A Hydrogen Breath Test

This tests for increased levels of hydrogen in your breath after having lactose, this is a sign of lactose intolerance.

 

Blood Test

A blood test will check whether your blood glucose levels increase after consuming lactose.

 

The Elimination Diet

Elimination diets involve removing suspected trigger foods from your diet for up to two weeks, before reintroducing the foods to see how much you can tolerate. This diet has been used by many to discover a food intolerance.

 

Food Intolerance Test

This test involves sending a sample of hair to a lab, the scientists in the lab will then check your sample against lactose to discover if you have a reaction.

 

What is Lactose Intolerance?

If you have this intolerance, it means your body doesn’t make enough of an enzyme known as lactase. Lactase is needed to break down lactose from milk into simpler sugars in your bowel, which can then be absorbed into the bloodstream. This intolerance is usually developed during childhood or early adulthood, but it can happen at any point in your life.

 

Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance

Symptoms of a food intolerance can begin from a few minutes after eating lactose to a few hours. This can include bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea and nausea. More mild symptoms such as fatigue and aching joints can also appear.

 

Treatment

To avoid the discomfort of lactose intolerance it’s important to follow a lactose-free diet. You can begin by limiting milk and other dairy products, including small servings of dairy into your diet, or add a liquid or powder lactase enzyme to milk to break down the enzyme. Nowadays, there is a huge selection of lactose-free products in grocery stores, making it easier for you to remove the trigger from your diet.

Bloating: How can I get rid of it?

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A bloated stomach can be the bane of everyone’s life. It can cause us distress both mentally and physically. A bloated stomach can be incredibly distressing for individuals concerned about their weight and body shape. If you are dieting all day, every day, and feel like you should be losing weight, having a bloated stomach could lead you to feel emotions you are trying to avoid. It is important to realize that bloating doesn’t mean that you are fat. It just means that your abdomen is extended. So when looking in a mirror, don’t panic too much if you have just eaten something! Bloating doesn’t mean your fat. It just means that you have likely eaten something that your body is struggling to digest and can’t tolerate the food anymore.

Getting rid of your bloated stomach

Getting rid of your bloated stomach can be done quite easily, thanks to advances in technology. It often comes down to simply modifying your diet. You can find alternative foods to complement your favorite meals, which may no longer be good for your body. The most common examples would be finding alternatives for foods like wheat and dairy, all of which cause digestion issues and bloating. If you have ordered a food sensitivity test and this has identified potential issues, then you would need to find alternative foods. If you start drinking soya or almond milk rather than cow’s milk, then a bloated stomach could be a thing of the past.

Bloating: What causes it?

There are many things that cause bloating, but the most common issue tends to be food. Whilst drinking (notably coffee and caffeine) can also cause bloat, it will tend to be food that is causing your symptoms. We’ve produced many articles on what causes food intolerance symptoms. You can read them all here, but there do tend to be specific foods that are likely to cause a bloated stomach. Wheat, dairy, and lactose intolerance usually result in bloating. However, you must remember that lactose intolerance differs from typical food intolerance and will not likely be picked up by a food sensitivity test. Not only does it cause bloating, but there is a likelihood that diarrhea and flatulence will follow as a result of the bloat. Trapped wind is a common cause of bloating and can occur via stress, anxiety, or simply eating minimal foods.

What gets rid of bloat?

Unfortunately, you can’t get rid of bloating as such. You would need to let it pass. This can come by either going to the toilet or being flatulent. However, as mentioned earlier, there is a way to cut bloating off at the source. If you evaluate your diet and conduct an elimination diet, you will likely not experience this symptom of food intolerance. Simply because you have removed that element from your diet. It can be hard work, and it can be tough, but in the long run, it definitely works out. There are always alternatives; remember, it is worth it to stop the bloat. You don’t have to remove the food from your diet forever, only six weeks.

Order a food intolerance test to stop a bloated stomach

Shop now to buy a food intolerance test. It will help. If you order today, you can set out a diet plan and prepare for the intolerance testing report. When you receive the report, have a look at the red items, and you will need to remove these ingredients from your diet. Learn more about dealing with intolerance symptoms from US Food Intolerance and read our food intolerance-related articles. We’d love to help you live a happier and healthier life.

Eating without knowing what is making you ill

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When you find out you have a food sensitivity, you might assume you’re in store for a significant lifestyle change. Although it can feel intimidating that you may have to rethink your diet, it’s essential to know your food sensitivities and the reason behind the onset of symptoms. Eating foods with a food sensitivity can impact your life drastically. In fact, the worst thing about being sensitive to certain foods is not the adjustments you must make; it does not know you’re sensitive to them in the first place.

Get to the bottom of symptoms caused by a food sensitivity

Food sensitivity symptoms vary in severity but include digestive complaints such as feeling bloated, stomach cramps, fatigue, and skin irritation. However, these are not unusual problems to suffer from and can easily be attributed to ‘eating too late,’ ‘being overtired’ or ‘feeling anxious.’ 

Individuals with food sensitivity can experience these physical symptoms for months or even years without knowing the cause. As well as being unpleasant to live with, this can impact your physical and mental health, social life, and even quality of sleep. Once you know the problem and its reason, you have the power and knowledge to do something about it.

Change your diet to suit the needs of your body

If you take one of our food sensitivity tests, you’ll receive a full report and detailed breakdown of the food and non-food items that your body reacts to. This will give you the information you need to change your diet and cut out foods that cause your health to suffer. If you’re sensitive to lactose, for example, you can try different kinds of milk in your hot drinks that are better suited to your digestive system. 

Without taking a food sensitivity test, it can be hard to pinpoint what items trigger the onset of symptoms, so it’s entirely possible you could be eating the offending ingredient for a long time to come. Getting the result may require some adaptation, but it’s better to know what foods to avoid than to continue eating or drinking something that will make you feel unwell.

Understanding your sensitivities helps you plan ahead

As much as we may think that eating out with food sensitivity can be complicated, it’s much more challenging when you feel you could be sensitive to specific ingredients but aren’t sure what they are. How do you know what to order off a menu if you think a meal might contain an item that triggers your symptoms? 

By better understanding your food sensitivity, you’ll be able to choose dishes you can enjoy and won’t cause your body to react. Likewise, if you know you are sensitive to an identified food and plan to eat at someone’s home, you’ll be able to inform them in advance what ingredients you need to avoid. Finally, by finding out what foods kick-start your symptoms, you can make the most of social events without worrying about how your body will respond to the dishes you consume. 

Dealing with eating with a food sensitivity

If you want to find out more about eating with a food sensitivity or order one of our US Food Intolerance tests, you can email [email protected] or send a message through the contact form on our website.  

Are food sensitivities life-threatening?

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Food sensitivities are widespread. It’s estimated that up to 20% of the world’s population is intolerant to a specific ingredient and suffers from a physical reaction. However, because food sensitivities can cause some of the same signs and symptoms as a food allergy, it’s easy to misinterpret the two conditions and their severity. Below we discuss whether food sensitivities are life-threatening and what you need to be looking out for.

Food sensitivities are not as severe as food allergies

If you suffer from food sensitivity, your body has difficulty digesting a particular type of food. A lactose sensitivity, for example, doesn’t suggest an allergy. Instead, it means you can’t digest lactose properly, and your body will trigger a reaction such as bloating, stomach pain, and headaches. While these symptoms aren’t pleasant and can make you feel unwell, they don’t tend to be severe and not serious enough for food sensitivities to be life-threatening.  

A food allergy can be life-threatening

A food allergy, on the other hand, is a much more severe condition. In this instance, your immune system will treat proteins found in certain foods as a threat. This will initiate physical symptoms such as stomach pains, wheezing, swelling of the face, and a sudden drop in blood pressure. The body’s response will be much more acute than that associated with food sensitivity, and if the individual has an extreme reaction, they could go into anaphylactic shock. If this happens, an individual needs immediate medical attention and self-administer medication, such as a shot of Epinephrine, or head to the Emergency Room.

Food allergies require extra care in the kitchen

As well as being a more serious health condition, having a food allergy requires extra consideration when it comes to storage and preparation. Because cross-contamination can cause the onset of a reaction, the offending item must be kept away from other ingredients and utensils. Traces of peanut butter on a knife could kick-start symptoms for someone with a nut allergy, for example, so great care must be taken to keep the food item separate at all times. If you have food sensitivity, avoiding the ingredient you’re intolerant to is a good idea. Still, reactions are not caused by inadequate storage or failing to separate cutlery, so less diligence is needed.

Food sensitivities do not affect the immune system

Because a true food allergy affects the immune system, eating even a tiny amount of the item can trigger physical symptoms, which can be severe or life-threatening. Typically, a reaction can occur after eating foods such as shellfish, peanuts, or eggs and will come on very quickly. In contrast, symptoms of food intolerances are more gradual and usually caused by the absence of an enzyme, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), or a reaction to food additives. This means you should be able to eat a small amount of the offending item without too much trouble. Of course, you may still feel unwell or uncomfortable, but you won’t need to make a trip to the Emergency Room.

Take a food intolerance test to improve your health

If you’ve experienced a reaction to food or noticed feeling sick after eating, it’s crucial to find out whether a sensitivity or an allergy causes your symptoms. Whether you suffer from an acute response or notice that your health is mildly affected, by taking a food intolerance test, you’ll be able to discover the cause of any digestive issues you have and rethink your diet and lifestyle accordingly.

To find out more about having a food intolerance test, or learning about whether food sensitivities are life-threatening, please have a look at our FAQs page or email any questions you have to [email protected]

Can you have a milk intolerance?

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An intolerance to milk is conceivable and quite common. Lactose intolerance, commonly called milk intolerance, is a condition where a person’s body has trouble breaking down lactose, a form of sugar in milk and other dairy products. Below we go into detail about what a milk intolerance is, and if you suspect that you have one, US Food Intolerance will also let you know what the alternatives are to cow’s milk.

A person with lactose intolerance may feel symptoms including bloating, abdominal pain, gas, diarrhea, or nausea after consuming milk or dairy products. These signs and symptoms appear because the body is unable to digest and absorb the lactose in milk effectively.

It is important to note that milk intolerance differs from a milk allergy, which is an immune system response to the proteins in milk rather than the lactose. Milk allergy can cause more severe symptoms, such as hives, wheezing, and anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction. Whilst an allergy requires people to speak to a health professional, US Food Intolerance can provide a food intolerance test to help you identify the possible cause of your symptoms.

Can an intolerance to milk kill you?

In most cases, lactose intolerance has mild symptoms and poses no life-threatening risks. But let’s say a person who is lactose intolerant eats a lot of milk or dairy products. In that situation, individuals can encounter more serious symptoms like excruciating abdominal discomfort, dehydration, and electrolyte abnormalities.

These severe symptoms may require medical attention, but it is rare for lactose intolerance to cause life-threatening situations.

It’s crucial to remember that if you have a milk allergy, ingesting milk or dairy products can result in anaphylaxis. This potentially fatal allergic reaction necessitates rapid emergency medical attention. So, if you have a milk allergy, it’s crucial to stay away from milk and dairy products and always carry an EpiPen in case of emergency.

Are there any symptoms of an intolerance that could kill you?

There are no symptoms of lactose intolerance that can kill you. But let’s say a person who is lactose intolerant eats a lot of milk or dairy products. In that situation, individuals can encounter more serious symptoms like excruciating abdominal discomfort, dehydration, and electrolyte abnormalities.

It is uncommon for lactose intolerance to result in life-threatening conditions, but these severe symptoms may create complications, including infections or renal issues.

It is crucial to remember that if you have a milk allergy, ingesting milk or dairy products can result in anaphylaxis. This potentially fatal allergic reaction necessitates rapid emergency medical attention. Symptoms of anaphylaxis include rapid heartbeat, low blood pressure, and swelling of the face, throat, or tongue, which can all be fatal if they are not treated immediately.

So, if you have a milk allergy, it’s important to avoid milk and dairy products and carry an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen) with you at all times in case of an emergency.

What’s the difference between a milk allergy and an intolerance?

Lactose intolerance and milk allergy are two distinct illnesses with separate causes and symptoms.

An immune system response to milk proteins is known as a milk allergy. The inability of the body to effectively digest lactose, a sugar found in milk and dairy products, causes lactose intolerance, a digestive system issue.

Hives, itching, swelling of the lips, tongue, and throat, breathing problems, coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, and even anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that could be fatal, are just a few of the symptoms that a milk allergy can cause.

Contrarily, lactose intolerance results in gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating, gas, abdominal pain, and diarrhea that often appear 30 minutes to two hours after drinking milk or other dairy products.

While milk allergy can be a severe and potentially life-threatening condition, lactose intolerance is generally not life-threatening and can be managed with dietary changes or lactase supplements.It is important to note that the diagnosis and management of both conditions require medical attention. Therefore, if you suspect a milk allergy or lactose intolerance, you should consult a healthcare provider for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Is there a difference between dairy intolerance and lactose intolerance?

Although they are two distinct illnesses, lactose intolerance, and dairy intolerance are often terms that are referred to interchangeably.

When the body cannot effectively digest lactose, a type of sugar included in milk and dairy products, lactose intolerance develops. The enzyme lactase, which breaks down lactose in the small intestine, is insufficiently produced by the body, which is why this occurs. Lactose can cause symptoms including bloating, gas, stomach pain, and diarrhea when it is not properly digested.

On the other hand, a reaction to the proteins in milk and other dairy products is referred to as dairy intolerance. Many symptoms, including bloating, gas, pain in the abdomen, diarrhea, and even skin conditions like dermatitis, can result from this.

While a lactase enzyme deficiency causes lactose intolerance, dairy intolerance is caused by an intolerance or sensitivity to the proteins found in milk and dairy products, such as casein or whey.

It is important to note that the diagnosis and management of both conditions require medical attention. Therefore, if you suspect you have a dairy intolerance or lactose intolerance, you should consult with a healthcare provider for proper diagnosis and treatment.

What are the alternatives to cow’s milk?

There are many alternatives to cow’s milk for those who are lactose intolerant, allergic to milk, or who choose not to consume dairy products.

Here are some common alternatives to cow’s milk:

  1. Soy Milk: Made from soybeans, this is a popular milk alternative rich in protein and often fortified with calcium and vitamin D.
  2. Almond Milk: Made from almonds, this is a low-calorie milk alternative often fortified with calcium, vitamin D, and other nutrients.
  3. Coconut Milk: Made from coconut meat, this milk alternative is rich in healthy fats and often used in Asian and Caribbean cuisines.
  4. Rice Milk: Made from rice and often fortified with vitamins and minerals, this milk alternative is a good option for those with nut allergies.
  5. Oat Milk: Made from oats, this milk alternative is a good source of fiber and is often fortified with vitamins and minerals.
  6. Hemp Milk: Made from hemp seeds, this milk alternative is rich in protein, healthy fats, and other nutrients.
  7. Pea Milk: Made from yellow peas, this milk alternative is high in protein and often fortified with calcium and vitamin D.

It’s important to note that some milk alternatives may not have the same nutrient profile as cow’s milk, so it’s crucial to choose fortified options and speak with a healthcare provider or registered dietitian to ensure that you are getting all the necessary nutrients in your diet.

Contact US Food Intolerance to find more alternatives to cow’s milk

Identifying whether you are intolerant to milk or other dairy types is important to your future health. If you think you have an intolerance, you can take an intolerance test immediately. However, if you suspect you may have an allergy to dairy, you need to consult a health professional almost immediately. Allergies and symptoms should not be left to chance but should be resolved with a medical expert at the earliest possible opportunity. There is a huge difference between allergies and sensitivities.