Friday, March 11, 2016

is lactose found only in milk?

Milk and dairy products are the main sources of lactose. 

Lactose is found in any product that uses milk, including, ice cream, breads, etc. In many cases, lactose can be found in unsuspecting foods and places.

 One has to get used to reading the food labels to find out the lactose content of specific foods.

where can I get a genetic test done for lactose intolerance? Xcode Life Sciences


Lactose intolerance is a genetic condition. A genetic test is a definitive test for milk indigestion.

Xcode Life Sciences provides a comprehensive, accurate and affordable lactose intolerance genetic test.

You can get the test for the family of two for Rs. 4,900. Additional tests for family members are available at a subsidized rate.

if you are in india, you can send me an email at this blog's email address and you will receive the saliva kit.

The good thing about genetic tests is that they can be performed with saliva samples, no need for large blood samples. Saliva contains cells from your cheeks, from which DNA is extracted and testing performed. 

There are a few other tests available for lactose intolerance such as Lactose tolerance test, hydrogen breath tests and stool acidity test that can be used in conjunction with the genetic test. However, if you have the classic symptoms of lactose intolerance coupled and the genetic test indicates intolerance, the genetic test should be sufficient enough.

More than 70% of Indians are Lactose intolerant and cannot digest lactose in milk

Milk is a highly respected food in the indian culture and rightly so. Its a nutritious food source, rich in vital minerals and protein. Its highly beneficial for people who could digest it!

Unfortunately, many of us  wont be able to digest the lactose sugar in milk. why?

According to researchers at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences who recently completed a study on lactose intolerance in India, "We took subjects from different centers including Lucknow and Bengaluru and found that over 74% were lactose mal-absorbers which means they cannot digest milk," said Dr Uday C Ghoshal, who led the study project.


what is lactose intolerance?

Researchers also studied regional variations in lactose mal-absorption and intolerance. It was found that, while 82% people in southern states were affected, 66% north Indians complained of the problem.


Several other studies have reported numbers that show significant levels of lactose intolerance in india.

Do you or your children or other family members suffer from Lactose Intolerance?

One of the most cost-effective and easy ways of testing for lactose intolerance is via a genetic test. If you are in India you can get this test done here.

If you are lactose intolerant, check out the new lactose free offering from Amazon below.

How do I know whether I am lactose intolerance or suffer from indigestion of lactose in milk?



Symptoms of lactose intolerance include:

flatulence (wind)
diarrhoea
bloated stomach
stomach cramps
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
GERD

Symptoms usually develop within a few hours of consuming food or drink that contains lactose.

MANY PEOPLE SUFFER FROM THESE SYMPTOMS ALL THEIR LIFE BUT BECAUSE MILK IS A RESPECTED FOOD IN OUR CULTURE DO NOT THINK THAT MILK IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM. THEY THINK ITS SOMETHING ELSE IN THEIR DIET THAT IS CAUSING THESE PROBLEMS

Most people are just fine consuming milk in childhood. However, the problems usually shows up in the mid-30s as functional gastrointestinal problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and gastro-esophagal reflux disease (GERD). While IBS is known to affect about 5% Indians, an estimated 8-20% people suffer from GERD.

Among the lactose mal-absorbers, indians show a higher sensitivity to lactose than their european counterparts. For example, the problems that europeans face upon consuming 50gm of lactose, show up in indians upon consuming only ~25 gms, according to a study by  Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences

How many people around the world are lactose intolerant or unable to digest lactose in milk?



Approximately, 60-70% of the world population has a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy. That is a lot, given that the vast majority of the world population continues to drink milk well beyond infancy. Imagine the number of people who suffer from the symptoms without realizing that the milk in their diet is causing these.

Lactose intolerance is most common in people of East Asian descent, affecting more than 90 percent of adults in some of these communities. Lactose intolerance is also very common in people of West African, Arab, Jewish, Greek, and Italian descent.

How common is lactose intolerance in India?

According to the most recent stuy  by Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences on lactose intolerance in India three out of four indians have no milk tolerance.

This is in a country where milk enjoys an esteemed position in the food chain! Can you imagine how many people suffer from the symptoms of lactose intolerance and dont even know it! The numbers are humongous. A key problem is lack of awareness and hence my motivation to set up this blog. 

Are genes responsible for lactose intolerance or milk indigestion?

Yes, lactose intolerance (or lactase persistence) is a well established genetic trait.

There are two types of lactase deficiencies. One, in infancy, where a gene named LCT, responsible for producing the lactase enzyme is mutated and hence produces malfunctioning enzyme, causing affected infants to have a severely impaired ability to digest lactose in breast milk or formula.

Lactose intolerance in adulthood, however, is caused by another gene called, MCM6, which controls the LCT gene. The "controller" gene normally switches off the LCT gene in adulthood, but in some individuals, does not switch it off due to a mutation, leading to sustained lactase production in the small intestine and the ability to digest lactose in milk throughout life. 

Worldwide, how many people can digest lactose in milk throughout their lives?

why do I have problems after drinking milk? or why am I not able to digest milk or why am I lactose intolerant?

Lactose intolerance is actually a natural phenomenon.

Turn on the discovery channel or National Geographic and see if you could find any animal that continues to drink milk throughout its lifetime. While you are at it, also try to spot an animal that drinks the milk of another animal. Good luck with that!

Humans are the only species in the animal kingdom that engage in either of the above behaviors.

By default, our ability to digest milk is supposed to decrease as we move into adolescence. In other words, not being able to digest milk throughout our lives or being lactose intolerant is the natural state.

So, how is it that we have a certain ability for sometime in life and not the entire lifetime. Think of hair color. When we are younger we have coloration in the hair, as we begin to hit 40's, our hair turns grey. How is that? As we age, the genes that are responsible for producing hair color, turn off, thus the color in the hair goes missing beyond a certain point.

When it comes to milk. We are supposed to wean away from milk and start consuming other foods as we grow. Nature didnt mean for us to breast feed our entire lives. No animal does that!

However, as we began farming and pasturing, we started to rely on milk more and more, particularly in times of hardships. Over several generations some of us began to develop the ability to digest milk. Those people could survive lean times and thus were able to pass on their genes to their next generation, thus began the ability to digest milk over our entire lifetime for some of us.

How did humans develop the ability to digest milk throughout their adult life?

Thus began what is known as Lactase persistance, which is the opposite of lactose intolerance.

So, is lactose intolerance a genetic condition?

What is lactose intolerance or milk indigestion ?



Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest milk. Specifically, the body's inability to break down a specific sugar found in milk known as Lactose.

As an example, the sugar we commonly use is sucrose. Sugar found in fruits is called fructose. Sugar found in milk is called lactose.

If you reading somewhere a word ending with -ose, its likely to be a form of sugar.

To digest lactose, our body needs to produce an enzyme called lactase. Many of us are not able to produce this enzyme in our body, thus leading to lactose intolerance or milk indigestion.

Welcome to Lactose Intolerance India blog

Welcome to the lactose Intolerance India blog

This blog aims to serve as a one stop destination for those who are looking for solutions for their lactose intolerance issues.

Lactose intolerance though found world wide is particularly high in certain populations. Within India, about 30% of North Indians and as many as 70% of south Indians are lactose intolerant.

This blog will discuss issues relating to lactose intolerance and their solutions.