Have you ever felt bloating or discomfort after consuming dairy products? You are not alone. Did you know that over 65% of the human population suffers from lactose intolerance? That’s an incredibly high percentage! There is a reason for this.

Lactose is the sugar found in milk and other dairy products. Our body produces an enzyme called “lactase” which breaks down the lactose from dairy products. If our body doesn’t produce enough lactase, then we become lactose intolerant. Lactase production heavily decreases after breastfeeding during infancy. Why does this happen? As we get older, we get our nutrients through other sources, so milk is no longer essential. After breastfeeding, the human body is no longer designed to handle dairy products. Did you know that we are the only species that continues to consume milk throughout our entire lives while all other species stop after they’ve been weaned off? I also forgot to mention that we are the only species that drinks milk from another species. This is another major reason why our body responds so poorly to these dairy products.

Is being lactose intolerant dangerous? For most humans, being lactose intolerant isn’t dangerous. It just causes mild symptoms such as bloating, gas, diarrhea, etc… If the side effects get worse, it’s a good idea to limit your dairy intake, but it isn’t a good idea to completely eliminate dairy from your diet. Eliminating dairy completely can cause much more harm than good. Some of the long term problems that can occur with a non-dairy diet are osteoporosis, hypertension, and several forms of cancers.

For those of you suffering from lactose intolerance, there are a few things you can do to control these irritating side effects. The first and most obvious solution would be to limit your dairy intake. The next best method would be to add an over the counter lactase replacement pill. This should heavily limit the side effects of dairy products. If these two solutions aren’t helping your problem, your last solution would be to give up dairy all together. Make sure this is your absolute last alternative, and talk to your doctor about supplementing with Calcium to avoid future problems.

-Tom