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Article: Dealing with lactose intolerance.(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Ebony
- Article date:
- October 1, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Johnson Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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LACTOSE intolerance, the inability to digest milk sugar, affects 75 percent of African-Americans, causing abdominal pain, bloating and gas. The problems associated with lactose intolerance appear when the body doesn't produce lactase, the enzyme that helps the body absorb lactose. An estimated 50 million Americans suffer from this hereditary condition that also causes nausea, cramps and diarrhea after drinking milk or eating foods that contain milk.
If you think you might be lactose intolerant, see your doctor! Serious conditions like Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, an infection of the small intestine and food poisoning have similar symptoms to lactose ...