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Article: Can't stomach milk? Keep lactose intolerance at bay.
- Article from:
- Environmental Nutrition
- Article date:
- October 1, 1993
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 Environmental Nutrition, Inc. 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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When you eat a bowl of ice cream or drink a glass of milk, do you pay for your indulgence with painful cramping, embarrassing gas and even diarrhea? If this scenario sounds familiar, you may be suffering from lactose intolerance. You're not alone. About 70 percent of the world's adult population lacks the intestinal enzyme lactose and are unable to properly digest lactose, the natural sugar found in milk and milk products.
Poorly digested lactose sits in the intestine, where it ferments and causes the unpleasant symptoms described above. It's normal for the level of lactose in the intestinal tract to begin declining after the age of three. But there is a wide ...