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When you are lactose intolerant you have trouble digesting lactose. Lactose is a type of sugar that is found in milk and most dairy products. Lactose needs to be digested in order for your body to make fuel. Lactase, an enzyme that breaks down into simpler sugars, is made by the small intestine. Your body can not properly digest food that contains lactose without lactase.

About 30 million to 50 million people in the US have lactose intolerance. Those who have this condition usually inherit it from their parents. Lactose intolerance is very common among Asian Americans. You can also develop this condition from illness. Those who have lactose intolerance usually start feeling the effects after 2 hours of eating something that contains lactose.

If you believe that you are lactose intolerant you should immediately go see a doctor. You should expect to be run through a few tests. If your doctor does diagnose you, he/she will tell you the best ways to treat this condition. Normally you just go on a lactose free diet. In this diet you try to avoid all dairy products that contain lactose. It is vey important that you maintain the same calcium intake. This means you can eat foods like tofu, leafy green vegetables, lactose-free milk, and juices or soy milk that have added calcium. There is also a pill that can be given to you that allows your body properly processes the dairy.

This article is very informative. There are people in the world that probably do not realize they have lactose intolerance. This article encourages them to go and see a doctor if they are experiencing the symptoms. This article gives you pointers on living with lactose. One of which is yogurt that contains live cultures is easier to digest because it contains healthy bacteria that produces lactase.

In Biology we are currently talking about enzymes. Enzymes act as catalysts, which speed up a chemical reaction. Your body needs to digest...