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15 Oct 2011 16:41:49 IST

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what is lactose intolerance

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what is lactose intolerance

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Siddhartha Gairola

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15 Oct 2011 18:41:16 IST

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Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose. Lactose is a type of sugar found in milk and other dairy products.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Lactose intolerance happens when the small intestine does not make enough of the enzyme lactase. Enzymes help the body absorb foods. Not having enough lactase is called lactase deficiency.

Babies' bodies make this enzyme so they can digest milk, including breast milk.

Premature babies sometimes have lactose intolerance. Children who were born at full term usually do not show signs of lactose intolerance until they are at least 3 years old.

Lactose intolerance can begin at different times in life. In Caucasians, it usually affects children older than age 5. In African Americans, lactose intolerance often occurs as early as age 2.

Lactose intolerance is more common in people with Asian, African, Native American, or Mediterranean ancestry than it is among northern and western Europeans.

Lactose intolerance is very common in adults and is not dangerous. Approximately 30 million American adults have some amount of lactose intolerance by age 20.

Causes of lactose intolerance include:

Bowel surgery
Infections in the small intestine from viruses or bacteria, which may damage the cells lining the intestine (most often in children)
Intestinal diseases such as celiac sprue

vyshnav

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21 Oct 2011 21:10:43 IST

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inablity to digest lactose

vignesh the cooler version of newton

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9 Nov 2011 13:46:03 IST

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lactose is digested terminally (terminal digestion = digestion by enzymes at the brush border= plasma membrane bound enzymes of the luminal side of columnar epithelium of small intestine)... this disaccharidase= lactase is sometimes absent, leading to inability to split lactose into its constituent monosaccharides, leading to GI symptoms like diarrhea, vomitting, flatulence etc.. :D

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