Читать книгу Anti-Inflammatory Diet For Dummies - Artemis Morris - Страница 30

Most people have some degree of sensitivity to dairy, although the majority don’t even realize it. About 65 percent of people worldwide suffer from lactose intolerance, the inability to digest lactose, which is the main sugar found in milk. Your genes influence your ability to break down lactose, with as much as 90 percent of some of the world’s ethnic groups not able to digest milk beyond infancy.

To be digested properly, the sugar lactose must be split into the smaller pieces glucose and galactose. When the lactase enzyme is either absent or inactive in the body, you can’t break down lactose, and you have lactose intolerance. The body produces less lactase as you age, and in Asian, Native American, and African American populations, lactase production drops anywhere from 70 to 100 percent from childhood.

That’s not to say everyone with a lactase deficiency is lactose intolerant; many people may go years without having any symptoms, or there may be just certain dairy products that trigger symptoms while others don’t have any affect at all. But whenever you eat or drink something your body doesn’t like, it sends out warning signals, usually in some form of inflammation. The most common symptoms of dairy sensitivity are gastrointestinal issues, but other symptoms with a potential relationship to dairy include

 Abnormal cravings for sweets

 Achy joints and muscles

 Acne

 Anxiety

 Bags under the eyes

 Chest congestion

 Chronic fatigue

 Dizziness or faintness

 Excessive sweating

 Headaches

 Mood swings

 Ulcers

Symptoms generally appear anywhere from 20 minutes to two hours after eating or drinking dairy products. Consume too much dairy, and symptoms can worsen, leading to abdominal distention and diarrhea as well as many other stomach problems.

If you suspect you may have lactose intolerance because you’re experiencing any of the symptoms listed, look for the word “lactose” listed in the ingredients of some of your favorite foods — even those you may not think have any dairy. Be sure to get a proper diagnosis so you can rule out any other conditions that may be present.

People who have lactose intolerance can generally tolerate yogurt or other fermented dairy products because they contain helpful live organisms (probiotics) that help with digestion and healing the gastrointestinal system and the good bacteria digest the lactose for you.