Lactose intolerance and weight gain - this is how you behave correctly

If you have lactose intolerance , also known as lactose intolerance, your body does not produce enough of the digestive enzyme lactase or no longer at all. An enzyme deficiency occurs. This means that the lactose in the small intestine is not broken down into the two individual sugar building blocks glucose (dextrose) and galactose (mucus sugar).

That has consequences. Because the blood only absorbs sugar molecules in split form from the intestines. This means that the sugar molecules are not available as an energy source for your body. Instead, if you have lactose intolerance, the milk sugar goes undigested directly into the large intestine. There it is then fermented by bacteria. This process causes gases to form in the large intestine and increases water absorption. This in turn causes the typical symptoms of lactose intolerance .

Lactose intolerance is often congenital, but can also develop over the course of life. Lactose intolerance in old age usually has less intense symptoms, but lactose intolerance in old age is comparatively common. For example, genetically determined primary lactose intolerance often only occurs later in life.

According to the Institute for Product Quality, 70 percent of Europeans over 60 can no longer digest lactose. You need to replace foods like milk . Sudden lactose intolerance can also occur. Such sudden lactose intolerance is not even uncommon in adulthood.

But be careful : whether lactose intolerance is old or a younger person, do not confuse lactose intolerance with cow's milk protein allergy . While lactose intolerance is always caused by an enzyme deficiency, the immune system of people who are allergic to milk proteins reacts to certain proteins in milk . This is usually whey protein or casein. In most cases, the reactions or symptoms are more severe than with lactose intolerance .

Background: The enzyme lactase breaks down lactose in the human body

Lactose, also known as milk sugar, is the most important carbohydrate in milk. For people in infancy and almost all mammals in the first phase of life, lactose even has a vital function. The only exceptions are sea lions and walruses. Lactose occurs naturally only in milk and corresponding dairy products.

The enzyme lactase is responsible for breaking down lactose. It is present in large quantities in the body of an infant. Immediately after infancy, people usually prefer different or more varied foods. Therefore, the enzyme that breaks down lactose is reduced again. In the second phase of life, the body no longer needs it in such large quantities as it did as an infant.

1. Intestinal-related symptoms:

• Bloated stomach, flatulence, flatulence (wind)
• Abdominal pain, abdominal cramps
• Diarrhea or loose stools
• Vomit
• nausea

2. Systemic symptoms:

• Headache
• Difficulty concentrating
• Joint pain
• Muscle aches
• Chronic fatigue
• Cardiac arrhythmias
• rash
• Canker sores (cold sores on the lips or in the mouth)

Are you yourself affected by lactose intolerance ? Or do you know people who suffer from lactose intolerance ?

Then you will certainly not have missed a special phenomenon : people with lactose intolerance often suffer from obesity. However, weight gain is not actually one of the direct symptoms of lactose intolerance. Doctors, scientists and researchers don't really know how weight gain occurs and are still puzzling over the processes responsible for it.

The existing literature and topic-specific studies remain unclear and cautious regarding the connection between lactose intolerance and weight gain.

The tenor here : It could be that food intolerances and therefore lactose intolerance promote weight gain. But this also applies to the connection between lactose intolerance and weight loss .

However, it is also possible that lactose intolerance triggers other processes that ultimately lead to weight gain. What is clear, however, is that existing intestinal problems in some cases play a role in weight gain if you have lactose intolerance . Eating fatty foods or a lack of exercise can also cause weight gain.

1. Negative energy balance due to lack of exercise

Exercise is a crucial factor when it comes to gaining or losing weight. It is difficult for many people to overcome their inner weaker self and exercise regularly. It becomes even more difficult with stomach pain, nausea or, for example, joint and muscle pain.

In this case, many sufferers prefer the couch and cozy blanket. This is understandable, but fundamentally wrong. A lack of exercise usually results in higher calorie intake and reduced calorie consumption. Due to the negative energy balance, weight gain cannot be prevented.

2. Many lactose-free products also contain sugar and calories

Many people confuse the term “ lactose-free ” with “ sugar-free .” This way is not correct. Because the lactose is not completely removed. The majority of lactose-free products have the same sugar content as conventional products. So you also consume plenty of sugar and calories with lactose-free foods. If you are not careful in this regard, you risk gaining weight.

3. One-sided diet due to a reduced selection of food

In addition, a diet that is too unbalanced often acts as a booster for weight gain. This actually indirectly has something to do with your own intolerance to lactose. Because the intolerance ensures that your personal menu is greatly reduced.

To prevent your lactose intolerance from causing fatigue or gastrointestinal problems, you should avoid a large number of foods simply out of self-protection. This means that your diet quickly becomes one-sided.

However, this usually also affects your metabolism because you don't even consume many of the nutrients you need. If the metabolism does not function properly, this often leads to higher body weight.

4. Fatty and high-calorie food leaves its mark

The situation is similar with the energy balance. If you eat a diet that is too one-sided or incorrect, you will consume more calories per meal than you burn throughout the day. If this imbalance persists over the long term, you will immediately gain weight. Nutrition experts largely agree that poor energy balance is one of the biggest risks of weight gain.

5. Eating for frustration is also a risk factor for weight gain

How badly do you suffer from your intolerance to lactose? Is perhaps not eating a large number of food products or the intensity of symptoms also affecting you psychologically or mentally? If this is the case, it clouds the quality of life and leads to frustration. Many people react to constant frustration with the typical frustration eating. This is of course reflected by a higher weight when you step on the scales.

Those affected often notice or suspect that they have difficulty tolerating milk and dairy products. This feeling also represents a starting point for the diagnosis of the doctor. Therefore, a detailed questioning of those affected (anamnesis) is an important cornerstone of the diagnosis. If the suspicion of lactose intolerance is reinforced by the anamnesis, the treating doctors arrange for a more precise diagnosis preferably a strictly lactose-free diet under the guidance of a specialist.

If the tests confirm a corresponding intolerance , nutritional therapy is advisable. The focus is of course on lactose intolerance. The aim is to reduce or, at best, eliminate the symptoms of lactose intolerance such as rashes , diarrhea or chronic fatigue.

If you suffer from congenital lactase deficiency , you must consistently eat a lactose-free diet. Milk sugar-free substitute products can help you with this. Manufacturers obtain products of this type from coconut, almonds and nuts as well as from rice, hemp, oats or soy. In some cases, these lactose-free substitutes are also enriched with vitamin D, A or B12, calcium and riboflavin .

However, if you are diagnosed with primary lactose intolerance , your diet should contain little to no lactose. Since some of those affected can tolerate lactose in limited amounts despite primary lactose intolerance, it is important to find out their personal tolerance limit. A little trial and error is definitely called for here in order to reconcile lactose intolerance with your diet.

Experience shows that the majority of people with lactose intolerance have to change their food intake to a low-lactose diet with around eight to ten grams of lactose per day. Intestinal cleansing also makes sense in some cases.

Certain intestinal bacteria, such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, are able to digest lactose. The symptoms caused by lactose intolerance, such as rashes or headaches, noticeably decrease when beneficial bacteria of this type are present in larger numbers in the intestine.

If you have symptoms of secondary lactose intolerance such as a rash, a short-term change in diet can be helpful, but it doesn't really get to the heart of the problem. Here, doctors are primarily concerned with treating and curing the disease that causes it. A typical trigger is, for example, an inflamed intestinal mucosa.

Drug treatments as alternative solutions

There are also preparations with lactase that you can take, for example, before your lunch. This weakens the effect of lactose on your body and your well-being. But this shouldn't be a permanent solution. In addition to this form of enzyme substitution, probiotics also have a positive effect on the digestion of excess lactose and the overall composition. From a medical perspective, four weeks of use is recommended. In addition, various studies show that taking prebiotics for a limited period of time can significantly improve lactose digestion and tolerance.

Of course, the medication does not contribute to simultaneous weight loss, but only aims to get symptoms of lactose intolerance such as fatigue under control. However, lactose intolerance and weight loss can be easily reconciled.

As an innovative manufacturer of vegan products, Greenforce offers a wide range of milk substitute products and other lactose-free treats. With these vegan substitute products you always choose a really delicious lactose intolerance diet. And that's not all: our milk substitute products are also a good alternative to cow's milk . This is interesting, for example, for those who get diarrhea from milk even without lactose intolerance.

Since vegan products are generally based on plants, weight loss can be achieved in most cases despite lactose intolerance. Just take a look around the Greenforce shop without obligation. Here you will find exactly the products with which you can optimally combat your lactose intolerance. Diarrhea from milk and weight gain from poor nutrition will definitely be a thing of the past.