Lactose intolerance in old age? How you can deal with it

From one day to the next you can no longer tolerate dairy products that you have been able to eat without any problems throughout your life? This sudden food intolerance could be lactose intolerance in old age. The phenomenon is widespread.

For many people, inflammatory bowel disease and other intestinal health problems cause difficulty digesting lactose. In addition, as we get older, the production of the enzyme lactase, which is essential for the digestion of milk sugar, decreases.

Don't worry : there are a few things you can do to deal with this intolerance to dairy products in a relaxed manner and to enjoy your old age.

Lactose is a specific sugar found in milk. It is made up of the well-known glucose and another sugar called galactose. People can only digest lactose if the body produces the enzyme lactase.

In some people it is not present from birth, or more precisely from adulthood . This affects entire ethnic groups, especially in the Asian and African regions.

People from Japan and other Asian countries, for example, lack the enzyme by the time they reach adulthood at the latest. Your body no longer produces it in sufficient quantities. As babies and children, these people can usually tolerate milk. Only when they are adults do intolerance reactions occur .

Here, lactose intolerance is similar to gluten intolerance . Children can already have it, but symptoms often do not appear until adolescence or early adulthood.

A distinction must be made between lactose intolerance and cow's milk allergy in babies . In this widespread form of allergy in the first period of life, the immune system reacts to proteins in the milk, not to the lactose.

If the human body no longer produces lactase after childhood, we speak of primary lactose intolerance.

Secondary lactose intolerance only occurs at an advanced age . Initially, milk is tolerated because there is sufficient lactase present. The production of the enzyme gradually decreases during the aging process.

In addition, diseases such as inflammation in the intestine, changes in the bacterial colonization of the intestine due to the administration of antibiotics and other factors can also reduce enzyme formation.

It's not uncommon for people to suddenly realize that they can no longer get dairy products . This is not just about cow's milk, but also other types of dairy products of animal origin. Plant milk such as oat milk is considered an alternative to cow's milk because it does not contain lactose.

Symptoms of chocolate intolerance can be a special case. When it comes to milk chocolate, it is obvious that some people react to the milk sugar in the chocolate. Chocolate also contains histamine.

Although the histamine content in this food is not particularly high, those who suffer from histamine intolerance may react. Histamine intolerances show slightly different symptoms than lactose intolerance . Headaches and a form of migraine often dominate here.

If you are affected by an intolerance, you quickly come to the question: Can I cure histamine intolerance? What options are there to resolve my lactose intolerance ?

Many intolerances to certain foods cannot be cured in a medical sense.

Those affected achieve an improvement in symptoms and often almost freedom from symptoms if they avoid particularly stressful foods. Nutritional advice is often helpful here in order to get your own eating habits on a new path.

So far, there is no known medical treatment that could permanently stimulate the human body's own production of the enzyme lactase. This is particularly true for the primary form of this intolerance.

In the case of secondary intolerance, it can be possible to provide individual impulses for increased enzyme production through healing processes for inflammation in the intestines and an improved microbiome.

For several years now, anyone who is affected by an intolerance to lactose has been able to take the enzyme in the form of chewable tablets or other tablets before meals and thus improve the tolerability of lactose in digestion.

The enzyme is supplied to the body from outside. The consumption of dairy products becomes possible.

Particularly in the case of secondary intolerance, the symptoms after consuming foods containing lactose vary from person to person.

This is due, among other things, to the fact that each person affected still has the enzyme lactase available to the digestive process to varying degrees.

That's why those affected react very differently to the intake of different dairy products. It is different with primary intolerance. Severe reactions to any form of lactose regularly occur here if those affected do not absorb the enzyme lactase .

Due to the varying severity of symptoms in secondary intolerance, some people hardly notice their body's reaction to lactose and do not take it seriously. Mild flatulence is perceived as an annoyance, but not as an illness.

Other people experience intense physical reactions after consuming lactose. Since flatulence and other abdominal disorders such as diarrhea affect the quality of life in the long term, a change in diet is recommended if you are lactose intolerance.

If you have an intolerance to lactose, should you avoid all dairy products overnight? That won't be necessary.

But you should look at the different dairy products and determine which of them contain a lot of lactose and which contain less. Then you can carefully test for yourself which dairy products you can tolerate and which you can't.

Caution is advised when dealing with ready-made foods. Lactose is often hidden in sauces, ready meals and many other products. You can often not rely on the clear declaration of lactose.

If you want to continue to enjoy milk-like products as you get older, you should consider plant-based alternatives considering your lactose intolerance. They are not inferior to animal products in terms of taste, consistency and quality. Today you can choose from many high-quality plant-based alternative products.

If cow's milk and other types of milk of animal origin are a problem for you, you now have a wide variety of milk alternatives to choose from. At Greenforce we offer many plant-based alternative products. This applies not only to a vegan oat-based drink, but also to yogurt alternatives and many more.

In terms of a wholesome diet, you don't have to rely on dairy products. Vegans do it. Switching to a plant-based diet is often easier than most people think.

If you put together your daily diet carefully, you don't have to worry about any deficiency symptoms, even with vegan foods.

It is often a matter of habit and associated with the widespread availability of products that people with lactose intolerance want to stick to some dairy products . This can be your favorite cheese or a special yogurt.

If you include more plant-based products in your diet if you have an intolerance, it will be easier for you to deal with exceptions such as when you eat dairy products in company when you are invited. You can also have lactase tablets ready for these occasions.

Overall, you will benefit from a predominantly vegan diet if you are struggling with symptoms of lactose intolerance. Unlike gluten intolerance in children and adults, you are not directly endangering your health if you eat dairy products despite being intolerant.

However, unpleasant symptoms such as fatigue with lactose intolerance, milk constipation and other digestive disorders can be very stressful. Are you primarily interested in an alternative to cow's milk.

Milk in its actual form contains plenty of lactose. Also think about hidden milk sugar doses in finished products and products that initially seem innocent, such as globules for homeopaths. Lactose is a common ingredient. It takes a lot of attention to track him down.

The so-called Roemheld syndrome or stomach-heart syndrome leads to extremely intense symptoms that can cause severe anxiety in those affected. This is less known about lactose intolerance.

This is certainly true in our region, where most people only develop an intolerance to lactose at an advanced age .

However, you are doing yourself a disservice if you ignore lactose intolerance and consume large quantities of dairy products uncontrollably. It has not yet been conclusively researched whether the constant digestive problems actually promote health problems in the intestines after a while.

This is also worth noting given that it is often existing inflammatory processes and injuries in the intestines that lead to lactose intolerance in the first place. It is recommended that you become and remain careful about lactose.

It's not particularly difficult to switch to a vegan diet, at least partially. The benefits of a plant-based diet have not yet been fully researched. However, there is much to suggest that you are doing your general health a favor if you eat a predominantly plant-based diet, especially as you get older.

This is where lactose intolerance may serve you well because you become more attentive to signals from your body. This attention not only has great advantages in old age.

The popular saying that locates death in the intestines has something to it. Likewise, trouble-free and appropriate digestion has a major impact on your well-being. This applies to all ages.

We specialize in high-quality, vegan products . You don't have to worry about hidden milk sugar with our finished products and powders. We clearly declare the respective ingredients.

With our vegan foods you have a large selection of delicious and vegan milk alternatives that make your life with lactose intolerance easier.

You will notice that taste and enjoyment are not neglected even without milk and milk sugar . Enjoy your life with lactose intolerance. We support you by continually introducing new, exciting products that are the culinary highlight of a vegan life.

You can deal with lactose intolerance in old age better than with other intolerances. A sudden food intolerance in this area does not have to worry you. You are not dependent on animal milk products, which contain lactose, for a complete diet.

If you do make an exception and consume a dairy product, then you can resort to the lactase enzyme tablets. The intolerance does not have to affect your quality of life. The many vegan food alternatives will sweeten your life even in old age .