Discover the Link between Lactose Intolerance and Back Pain

The enzyme lactase is essential for the digestion of lactose, the major sugar in milk. Lactase is essential for breaking down lactose into simpler sugars glucose and galactose.

Deficiency of the enzyme lactase leads to a condition called lactose intolerance. Most people who are intolerant do not have enough lactase to digest lactose properly. Of the many symptoms of this intolerance that we are familiar with, back pain has taken many including researchers, by surprise. Studies carried out are now pointing out to the link between intolerance and back pain.

As people age, the inability of the small intestine to produce a sufficient amount of lactase can start to produce symptoms - gas, swelling abdomen, bloating, abdominal pain with cramps and diarrhea.

Lactose is a sugar product found in the milk of mammals. Lactose intolerance is usually inherited. This arises when you cannot produce enough of the enzyme lactase which is the key enzyme that breaks down lactose for digestion. This inability will cause severe stomach pain, diarrhea and flatulence. This complaint is now easily treated at hospitals.

It is a common fact that dairy products contain a lot of calcium and since 75% of our calcium intake is done through dairy products, for people who are intolerant this intake is drastically reduced. If this is not replaced with daily calcium intake from other sources, devastating consequences may set in as a result of the demineralization of the bones and osteoporosis setting in causing small fractures of the vertebrae causing back pain and associated back problems.

If you are lactose intolerant, it is essential for you to ensure that you take adequate daily calcium intake through calcium rich foods. Eating calcium rich foods has been proved to reduce the occurrences of osteoporosis and prevent back pain.

Osteoporosis as a result of this intolerance is easily related to back pain. As lactose intolerant people cut dairy out of their diets and fail to replace them through other forms of foods rich in calcium, osteoporosis sets in and as it causes microscopic cracks in the vertebrae of the back, these small cracks can cause back pain and eventually disabling fractures. Anyone who has been diagnosed as lactose intolerant should take pains to prevent osteoporosis from setting in. They should eat more calcium rich foods. There are plenty of ways to get enough calcium to prevent back pain from lactose intolerance.

Lactose intolerance usually develops gradually. The best way to determine if you are lactose intolerant is to get your doctor to diagnose it. Once you have confirmed that you are lactose intolerant, you will have to experiment on what food to eat and what to avoid.

Nowadays, various digestive aids are available to get you through the problem; lactose containing drops can be added to milk. Milk with lactase added during the manufacturing process is also available now and lactase in tablet form is also available.

People with lactose intolerance should watch what they eat and should try to remove the obvious sources of lactose and hidden sources from their diet. People with lactose intolerance are recommended to take 1,000 mg of calcium daily. Divide this into two doses because the body cannot absorb more than 600 mg of calcium at one time.

If you are lactose intolerant and suffer back pain, please realize that the two may be related. Understanding the cause of lactose intolerance will help you understand the link between lactose intolerance and back pain.

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