Anyone become lactose intolerant out of nowhere?

[Anonymous]

Interesting that it was sort of the normal state for adults, before Europeans “medicalized” lactose intolerance (from Wikipedia):

“Worldwide, around 65% of adults are affected by lactose malabsorption.[5][8] Other mammals usually lose the ability to digest lactose after weaning. Lactose intolerance is the ancestral state of all humans before the recent evolution of lactase persistence in some cultures, which extends lactose tolerance into adulthood.[9] Lactase persistence evolved in several populations independently, probably as an adaptation to the domestication of dairy animals around 10,000 years ago.[10][11] Today the prevalence of lactose tolerance varies widely between regions and ethnic groups.[5] The ability to digest lactose is most common in people of Northern European descent, and to a lesser extent in some parts of the Middle East and Africa.[5][8] Lactose intolerance is most common among people of East Asian descent, with 90% lactose intolerance, people of Jewish descent, in many African countries and Arab countries, and among people of Southern European descent (notably amongst Greeks and Italians). Traditional food cultures reflect local variations in tolerance[5] and historically many societies have adapted to low levels of tolerance by making dairy products that contain less lactose than fresh milk.[12] The medicalization of lactose intolerance as a disorder has been attributed to biases in research history, since most early studies were conducted amongst populations which are normally tolerant,[9] as well as the cultural and economic importance and impact of milk in countries such as the United States.[13] “

[Anonymous]

The Wiki doesn’t explain how it’s medicalized as a disorder. People like their ice cream and bisque. There are options available. Everyone’s tolerance varies from zero to high and anywhere in between.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. When I was in my early 20s. Symptoms were extreme GI distress when eating certain dairy foods---especially ice cream or cream based soups and sauces.

Same, in my mid-20s, but it actually went away after I had children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What were your symptoms?

It's a genetic thing. True lactose intolerance is due to a genetic defect that causes the body to stop producing certain enzymes that digest lactose.

It is more prevalent among tropical groups of people that didn't evolve with domestication of livestock and cheese and milk production in cooler climates. A neat study in Evolution of the human species.

If it happens well into adulthood, it isn't true lactose intolerance, but more than likely something happened that affected your gut biome balance and you can correct it.



Taking probiotics and enzymes will help you still enjoy milk products and get back to a healthy biome.

[Anonymous]

My sister in her late 30’s went fully intolerant. Can’t even have hidden dairy and lactaid stopped working. As a teen and 20 something she drank iced tea sized glasses of milk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What were your symptoms?

This happened to me, but I started taking supplements: B Complex, D and Magnesium and it disappeared. Worth a try.