Title: Can You Become Lactose Intolerant Later in Life? | Everyday Health
Headings: Can You Become Lactose Intolerant Later in Life?
Can You Become Lactose Intolerant Later in Life?
Digestive Problems Similar to Lactose Intolerance
How to Determine if You're Lactose Intolerant
How to Manage Different Degrees of Lactose Intolerance
Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking
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Content: In fact, about 65 percent of the global population has a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Your genetic makeup has a lot to do with whether you'll experience lactose intolerance. The body creates lactase when it’s instructed to do so by the LCT gene, and over time that gene can become less active. The result is lactose intolerance, which can begin after age 2 but may not manifest itself until adolescence or even adulthood, Dr. Grand says. Some ethnic groups are more prone to developing lactose intolerance than others. According to the NIH, people of East Asian, West African, Arab, Jewish, Greek, and Italian descent are the most commonly affected by lactose intolerance in adulthood. An injury to your small intestine — whether from an accident, surgery, radiation, infection, or disease — can also leave you unable to drink milk without symptoms, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Drinking poorly treated or untreated water can also cause injury to your bowel that could result in lactose intolerance, Grand adds. Digestive Problems Similar to Lactose Intolerance
But don’t give milk the cold shoulder just yet — digestive discomfort can be caused by other conditions, especially as you get older. Some adults think they have lactose intolerance when they really have a different gastrointestinal issue, such as celiac disease , irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Grand says.