Title: How does lactose intolerance get worse as you age? - Quora
Headings: How does lactose intolerance get worse as you age?
4 Answers
Content: Why do people have less of a tolerance for lactose as they age? Lactose is a sugar that is found primarily in milk. It requires a special enzyme, lactase, to be absorbed by the body. Historically (before refrigeration), most milk consumption was limited to infancy, so there was no need to continue to make this enzyme when people grew older. As a result most people don’t. The exception was people living in areas in Northern Europe and Africa that domesticated animals for dairy production year round. For these groups, retaining the enzyme into adulthood offered an selective advantage. 654 views
·
View upvotes
John Baldwin
, Health and Homes at Identities
Answered 2 years ago · Author has 115 answers and 26.1K answer views
Originally Answered: Can lactose intolerance get worse? Yes it can if left untreated or over time, but the problem you really have is your stomach and small intestine not breaking down the type of sugar in dairy products.