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: How to Determine if You're Lactose Intolerant
A simple way to determine whether you've become lactose intolerant is to completely eliminate milk and milk products from your diet and monitor how you feel in the following weeks. “If you still have symptoms on a milk-restricted diet, you know it’s not the milk,” Grand says. A breath test can provide a more definitive diagnosis, according to the NIDDK. For this test, you'll drink a beverage with lactose and then breathe into a balloon-like container so that your hydrogen level can be measured. Under normal conditions, after consuming dairy, people will have only a small amount of hydrogen in their breath. If you’re lactose intolerant, you'll produce high levels of hydrogen. How to Manage Different Degrees of Lactose Intolerance
Some people who are lactose intolerant can still consume small amounts of milk or milk products and not feel ill, while others find their symptoms wax and wane from time to time and from food to food, Dr. Farhadi says. Hard cheeses, such as cheddar and Swiss, contain less lactose than soft cheeses. Yogurt is also easier to digest than other forms of dairy. Taking lactase pills or drops, such as Lactaid or Dairy Ease, before you eat can also help manage symptoms.