Developing Lactose Intolerance

I did not use to be lactose intolerant. I did some research on the web and found that lactase deficiency may occur for one of three reasons, congenital, secondary or developmental. Mine seems to belong in the last category. It said the most common cause of lactase deficiency is a decrease in the amount of lactase that occurs after childhood and persists into adulthood. This decrease is genetically programmed, and the prevalence of this type of lactase deficiency among different ethnic groups is highly variable. Thus, among Asian populations it is almost 100%. It is almost like saying it was inevitable, I was already predisposed.

Like all other forbidden fruit, I know fully well what the side effects of having a mocha frappucino or a hot fudge sundae does to my digestive system. It is not pleasant which is why most of the time I avoid milk and any products that contain it. Sometimes the temptation is very strong so I am faced with a dilemna. I would like to think of myself as objective so I pretend to carefully weigh the following things:
*the amount of milk in the forbidden item
*where I will be by the time the effects kick in
*who I am with when the effects kick in :-)
*how much abdominal pain I think I will have
However, I am sure you have heard the saying "the heart wants what the heart wants and it makes us do bad things".

Unfortunately, I seem to be stuck with this for the long-term. I read the most obvious means of treating lactose intolerance is by reducing the amount of lactose in the diet. It often takes only elimination of the major milk-containing products to obtain sufficient relief from the symptoms. It is true, there have been times when I have been pleasantly surprised that I seem to get away with just a little sinful indulgence. I just might get used to that. In fact some people find that by slowly increasing the amount of milk or milk-containing products in their diets they are able to tolerate larger amounts of lactose without getting the symptoms. Developing a indifference for it might enable me cross the line into the land of milk and honey if I am lucky.

There are important long-term health consequences like calcium deficiency, brought about by lactose intolerance. This can be prevented easily by supplements. The real problem is that many lactose intolerant people who consciously or unconsciously avoid milk do not realize that they do need supplements. Me, I do realize that I need supplements; however, like most people, I sometimes do not always take what is good for me.