Lactose intolerance is a lot more prevalent than you would believe, and studies suggest that the most popular food allergy affects around 60% of the population. Lactose intolerance is an allergy that can strike at any time, and those who are lactose intolerant must avoid anything that contains lactose – most often milk and other products derived from it or containing it.
Lactose intolerance is a condition that can affect anyone at any age, and not everyone knows how to recognize the symptoms of lactose intolerance when they appear. Many people are actually lactose intolerant without even realizing it. If you experience any of the following symptoms after consuming milk or dairy products, then chances are that you might be lactose intolerant too.
Here are eight silent lactose intolerance symptoms that you should be on the lookout for.
1. Abdominal Pain
If you eat something that disagrees with you, it’s possible that your abdomen will hurt. This might be minor to severe, but it will usually go away in time. Such discomfort is frequently induced by meals that are harsh on the stomach, such as those containing a lot of herbs or spices.
With an intolerance to lactose, you may also experience abdominal pains about half an hour after consuming food that contains lactose. In some cases, the pain can be severe. It’s also a good idea to keep a food diary of everything you eat and when. This may help you identify the source of your problem.
2. Increased Flatulence
Did you know that one of the most common, and yet embarrassing, symptoms associated with lactose intolerance is flatulence? If you suspect you may be intolerant to milk or dairy, pay close attention to how your body reacts after consuming these products.
Again, making a record of everything you eat and the symptoms that follow (or don’t) is the easiest approach to determine whether dairy is really the source of this symptom. If increased flatulence occurs together with eating dairy and happens every time in the same sequence, it’s very probable that you’re lactose intolerant.
3. Weight Loss
People frequently feel immense pressure to be thin in today’s society. While obesity is certainly unhealthy and losing weight may be necessary for some, other times people diet down to an excessively low weight for aesthetic reasons- which can also lead to poor health. In fact, Slimming World warns that “rapid weight loss [below 2lbs per week] can make you more likely to put the pounds back on”. Furthermore, sometimes drastic weight loss could indicate an underlying eating disorder or illness.
If you have an intolerance to lactose, your body cannot absorb nutrients properly, which can lead to weight loss. While this may not always be serious, it is best to speak with a doctor as soon as possible if you experience any sudden weight loss.
4. Painful Bowel Movements
If you’re healthy, having a bowel movement shouldn’t be too much of an issue for you. You might feel some discomfort if you eat spicy food, but even then it should pass without much difficulty. However, people who are lactose intolerant often experience apprehension around bowel movements because they can be very uncomfortable.
Lactose intolerance can cause the patient to experience pain and discomfort when eliminating waste. The pain is often associated with intestinal spasms that are felt with diarrhea. These symptoms should hopefully subside or even disappear altogether once lactose is eliminated from the patient’s diet.
5. Rash
If you develop a rash suddenly, it’s almost always a symptom that your body is trying to communicate with you about something else. The majority of crashes are caused by an immediate skin irritation or by something that causes the immune system to react from the inside, resulting in the development of a rash on the skin.
The rash from lactose intolerance generally surface minutes to half an hour after consuming dairy or a product with lactose. With this condition, you’ll also likely experience several of the listed symptoms simultaneously. If you want to know if lactose is the cause of your rash, try cutting out dairy and lactose from your diet. When the rash goes away after you do this, then it was likely caused by lactose.
If the rash persists, try changing other aspects of your lifestyle until the rash becomes less severe or disappears.
6. Nausea
Nausea is a typical symptom that can be caused by a variety of diseases. It might just be the case of an obnoxious odor or even something as simple as travel sickness. It may also be induced by eating something that is causing issues, such as lactose.
If you’re intolerant to lactose, you might experience indigestion, which can cause nausea. In some cases, this may lead to vomiting. If you’re having difficulty keeping food down, it means you’re not getting the nutrition your body needs. If you’re experiencing excessive nausea or vomiting, please speak with a doctor as soon as possible.
7. Stomach Sounds
Our stomachs are chock-full of liquid and gas. Swirls and swirls of juice and gases roil and surge around within our tummies. We don’t hear much because many layers of fat, muscle, and other tissues protect us from the noise, but there is a lot of commotion going on down below. If your stomach is upset, though, these noises may become louder, making them clearly audible.
An intolerance to lactose might be the source of these noises coming from your stomach. It’s likely to be accompanied by other signs and symptoms, such as bloating and flatulence. If you stop eating products that contain lactose, the noises should go away.
8. Fatigue
Everyday tiredness is faced by some people and it’s an issue that occurs daily, sometimes throughout the entire day. Feeling this way can affect different areas of their lives as they often get accused of being characteristics which are untrue, such as lazy. Although, It’s difficult to control for those who experience this type
of exhaustion on a day-to-day basis.
Lactose intolerance can cause patients to feel exhausted all the time, even after a full night’s sleep. This means they wake up in the morning feeling as tired as when they went to bed. However, with a correct diagnosis, lactose-intolerant individuals can manage their symptoms and regain energy.
9. Blurred Vision
If you have any of the following symptoms in addition to blurred vision, it’s likely that you’re allergic to lactose. To test this theory, eliminate all dairy products from your diet for a few days and see if your condition improves. If it does, then you know dairy was causing your issues.
Blurry vision is a symptom often experienced during an allergic reaction; sometimes your eyes will tear and swell, while other times your sight may just become blurry. If the problem persists after you’ve stopped consuming lactose, it might not be the source of the issue – it could range fromvision problems to diabetes that’s causing your blurred vision.
It’s always a good idea to consult your doctor for professional medical advice.
10. Difficulty Breathing
If you have trouble breathing, it is a severe symptom. If it happens due to an allergy, think of it as a medical emergency that requires immediate attention. It is unpredictable when this will happen, so you won’t always know how long your allergic reaction will take or how much time you’ll have before needing to go to the ER.
If you are having trouble breathing for any reason, go to the emergency department so that your condition can be evaluated; if you believe it might be allergies, inform the doctor as soon as possible.It’s also an excellent opportunity to push for an allergy test to determine whether a lactose sensitivity is really causing the problem – and you should ask yourself if you have any other food allergies that you aren’t aware of.
Lactose allergies are easily treatable.
11. General Feeling of Unwellness
After eating dairy products, people with lactose intolerance typically experience a general discomfort. The severity of their response to lactose is determined by the amount of dairy they consume.
Lactose intolerance is determined by both the severity of lactose consumed in a meal as well as how sensitive an individual person is to it. Some people can have one slice of pizza and not experience any negative symptoms, while others may feel sick after eating two or three slices.
If the afflicted person only consumes a small quantity of dairy, they may just experience minor symptoms of lactose intolerance. These indicators include stomach discomfort, bloating, and gas. However, the afflicted person will also have a general sense of dissatisfaction, low energy level, and cognitive fog clouding their decision-making and thinking.
12. Bloating
After eating, it’s not unusual to feel full. We may consume too much food and wind up with bloated stomachs. Gases released by the stomach can also exacerbate the issue, as can carbonated beverages.
Lactose intolerance is a condition in which the body is unable to break down lactose, resulting in bloating and abdominal discomfort. After eating specific meals, individuals with lactose intolerance are likely to experience bloating. The pressure on the stomach rises as gases build up in the stomach, giving people a feeling of distress. In time, the swelling will pass, and there are solutions accessible that can help alleviate pain.
