If you get diarrhea after drinking milk, here are 4 tips to help you solve it!

Milk is an important drink for daily calcium supplementation, but some people cannot enjoy it. They feel uncomfortable in their stomachs and intestines after drinking milk, and even have diarrhea in severe cases! This is what we often call "lactose intolerance", and this phenomenon is common among Chinese residents.

In fact, it's not just humans. Even most cats and dogs are lactose intolerant like us.

What is the reason why milk becomes a "laxative"? If you are lactose intolerant, can you no longer drink milk? In this video, we will talk about diarrhea caused by drinking milk, and how should people with lactose intolerance drink milk?

Image source: pixabay

The main reason why some people get diarrhea after drinking milk is because of the lactose in the milk. Under normal circumstances, after drinking milk, the lactase in the intestines will break down the lactose in the milk and further break it down into glucose and galactose for the body to use.

As we grow older, the amount of lactase in our bodies will gradually decrease. The same is true for cats and dogs. They originally have less lactase in their bodies, and it will become less and less after weaning, so many cats and dogs will have diarrhea after drinking milk.

People with lactose intolerance lack lactase in their intestines. When milk enters the small intestine, the lactase in the small intestine is not enough to completely break down the lactose in the milk. This gives other intestinal flora an advantage and breaks it down. Some of the lactose will be fermented by colon bacteria into lactic acid, hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide. Among them, lactic acid will stimulate the intestinal wall and speed up intestinal peristalsis, leading to diarrhea; while the production of various gases increases the pressure in the colon, leading to flatulence.

Therefore, people with lactose intolerance will experience symptoms such as abdominal pain, flatulence, and diarrhea after drinking milk.

Since drinking milk will make you feel unwell, many people with lactose intolerance are afraid to drink milk. In fact, there is no need to stop drinking it. After all, the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" recommends drinking 300-500g of milk every day to supplement calcium and prevent osteoporosis.

If you are also lactose intolerant, you can refer to the following 4 ways to drink milk:

1. Add 60-120 mL of pure milk (lactose content 3-6 g) to any meal, 2-3 times a day, for 3 weeks to observe and slowly induce the intestine to enhance tolerance to lactose.

2. Use sugar-free yogurt instead of pure milk. The lactose content in yogurt will be greatly reduced after being fermented by lactic acid bacteria, so there will be no obvious symptoms of lactose intolerance.

3. Eat low-salt cheese. Cheese is also a fermented dairy product, and the lactose content will be significantly reduced after fermentation. However, most cheeses have a high sodium content. When buying, you should look at the nutritional information table and choose the one with the lowest sodium content and the highest calcium content, such as less than 200 mg of sodium per 100 grams and more than 1000 mg of calcium.

4. Choose zero-lactose milk. This type of milk does not contain lactose, so you can drink it even if you have severe lactose intolerance.

Finally, it is important to remind you that lactose intolerance should be distinguished from milk allergy. If you are allergic to milk, don't eat any dairy products!

The article is produced by Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project (Creation and Cultivation). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

Author: Xue Qingxin, member of Chinese Nutrition Society, registered nutrition technician, health manager, public nutritionist

Reviewer: Song Shuang, Associate Researcher, Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention