What Happens If You Ignore Lactose Intolerance?

Lactose intolerance is when your body has trouble digesting lactose, a type of sugar found in milk and other dairy products. If you're lactose intolerant and don’t pay attention to the symptoms, it can lead to some pretty uncomfortable and even serious health issues. Here’s a simple explanation of what can happen if you ignore lactose intolerance.

What is Lactose Intolerance?

Lactose intolerance happens when your body doesn’t make enough of an enzyme called lactase. Lactase is what helps break down lactose in your digestive system. If your body can’t break down lactose properly, it can cause symptoms like bloating, gas, diarrhea, and stomach pain after you eat or drink dairy products. While lactose intolerance isn’t life-threatening, ignoring it can make you feel bad and affect your daily life.

Ongoing Stomach Problems

One of the first things you’ll notice if you ignore lactose intolerance is that you’ll keep having stomach problems. When your body can’t break down lactose, it can cause bloating, gas, and cramps in your stomach. These symptoms usually show up a few hours after you eat or drink something with lactose and can last for a while. If this happens often, it can make it hard to enjoy meals or focus on other things you need to do.

Frequent Diarrhea

Ignoring lactose intolerance can also lead to frequent diarrhea. When lactose isn’t digested, it goes to your large intestine, where bacteria break it down. This process creates gas and pulls water into your colon, which leads to diarrhea. If you have diarrhea a lot, it can cause you to lose too much water, feel tired, and not get enough nutrients from your food, which isn’t good for your health.

Missing Out on Important Nutrients

If you keep eating dairy despite being lactose intolerant, you might not get enough important nutrients. This is because constant diarrhea can stop your body from absorbing things like calcium and vitamin D, which are found in dairy. Over time, not getting enough of these nutrients can make your bones weaker, make you feel more tired, and lower your body’s ability to fight off sickness.

Losing Weight and Feeling Weak

For some people, ignoring lactose intolerance can cause them to lose weight without meaning to. If you’re dealing with diarrhea and stomach pain all the time, you might start eating less to avoid the discomfort, which can make you lose weight. If your body isn’t getting enough food and nutrients, you can become malnourished, which means your body isn’t getting what it needs to work properly. This can leave you feeling weak and tired all the time.

Risk of Developing IBS

Ignoring lactose intolerance might also increase your chances of getting Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). IBS is a long-term condition that affects your large intestine and can cause stomach pain, bloating, and changes in your bowel habits. While doctors aren’t exactly sure what causes IBS, having ongoing digestive problems, like those caused by lactose intolerance, can make it more likely to develop.

Impact on Social Life and Mood

Living with untreated lactose intolerance can also affect your social life and how you feel emotionally. You might start avoiding social events that involve food because you’re worried about having symptoms, which can make you feel isolated. Constant stomach problems can also affect your mood, making you feel irritable, anxious, or even depressed. Taking steps to manage lactose intolerance can help you avoid these issues and improve your overall quality of life.

Difficulty with Digestive Health

Over time, ignoring lactose intolerance can lead to broader digestive health issues. Constant irritation from undigested lactose can disrupt the normal functioning of your digestive system. This can lead to a more sensitive gut, where you might start reacting to other foods that never bothered you before. Your digestive system may become less efficient at processing foods, leading to more frequent bouts of discomfort and even more complex digestive problems.

Why It’s Important to See a Doctor

If you think you might be lactose intolerant, it’s important to talk to a doctor. They can help diagnose the condition and recommend the best ways to manage it. This might include trying different lactose-free products, using lactase supplements, or finding other ways to get the nutrients you need without dairy. A doctor can also help you rule out other conditions that might be causing similar symptoms, like a milk allergy or other digestive disorders.

How to Deal with Lactose Intolerance

If you’re lactose intolerant, it’s important to adjust your diet to avoid these problems. This might mean cutting back on or avoiding dairy products, choosing lactose-free options, or taking lactase supplements to help your body digest lactose. Paying attention to how your body reacts and making changes to your diet can help you avoid discomfort and live more comfortably.

Ignoring lactose intolerance can lead to a lot of unpleasant and sometimes serious health problems. By understanding your condition and making simple changes to your diet, you can avoid these issues and stay healthy and comfortable.