What Is Lactose Intolerance?

What is lactose intolerance?

You may be thinking that there is a pretty obvious answer to the question of “what is lactose intolerance” but a simple scroll through #lactoseintolerant on Twitter will tell you that this is a widely misunderstood condition.  

So let’s go back to basics here with some information from the NIH:

What is lactose?

Lactose is the sugar found in milk.  The small intestine produces an enzyme called lactase, which breaks lactose down into two simple sugars – glucose and galactose – during the digestive process and then the body absorbs those sugars into the bloodstream.  

Learn more about how we make our ice cream lactose-free here.

Lactase deficiency vs. lactase malabsorption 

Lactase deficiency is when the body doesn’t produce enough lactase to digest lactose or any at all. 

This is why the amount of lactose different people can handle varies.  The most common type of lactose deficiency, called non-persistence, is when lactase production declines over time.  Many people become lactose intolerant with age due to this declining.   

Lactose malabsorption is when undigested lactose makes its way into the colon (or digestive tract).

And, without getting too graphic, your body wants to expel it as quickly as possible.

So, there you have it.  Now when someone asks you “what is lactose intolerance,”  you’ll tell them that lactose intolerance is more than just a sensitivity to milk.  Understanding why it occurs allows us to combat the causes and still live our fullest lactose-free life.