LACTOSE INTOLERANCE

By: Abi Benedict

The Key Players

Issue• Lactase Deficiency

Disease• Lactose Intolerance

What is lactose intolerance?

Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk and milk products When the body consumes any milk or milk based products, lactose, the sugar found in milk products is also consumed.

In order to break down the sugar into glucose and galactose that can be absorbed into the bloodstream, the body uses the enzyme named lactase.

The body’s inability to process milk and milk products is called lactose intolerance and is caused by the deficiency of the lactase enzyme.

Enzymes

The purpose of an enzyme in a cell is to allow the cell to carry out chemical reactions quickly.

These reactions allow the cell to constuct things or take things apart when needed. This is how a cell grows and reproduces.

a cell is really a little bag full of reactions that are made possible by enzymes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiFy-2hzJlw&feature=related

Hydrolysis

Lactase hydrolysis cuts by adding water to the sugar lactose into two simple sugars, glucose and galactose. Both the initial and final solutions are colourless.

Lactase Deficiency Cause Age of Onset

Primary when the body begins to produce less lactase

• 2+

Secondary results from injury to the small intestine that occurs with severe diarrheal illness, celiac disease,, or chemotherapy.

• Commonly in infancy

• Any age

Congenital is a genetic disorder which prevents enzymatic production of lactase.

• At any age

What is Lactase?

 Lactase is a form of enzyme which is present in the human's small intestine.

 It is responsible for the digestion and break down of lactose (or milk sugar) in milk products.

SYMPTOMS • abdominal pain

• abdominal bloating• gas

• diarrhea• nausea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V81uwYDa0Q

Calcium Chart (Intake)

How does lactose intolerance effect your

body? Lactose intolerance can

give you a high chance of developing osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by a decrease in the density of a bone, decreasing its strength and resulting in fragile bones.

Osteoporosis is due to lack of calcium, which dairy products can give you, which lactose intolerant people can not gain.

Tests

EndoscopyEndoscopy is a way of looking inside the body using a flexible tube that has a small camera on the end of it. This instrument is called an endoscope.

Tests

Lactose- Hydrogen Breath Test

• A breath sample will be collected and tested for the presence of hydrogen.

• To obtain the sample, you will be asked to blow up a balloon-type bag.

• Normally, very little hydrogen is found in the breath.

• Increased hydrogen breath levels indicate improper digestion.

Lactose Tolerance Test• Measures how well the body breaks down milk sugar in the

intestines. The patient must not eat or drink for 8 to 12 hours before the test. After this, a blood sample is taken in order to measure the amount of sugar in the blood. A solution containing milk, sugar and some lemon is then drunk by the patient. If they are able to break down milk sugar properly in the intestines, the level of sugar in the blood will rise within an hour of drinking the solution. Then another blood test would be taking place. If the level of blood sugar does not rise this may mean lactose is not split into galactose and glucose.

Stool pHA fecal pH test is one where a induvisual of feces is tested for acidity in order to diagnose a medical condition. Human feces is normally alkaline. An acidic stool can indicate a digestive problem such as lactose intolerance.

Tests

Lactose Avoidance

• The most effective treatment is to avoid foods and medications that contain lactose, primarily milk and milk products.

Calcium Supplementation• Physicians recommend that you take

supplemental calcium. Which include pills, or different types of juice.

Treatment/Technologies

Treatment/Technologies

Lactase Enzyme Supplementation• You can take

lactase enzyme supplements to prevent symptoms when eating/drinking lactose-containing dairy products. 

• Lactase drops may be dropped into regular milk 24 hours before drinking to reduce lactose levels.

Technology/Something New

Something that they can develop is an app for Iphones or blackberries, to see what percentage of dairy is in a product.

Also a new technology they should develop is finding if a child is lactose intolerance before the child is born.

http://

www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2009-08-30-lactose-intolerance_N.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6397001.stm http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/health/2012/0

1/20/think-are-lactose-intolerant-might-want-to-think-again/

http://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(02)00013-6/abstract?referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fscholar.google.ca%2Fscholar%3Fhl%3Den

News Articles

Do you think its safe to take pills that help you

digest dairy? What if something goes wrong? Is there a way to fix that?

Do you think soya milk is safe to drink when you are lactose intolerant?

Do you think that lactose intolerance can run in genes?

Something to think about. . .