The link between dairy and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Lactose intolerance and IBS – Is there a connection?

Good question!

Lactose is a type of sugar mainly found in milk and dairy products.  Lactose intolerance is the body’s inability to break down and digest lactose. Typical symptoms are:

A bloated stomach

Stomach Pain

Indigestion

Smelly flatulence (wind)

Sometimes diarrhoea or irregular bowel movements

What do the above symptoms remind you of – Irritable Bowel Syndrome? Many case of IBS have been resolved just by eliminating dairy from the diet.

An enzyme produced in the body called lactase enables the break down of lactose so that it can easily be absorbed into the bloodstream. In lactose intolerance, the body does not produce enough lactase, so it stays in the digestive system, fermenting away by bacteria (similar to how yeast is fermented to produce beer) causing irritation, gas and bloating.

Enzyme production slows down as we age, so we can develop a lactose intolerance, when we never had one before.  Asian and African-caribbean people tend to be lactose intolerance. It’s worth eliminating dairy from your diet, and if your symptoms subside, then it’s a good indication that you have the intolerance.  Bear in mind that if you’re not able to eat dairy, then you may need additional Calcium and Vitamin D to help keep your bones healthy and strong.

Treatment is either abstaining from dairy foods, replacing dairy with lactose-free dairy, or taking a lactase capsule prior to having anything containing dairy to help the digestive system break it down, and absorb the nutrients in the dairy products.

An excellent broad-based digestive enzyme supplement, that contains lactase, as well as lots of other plant based enzymes is available from Nottingham Health Shop www.nottmphysio-colonics.co.uk/shop  It’s called Polyzyme Forte and is manufactured by the highly respected supplement company, BioCare. The capsules come in brown glass bottles. 30 capsules cost £10.55 and 90 cost £26.10. You take one capsule before food. The capsules are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Polyzyme Forte also contains lactobacillus acidophilus, a ‘friendly’ strain of gut bacteria to further enhance the health-giving properties of this supplement.