Home Economics Project - Diet Related Disease

I had to complete my home economics project on a diet related disease. I chose to do my project on Lactose Intolerance. I chose this disease because I did not know much about the disease and I       wanted to learn more about this very common disease.

I presented my project on a poster. The information below was put onto the poster.

What is Lactose Intolerance?

Lactose Intolerance is the inability to digest Lactose. Lactose is a sugar found in animal milk, when your body digests the lactose it splits the lactose into two components called glucose and galactose which the body then absorbs. The lactose is split in the small intestine using an enzyme known as lactase. When you are lactose intolerant it means that your body does not produce enough lactase to break down the lactose. This undigested lactose goes to your colon. The colon is an organ that absorbs water from a substance and changes it from a liquid to a solid form. In your colon, bacteria that lives in the colon breaks down the lactose and creates fluid or gas. This causes extreme discomfort and leads to diarrhoea and bloating.

What are the symptoms of Lactose Intolerance?

When you have lactose intolerance you will begin experiencing symptoms around 30 minutes to 2 hours after eating or drinking dairy produce. The severity of you symptoms depends on the amount of lactose that your body is able to handle. Some people will be extremely sensitive, experiencing a lot of discomfort after having only a small amount of diary. Then there are also the people that only experience discomfort after eating a lot of diary and their body is able to manage a small amount of dairy without a problem, this is the most common case. Some of the common symptoms include nausea, cramps, painful gas, bloating and diarrhoea.

Can anyone have Lactose Intolerance?

Anyone can be lactose intolerant as it is an extremely common disease nowadays. However, it has been proven that certain racial and ethnic groups are more prone to the disease compared to others. For example, 75% of African Americans, Jews, Mexicans and Native Americans are suspected to be lactose intolerant. Also it is estimated that 90% of Asians are lactose intolerant. At the moment it is estimated that around 4,000,000 people are lactose intolerant in the world today. However statistics show that lactose intolerance is more common in Americans than Europeans.

Is there lactose in medicine?

Some medicines contain lactose. It has been proven that 20% of prescription medicines contain lactose and other over-the-counter medicines such as, stomach acid drugs and sore throat lozenges. Therefore if you have an extreme reaction to lactose it is extremely important that you are aware of all the medicines that contain lactose.  

 Does Lactose Intolerance affect my health?

Although milk and dairy produce has many important nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D having lactose intolerance will not affect your health as long as you get these nutrients through other food. However, if you do not substitute foods you will experience problems later in life. For example, calcium is very important, your body needs calcium for strong bones and teeth. If you do not digest the recommended amount of calcium then your bones will weaken leading them to brake very easily.  Foods such as soft boned fish like sardines or green leafy vegetables, oranges, tofu and almonds can all give you calcium. The daily recommended amount is 1300mg for teenagers and 1000mg for adults. That would be the equivalent of eating 26 oranges a day for a teenager to get their daily amount of calcium or 2.5 cans of sardines.

What do you do when you think you are Lactose Intolerant?

To confirm that you are lactose intolerant you must visit your doctor. Your doctor will ask you about your medical, family and diet history, and then he will do a physical exam. He may ask you to go home and take diary out of your diet and see if the symptoms so away. If the symptoms do not go away then he will do a hydrogen breath test. This test looks at the amount of hydrogen in your breath because, when you breathe only a small amount of hydrogen is released after eating lactose and it is broken down. However if your body is unable to break down the lactose it results in you having a high amount of hydrogen in your breath.  Your doctor will usually carry out this test in a hospital. He/she will get you to drink a bit of lactose. You will then breathe into a balloon-type container that measures the amount of hydrogen in your breath. The results will then confirm if you are lactose intolerant or not.

Is a milk allergy the same as being lactose intolerant?

No. A milk allergy is a reaction caused by your immune system. It occurs because your body recognises the protein in the milk as a substance that is unwanted. But instead of recognising that the body needs the protein, it thinks that the protein is a harmful substance to the body. Therefore the immune system sends messages to the body telling it to produce antibodies known as immunoglobulin E to attack and get rid of the protein from your body. The symptoms are very similar to those if you are lactose intolerant and therefore it is often thought that they are very similar diseases.  

Eating, Diet and Nutrition

Most people will be able to digest small amounts of lactose. Therefore you could have some milk or diary produce without experiencing any symptoms. It is recommended that you eat harder cheeses such as cheddar as the body finds it easier to break down. Also yoghurt is easily broken down. However, you are able to get many lactose-free substitutes that are just as healthy for you. If you struggle to make the sacrifice to cut milk and dairy out of your life then you can also purchase lactase tablets which prevent the symptoms giving from lactose.

Lactose is found in milk therefore you cannot eat produce that contains milk such as:

        Ice cream

-             Cream

-             Butter

-             Cheese

-             Yoghurt

The people that are able to digest small quantities of lactose will be able to eat the following foods:

-               Bread and pastries

-               Waffles, pancakes and biscuits

-               Cereals

-               Prepared meats, such as sausages

-               Salad dressings

-               Sweets

The companies catch out the consumer when they use diiferent words to represent the same substance. There are a few different words in the food industry that indicate that the food contains lactose. Some of these words are:

-               Milk

-               Lactose

-               Whey

-               Curd

-               Milk by-products

-               Non-fat dry milk powder

-               Dry milk solids (another word for milk powder)

Non-dairy milk substitutions for lactose intolerants

Soya Milk		Soya milk is made of ground soy beans. It is one of the healthiest milk substitutes. Soya milk contains the same amount of protein as normal milk but it also has fewer chemicals, saturated fats and cholesterol. It is also high in magnesium, thiamine and dietary fibre. It has also been proven that people who drink soya milk are less likely to get a heart disease or hormone-related cancers.   Unflavoured soya milk does not contain many calories. However the flavoured soya milk often has added sweeteners. Finally soya milk is not a good source of calcium, however, you are able to buy soya milk with added calcium.
Almond Milk		Almond milk is also another great milk substitute. It has fewer calories compared to skimmed milk and it also has no cholesterol or sugar. It is also high in calcium and vitamin D two nutrients you miss when not having milk or dairy therefore a great substitute. Almond milk is also high in magnesium, manganese and phosphorus. However, is has less protein compared to skim milk. Finally one serving of almond milk is able to provide 4% of your recommended daily iron amount. (not suitable if you have a nut allergy)
Coconut Milk		Coconut milk is made using the meat of a coconut. Coconut is extremely high in calories and fat. Even though you are able to buy reduced fat versions. It is advided that you consume coconut milk in moderation as a result. However, it is high in iron, one serving giving you 22% of your recommended daily amount, and it is also high in calcium, vitamin C and magnesium.
Rice Milk		Rice milk is a type of grain milk, and is made using brown rice. Rice milk does not provide a significant source of protein or calcium. However, my brands of rice milk add calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin B3 and iron. It is also a great source to get carbohydrates which normal milk does not have. It is also ideal for those who are allergic to soy or nuts.
Oat Milk		Oat milk is one of the least popular milk substitutes. However, it is extremely good for your body. It has a lot of fibre and it is high in protein and potassium. Oat milk is also like as it gives you the feeling of being full. Unfortunately it has high fat and a high calorie level. Compared to dairy milk it has five times more calories and 30 times more fat.