Symptoms Of Lactose Intolerance In Babies

To understand what lactose intolerance are you must first know what lactose is. Lactose is a type of natural sugar found in cow's milk and milk products, it is also added to some processed foods, some medications, baby formula and candy.

In a child or a person who is lactose intolerant can not digest lactose properly. It remains in the intestine using osmotic effects. This pressure causes fluids and salts in the stomach, which moves very quickly to the large intestine. This causes an amplified level of fluids and salts in the colon, which helps the bacteria to ferment lactose into hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and short-chain fatty acids. Hydrogen is a gas that are associated with bloating. The hydrogen is very low and it can exit through the walls of the intestine and find its way into the bloodstream, which is then expelled through the lungs.

The fermentation that occurs in the colon can cause symptoms that lead to lactose intolerance. The most common symptoms are cramping, bloating, pain and flatulence. Some people also have diarrhea, nausea, rumbling, flatulence, and in many cases especially vomiting children.

What the doctor will look for before deciding that your child is lactose intolerant are abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence, rumbling, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, weight loss and malnutrition. If your child is a child, your doctor may give you a list of infant formulas that are specially designed for babies who are lactose intolerant. Children can still enjoy drinking milk with added lactase enzyme or drinking soymilk.

The major problem with children is that they can become malnourished if they do not consume enough of the formula. However, when the infant is lactose-intolerant, he or she will normally not eat as much and may be prone to vomiting or spitting up what they eat.

If your child has lactose intolerance, then the symptoms begin within 15 minutes to one hour after consuming dairy products.

Not every person who is lactose intolerant has the same degree of symptoms and many times lactose intolerance is often confused with an allergy to milk. The best way to know if your child has lactose intolerance, it would be preferable to compare the symptoms between a milk allergy and lactose intolerance to see which symptoms are more frequent with your child. You should also discuss all your concerns with your child's doctor.