DNA TESTING FOR LACTOSE AND FRUCTOSE INTOLERANCE
Lactose intolerance
Lactose is a sugar naturally found in milk and dairy products. Lactose intolerance is a condition in which symptoms such as bloating, diarrhoea and gas occur after consuming foods or drinks containing lactose.
In this condition, digestive symptoms are caused by lactose malabsorption. In malabsorption, the small intestine produces low levels of lactase, an enzyme that breaks down lactose. As a result, your body cannot absorb all the lactose you have ingested. Undigested lactose passes into the large intestine. There, bacteria break it down and create fluid and gas. In some patients, the extra fluid and gas are the cause of clinical symptoms.
Lactose intolerance differs from dairy allergy. These are two distinct conditions with different causes. Lactose intolerance is caused by problems digesting lactose (the natural sugar in milk). In contrast, a dairy allergy is a disorder of the immune system to one or more proteins in milk and dairy products.
Milk allergy most often manifests itself already in the first year of life.
Lactose intolerance can affect your health by interfering with your intake of sufficient calcium and vitamin D.
Symptoms vary depending on the amount of lactose you have taken in. In patients who are diagnosed with this condition, the symptoms appear within a few hours after intake of dairy products or other foods containing lactose. These manifestations include:
- Bloating;
- Diarrhea;
- Gases;
- Nausea and vomiting;
- Abdominal pain.
In some cases, the cause of the disease is in the genes. They play a role in the following conditions:
- Lactase intolerance – In this case, the small intestine produces less lactase after infancy and as we age, its levels become lower. Symptoms may not become apparent until the teenage years or even later.
- Congenital lactase deficiency – In this rare condition, the small intestine produces little or no lactase from birth.
Not all causes of lactose intolerance are genetic. - Diseases affecting the small intestine – Infections, Crohn’s disease or celiac disease can lead to lower lactase levels. Lactose intolerance caused by injury to the small intestine is called secondary lactose intolerance.
- Premature birth – In premature babies or children born too early, the small intestine may not produce enough lactase for a short time after birth, which in turn is the cause of clinical symptoms.
Fructose intolerance
Food intolerance to fructose is also called fructose malabsorption. Often times, food intolerance is caused because of the absence or insufficient presence of an enzyme in the digestive system. Thus, certain substances cannot be absorbed, which in turn causes reactions in the body.
Fructose intolerance could be of two types – congenital or acquired fruit sugar intolerance. Resorption of fructose occurs in the small intestine, after which the fruit sugar, already in the bloodstream, must be processed by the liver. The cause of fructose malabsorption is a defect in the enzymes in the small intestine that are responsible for carrying fructose into the blood.
The first symptoms of fruit sugar intolerance are as follows and usually appear a few hours after consuming products that contain fructose:
- You begin to feel gas forming in the abdomen;
- Your intestines start to churn;
- You have watery diarrhea;
- You also start to feel nausea;
- You have pain in the abdomen, you feel it quite swollen.
In case you are found to be suffering from fructose intolerance, avoid foods rich in fructose, add more zinc and folic acid to your diet.Fructose is mostly found in fruits, vegetables, honey, and in the food industry to produce jams, marmalades, fruit juices, and carbonated beverages.
DNA TESTING FOR LACTOSE AND FRUCTOSE INTOLERANCE
LCT (C/T – 13910)
ALDOB (A149P, A174D and N334K)
- Result within 5 working days
- An additional sampling fee is payable.
