Does drinking milk make you sick to your stomach? Let's talk about Lactose Intolerance and the Hydrogen Breath Test!

When you drink milk tea, eat yogurt , or eat something like a piece of cheese, do you feel full for a while, feel gassy, ​​have stomach pain, and maybe even have diarrhea ? The cause of this problem for many people may not be gastritis as you think. Today, we will talk about 'Lactose Intolerance', which may be the cause of this, and the 'Hydrogen Breath Test ', which is used to accurately diagnose it.

What exactly is lactose intolerance?

Simply put, this means that our body cannot properly digest lactose, a type of sugar found in milk and dairy products. Imagine, when we drink a milk drink, our small intestine produces an enzyme called lactase to digest the lactose sugar in it. This enzyme acts like a pair of scissors, breaking the large sugar molecule called lactose into smaller pieces that the body can absorb.

But some people produce very little or no lactase in their bodies. What happens then? The lactose in the milk we drink goes straight to our colon without being digested.

It is because of the production of those gases that you experience symptoms like bloating, stomach cramps , excessive gas, and diarrhea . This condition is what we call 'Lactose Intolerance'. This is not a disease, but a condition caused by an enzyme deficiency in the body.

How does this hydrogen breath test detect the disease?

Okay, so if you have these symptoms, your doctor will probably tell you to do a hydrogen breath test. This is a very simple, painless test. It measures the amount of hydrogen gas in your breath.

How to do the test

This test usually takes about two hours.

1. First, you will be given a liquid containing lactose, which is like a sugary liquid, to drink.

2. Then, after about 15 minutes, you will be asked to blow into a bag that looks like a small balloon.

3. In this way , for two hours, a breath sample will be taken from you about every 15 minutes and added to those bags.

The scientific side

Now let's see how this can be used to diagnose the disease. Normally, there is a very small amount of hydrogen gas in our breath. But if you have lactose intolerance, the lactose you drink goes undigested and goes to the large intestine, where it combines with bacteria to produce hydrogen gas.

That hydrogen gas that is produced is absorbed into the bloodstream, enters the lungs , and comes out when you exhale. Then, when you test the breath samples collected in those bags, if the hydrogen level is very high, it confirms that your body is not digesting lactose properly. That means you may have lactose intolerance.

How should you prepare before the test?

To get accurate results from this test, it is very important that you prepare properly before it. Your doctor will advise you on this. But here are some general guidelines to follow.

The table below provides a clear understanding of these instructions.

What happens after the test?

Once the test, which takes about two hours, is over, you can resume your normal activities and eating habits. No problem. Then, on the appointed day, your doctor will discuss the results of the test with you and explain whether you have lactose intolerance and, if so, what you need to do about it.

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