TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – People who feel uncomfortable or experience health problems after drinking cow’s milk are often called milk allergies. But there are also those who say the trigger is lactose intolerance. So which one is correct? Is a milk allergy different from lactose intolerance?
A nutritionist, Arif Sabta Aji, explains the difference between a milk allergy and lactose intolerance. “The similarity between these two conditions is related to the body’s response,” Arif said at a virtual press conference for the #BeraniMinumSusu campaign with lactose-free Milklife on Thursday, January 13, 2022.
As for the difference, according to Arif, lactose intolerance is caused by a lack of the lactase enzyme produced by the body to help digest lactose in milk in the digestive system. “Some people are born with a tendency for the enzyme lactose to be insufficient to convert lactose into glucose and galactose,” he says.
Those who experience lactose intolerance are mostly found in Asian, African populations, and to a lesser extent in South American, North American, European, and Australian populations. “If you don’t have enough lactase enzymes, there will be problems with digestive discomfort, such as bloating to diarrhea,” he said. The duration of digestive problems is about 30 minutes to 2 hours after consuming milk.
In principle, Arif Sabta explained, lactose as a type of carbohydrate in milk is not a dangerous substance. “Unfortunately, some of us don’t have enough enzymes to process them,” he said. Therefore, you should be aware of whether you are a person who is lactose intolerant or not.
Lactose intolerance persists throughout life. Therefore, Arif Sabta advised people to look for alternative intakes in order to continue to get the benefits of milk. How, consume cow’s milk products that do not contain lactose or replace intake with vegetable milk.
Temporary milk allergy is a health disorder that arises due to milk protein. Symptoms that appear are generally itching or rash on the skin. “Milk allergies are treatable and usually go away with age,” he said. Milk allergies mostly occur in children because they are still in the process of growing and developing.
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Dosage of drinking milk to keep body weight stable and for those who are lactose intolerant
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