| I don't like the term "lactose intolerant". It implies that having difficulty digesting lactose is differentiating you from some loosely defined norm. In fact, the opposite is true[1]. As the article states, being able to digest lactose is a recent genetic adaption. What it doesn't state is that still, even in the West, a lot of people experience lower tolerance to lactose as a natural process of aging. I would therefore say that the correct way of labeling it is that adults in general have different levels of _lactose tolerance_. Anecdotally, I can add that my level of lactose tolerance was very low for two years after drinking half a liter of milk that was two weeks old (don't ask). I assume that it severely messed up my small intestine. After I cut carbs and gluten from my diet for a month and a half, I could suddenly digest lactose again. As with lactose intolerance, I believe gluten intolerance is a misnomer, as all people are sensitive to excessive amounts of gluten, though here the case is not nearly as clear cut. My intestine finally being able to repair itself might instead be due to the fact that I didn't eat many carbs at all during this period, and so avoided the gastro-intestinal allergens known as FODMAPs[2]. Wheat contains the FODMAP fructan, which might be the reason many people say they feel better on a gluten free diet[3]. [1]: http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/04/03/over-75-of-ea... [2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FODMAP [3]: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/05/22/314287321/sensit... |