Anyone ever reversed lactose intolerance?

[fuzzybabybunny]

Up to when I was in college I would drink a ton of milk and I loved it. After college there was a period of a few years when I didn't drink milk. Now when I try to drink milk, even like half a cup, I get bloated and the runs. I still love milk though. Has anyone been able to reverse their lactose intolerance? Maybe just keep on drinking milk, getting bloated, etc, until the body gets used to it again?

UPDATE:

On 8-20 after reading the replies about yoghurt I went out and decided to experiment.

Bought two tubs of this:

http://shop.coles.com.au/online/national/yoplait-yoghurt-raspberry

Live Yoghurt Cultures (S. Thermophilus, L. Bulgaricus & B. Lactis).

1kg tub

I ate 2.5 tubs over the course of 10 days. I might have skipped a day or two.

Before:

If I drank a glass of milk I would be bloated, passing gas, and having diarrhea for the next few hours. Over the last four years there were a couple times I took Zithromax Z-Pak (azithromycin) antibiotics for illnesses, but as far as I know my lactose intolerance started before this time (although the antibiotics probably made it worse).

After:

I drank a single glass of whole milk after 10 days. I got a little bit of bloating and gas (much less than before) but ZERO diarrhea. After 4 hours I drank another glass of milk and still nothing happened.

12 hours later I'm still going fine and stools are normal.

In summary, it seems that yoghurt was a complete success! I want to test and see if the bacteria will stay in my system without having to continually eat yoghurt (maybe it'll help if I continually feed them milk?)

 

[futurefields]

It's because your body stops producing lactase. Not sure if this can be reversed. If you still want to drink milk you can take a lactase supplement?

 

[dank69]

My wife was lactose intolerant for a number of years but seems to be fine now. I don't think that is very common though and I don't think it was anything she did. It just happened for some reason.

 

[dullard]

I mostly solved my problem.

I was severely intollerant to milk as a young child (up to ~3 years old) so I avoided milk products most of my childhood (milk, cheese, etc). I detested milk with a passion (and still never choose to drink it). Then in college I found that I really liked different cheeses. I also suddenly spent half my waking life curled up on a toilet with my head almost on the ground in pain (gas, constant diarrhea, and intense cramps). It took me a while to rediscover that it was the milk products causing the problems.

My solution? Yogurt.

Yes, fight fire with fire. Well, in this case, fight lactose intollerance with microbes which are specifically raised on lactose products and which thrive on eating lactose. Don't go for some generic probiotic pill, go for something that lives solely on milk products.

I can now go 4 to 5 days off of one yogurt eating any milk product that I want without any problems. I choose to eat a yogurt a day and never really worry about it except on vacation where it can be hard to get a yogurt. It isn't a cure, but it is a treatment that lasts half a week. That is why I say I mostly solved it.

Do be careful though, every yogurt is different. Yoplait works for me, it holds things back. Activia is designed with different microbes with the intention of pushing things along. Two dramatically different effects, depending on what your needs are.

 

[blackdogdeek]

I've been on Lactaid milk for years. There are other new brands of lactose-free milk as well these days. Cheese and other products don't have the same effects for me as regular milk does so I still enjoy them.

 

[destrekor]

Up to when I was in college I would drink a ton of milk and I loved it. After college there was a period of a few years when I didn't drink milk. Now when I try to drink milk, even like half a cup, I get bloated and the runs. I still love milk though. Has anyone been able to reverse their lactose intolerance? Maybe just keep on drinking milk, getting bloated, etc, until the body gets used to it again?

You're of Asian ancestry, right?

I'm surprised it took that long to develop lactose intolerance.


As for improving symptoms: try a combination of yogurt and probiotics. Many probiotics contain species of lactobacillus, which can help break down consume lactose as well as release a lactase enzyme.

Yogurt usually contains some lactobacillus for fermentation.

Take is easy at first: I'd say go light on yogurt and take a daily probiotic that specifically lists lactobacillus cultures.
You're trying to build up your gut's flora, so give it some time and keep it a positive environment for lactobacillus. So perhaps a small yogurt daily and a probiotic, I'd think that should have a positive outcome and allow you to consume more dairy.

 

[Squeetard]

I stopped drinking diet pop and it fixed me for lactose issues.

 

[destrekor]

I've been on Lactaid milk for years. There are other new brands of lactose-free milk as well these days. Cheese and other products don't have the same effects for me as regular milk does so I still enjoy them.

Most cheese has virtually no lactose or it is barely present.

An easy way to determine if cheese has a quantifiable amount of lactose is to check the label for sugars. If it lists any sugar content, that is lactose. Like the label for milk usually lists 12g of sugar per 8oz, that is 12g of lactose.

If it says 0g per serving, know that that means it could have anything between 0g and 0.5g of lactose. So it is still good to do some research if you like to consume massive amounts of cheese in one sitting.

 

[destrekor]

I stopped drinking diet pop and it fixed me for lactose issues.

Hmm, makes sense. The acid and/or false sugars were probably creating a negative environment for natural gut flora. Your body may be borderline lactose-intolerant, in that it doesn't produce sufficient amounts of natural lactase, but your gut flora is stepping up to the plate for you.

Or I could be totally wrong. I'm no expert, I just enjoy the research.

 

[nakedfrog]

I mostly solved my problem.

I was severely intollerant to milk as a young child (up to ~3 years old) so I avoided milk products most of my childhood (milk, cheese, etc). I detested milk with a passion (and still never choose to drink it). Then in college I found that I really liked different cheeses. I also suddenly spent half my waking life curled up on a toilet with my head almost on the ground in pain (gas, constant diarrhea, and intense cramps). It took me a while to rediscover that it was the milk products causing the problems.

My solution? Yogurt.

Yes, fight fire with fire. Well, in this case, fight lactose intollerance with microbes which are specifically raised on lactose products and which thrive on eating lactose. Don't go for some generic probiotic pill, go for something that lives solely on milk products.

I can now go 4 to 5 days off of one yogurt eating any milk product that I want without any problems. I choose to eat a yogurt a day and never really worry about it except on vacation where it can be hard to get a yogurt. It isn't a cure, but it is a treatment that lasts half a week. That is why I say I mostly solved it.

Do be careful though, every yogurt is different. Yoplait works for me, it holds things back. Activia is designed with different microbes with the intention of pushing things along. Two dramatically different effects, depending on what your needs are.

Same approach I took, though I had no issues when I was younger. I have yogurt for breakfast five days a week.

 

[JimKiler]

Most cheese has virtually no lactose or it is barely present.

An easy way to determine if cheese has a quantifiable amount of lactose is to check the label for sugars. If it lists any sugar content, that is lactose. Like the label for milk usually lists 12g of sugar per 8oz, that is 12g of lactose.

If it says 0g per serving, know that that means it could have anything between 0g and 0.5g of lactose. So it is still good to do some research if you like to consume massive amounts of cheese in one sitting.

Kraft cheese will say 0g lactose and that would still cause me to worship the porcelain god.

I too use yogurt and now eat all the dairy i want. It is hard to be dairy free in America, we love dairy in our foods.

 

[Murloc]

I stopped drinking diet pop and it fixed me for lactose issues.

diet drinks contain stuff that can give you the runs on their own.

Same goes for sugar-free gummi bears.

I guess they're also no good for the guts. The human body isn't made for those quantities of sugar.

 

[destrekor]

diet drinks contain stuff that can give you the runs on their own.

Same goes for sugar-free gummi bears.

I guess they're also no good for the guts. The human body isn't made for those quantities of sugar.

It is a very rare diet drink that contains the same kind of alternative sweeteners that sugar-free candies contain.

Most are simply artificial sweeteners in beverages. Candies, on the other hand, are far more likely to have what are called sugar alcohols. They are indigestible, and are in fact treated much like fiber. Far too much fiber = laxative effect. Or, sugar alcohols actually act as a laxative at higher quantities as opposed to only acting as a fiber. Not really sure if excessive fiber produces the same results as a true laxative. I do know it is generally not a pretty sight, regardless of what you call it.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Awesome. I'm in Australia so I'm not sure if they have Yoplait here.

I guess I'll get a pack of some random yogurt, eat it for a couple days, and then drink a cup of milk and see if it does anything? And if it doesn't, I'll try another brand of yogurt and repeat?

If yogurt will replenish the bacteria, would there eventually be a thriving colony of bacteria in the gut reproducing at a rate such that I will no longer require topping up on yogurt each time I take dairy?

 

[destrekor]

Kraft cheese will say 0g lactose and that would still cause me to worship the porcelain god.

I too use yogurt and now eat all the dairy i want. It is hard to be dairy free in America, we love dairy in our foods.

Hmm. Kraft cheese as in processed American cheese or other "cheese products"? Those generally contain lactose. Are you using more than one slice or anything? I'm curious if they truly say 0g sugar per slice (or whatever the serving size/method).

There could still be other triggers if it is not lactose. Cheese is a curious thing for numerous reasons, and more than the lactose intolerant have to be careful with cheese.


Was this only before you started correcting your gut situation? As in, you can eat all the cheese you want now?

 

[destrekor]

If yogurt will replenish the bacteria, would there eventually be a thriving colony of bacteria in the gut reproducing at a rate such that I will no longer require topping up on yogurt each time I take dairy?

In theory, yes. In practice, it depends. Individual gut floras may reach a natural state of coexistence that only lets certain bacteria and yeasts live in harmony. Which is to say, even with "friendly" gut flora, they do still compete for space and resources, and there may not be room.

Also, some aspects of the diet may act as natural antibiotics. I'm not sure if this is at all common in practice, if not entirely rare. On that note, however, are true antibiotics. When you take a course of antibiotics, you are quite likely to wipe out the gut flora. And if you have a nasty case of explosive diarrhea, especially if due to infection, you are also likely to wipe out everything that has taken up residence in your gut.

In the former, the colonies that try to survive in the appendix are likely to be exterminated as well. In the latter situation, whatever colonies were able to survive in the appendix are likely to be your truly natural gut flora (those that got along well with each other and your lifestyle), and they will repopulate.

The latter will mean you may have a chance at retaining a self-stabilizing colony, but you'd know soon enough. The former, antibiotic course route, will surely require you to try and rebuild a favorable gut flora.


Also, whether a few days is enough of only yogurt, I don't know. And if it ever creates a self-stabilized colony without the need for additional supplementation, I can't say. Some simply take yogurt every day either because it is now a routine or because they do need it.

I'd definitely suggest to add probiotics though, especially if you want to get back to milk sooner rather than later with the best chances of succeeding.

 

[Ferzerp]

If you are truly lactose intolerant (that is, your body no longer produces lactase), no, you aren't reversing that regardless of what anecdotes you may get in response, it just won't happen. You can use supplements to break down lactose though (which would be a huge pain). If you have secondary lactose intolerance that was caused by something else, yes, it is possible to make an impact and improve it somewhat, but typically, if a person is lactose intolerant, it is because they don't have the gene that causes them to continue to produce lactase past infancy. There is nothing that can be done for that.

Yes, in some cases, if you can get a bacteria that produces lactase (which is present in yogurt typically) you can mitigate lactose intolerance a little, but you're still lactose intolerant, you just happen to have, at the moment, some bacteria that can make a little bit of lactase which will let you eat a little lactose just fine.

Of note, everyone has differing levels of lactase. It's why everyone ends up sick if they drink too much milk. Once you deplete it, you're going to be sick just like a lactose intolerant person until you replenish it.

 

[dullard]

Awesome. I'm in Australia so I'm not sure if they have Yoplait here.

I guess I'll get a pack of some random yogurt, eat it for a couple days, and then drink a cup of milk and see if it does anything? And if it doesn't, I'll try another brand of yogurt and repeat?

If yogurt will replenish the bacteria, would there eventually be a thriving colony of bacteria in the gut reproducing at a rate such that I will no longer require topping up on yogurt each time I take dairy?

Yoplait uses Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, and sometimes Lactobacillus acidophilus. Just look for yogurts with those in it. Do note, that every yogurt blends the microbes with different ratios, so just because it has a certain microbe, doesn't mean that it will work the same for you.

I would probably give each yogurt at least a few weeks before switching.

Destrekor answered really well. You can't get a permanently stable colony in most cases, since something will eventually happen to you that will disrupt your colony. The best that I ever had was to eat as much yogurt as I could once after a course of antibiotics that I took for another reason. I had really good intestinal health for 6 months and then moderately good for another 3 months. But by the time a year passed, I was forced back on the daily yogurt routine.

 

[Spungo]

I mostly solved my problem.

I was severely intollerant to milk as a young child (up to ~3 years old)

Were you ever given antibiotics as a child?

Antibiotics are not like Aspirin. They're a lot more like chemotherapy. This is nuclear warfare in your body. Kill everything and hope you survive longer than the infection. Fevers work like that too. This is why you can die from a fever if your immune system takes it a step too far (see: Spanish Flu).

As an example of what I'm talking about, people who do grappling martial arts like jiu jitsu, judo, and wrestling will swear that using antibacterial soap increases the frequency of things like ring worm. Bad bacteria are killed, but good bacteria are killed as well. Those good bacteria are important. They protect your skin, and they digest your food.

I don't take any probiotics since I don't seem to need them. My mom takes probiotics and digestive enzymes on a regular basis, and they really helped her digestive problems.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I just take this probiotic. Cheaper and more convenient than buying yogurt.

http://www.amazon.com/Digestive-Adv...QGCM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439913666&sr=8-1

 

[gorcorps]

I was present once during a pretty interesting talk about lactose tolerance in humans. The gist of it was that human beings are basically alone in the animal world when it comes to consuming milk after adolescence. Most mammals nurse until they can eat solid food, and then they never drink milk again. Even stranger, human beings consume milk from completely different species. What we do with milk on a daily basis (in most societies anyway) is not in line with nature... and lactose intolerance is actually the natural response in the animal world. The fact that most humans can tolerate lactose for as long as they do (sometimes for their whole lives) is a mutation we've developed over time, not the other way around.

Anyway, I thought it was interesting.

 

[blackdogdeek]

The fact that most humans can tolerate lactose for as long as they do (sometimes for their whole lives) is a mutation we've developed over time, not the other way around.

Worst superpower ever.

 

[dullard]

Were you ever given antibiotics as a child?

I assume that I was. I would have to pull medical records to know though.

 

[OverVolt]

I think I'm part Irish.

So basically I can live on milk and beer apparently.

 

[Strk]

I think I'm part Irish.

So basically I can live on milk and beer apparently.

It seems the evolution that occurred a few thousand years ago that made humans keep producing lactase is most common in those of Northern European descent. I guess the whiter you are, the more likely you are able to drink milk.