Can you develop lactose intolerance?

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NadNight
NadNight Posts: 794 Member
edited August 2017 in Food and Nutrition
I suppose this is really a question for a doctor but I'm currently not able to see my doctor so I thought I'd ask. I sometimes get really painful and bad gas, cramps, nausea and bloating after eating and I've been keeping a log of things that seem to trigger it and so far on the list I have chocolate; jacket potato with butter, cheese and sour cream; porridge made with milk with berries and honey. The common thing about those foods seems to be that they contain dairy (and lactose) so I figure that's what's causing it. Only I've never had an issue with these foods before- growing up I had porridge for breakfast every day! Is lactose intolerance something you can develop when you're older?
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Replies

  • Fitnessgirl0913
    Fitnessgirl0913 Posts: 481 Member
    edited August 2017
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    I became lactose intolerant at 19 so yes it is possible. Definitely talk to your doctor, there is a test you can get to know for sure.

    Edit: If you have the opportunity try to eliminate lactose for a couple weeks and see if that helps. I know for me I have to eliminate all dairy, even 99% lactose free still bugs me. I found an almond milk yogurt that is good as well as cashew milk ice cream that really hits the spot!
  • joseccastaneda
    joseccastaneda Posts: 267 Member
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    I'm lactose intolerant now. I didn't develop it until I was 39. Its not everything either. I'm ok with yogurt and some cheese. Sour cream sometimes i'm ok other time i'm not. Good way to naturally fight constipation though.
  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
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    Yes you can. Only certain things bother me too. I can do a moderate amount of cheese and cottage cheese. But milk and yogurt can make my stomach very unhappy.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    As people get older, especially depending on what your hereditary genetic background might be, you produce less lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose in dairy. So yes, you can develop lactose intolerance. It will apply more to non fermented dairy like milk and ice cream than fermented dairy. The fermentation process for cheeses and yogurts changes the chemical make up and sometime they can be handled just fine.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    Yup, you can both grow into, and grow out of, lactose intolerance and all sorts of other intolerances/allergies.
  • Skipjack66
    Skipjack66 Posts: 102 Member
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    Yup. Developed a dairy intolerance over the last year or so. Cheese is a killer, especially a soft cheese like ricotta or cream cheese. I'm 51.
  • newheavensearth
    newheavensearth Posts: 870 Member
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    My daughter became lactose intolerant and developed shellfish allergies in her late teens. Never had either before.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    I've deleoped an allergy to walnuts over the last decade, started with just a bit of mouth fuzz and tingle, worked its way up to now making me wheezy, doctor says stay right away from them because it can develop to full blown aniphalaxysis.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    edited September 2017
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    Yes. Things come and go throughout life. Unfortunately more seem to come than go, lol! Just cut out the things that bother you most and you'll probably be fine.
  • zjpq
    zjpq Posts: 198 Member
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    I did! After my 2nd was born, so sad
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    Yes, most babies are not born lactose intolerant, people become lactose intolerant later in life.
  • DamnKnitBlast
    DamnKnitBlast Posts: 6 Member
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    Yes - you can certainly develop it. All mammals have the lactase enzyme as babies to digest mother's milk. All Mammals except humans loose the enzyme (and the ability to digest the milk sugar lactose) once they are weaned. Humans is the West (Europeans esp.) have a genetic mutation which means we never lost the lactase enzyme and can digest milk. Most of Asia is lactose intolerant btw!

    I was fobbed of by doctors for 20 years being told I had almost migraines (painkiller every day) and irritable bowel syndrome. I cut out dairy and the change was miraculous in 3 days!

    I'd recommend cutting out all dairy for a week and see how you are. If lactose is your problem - Arla do a fantastic range of "lacto free" products but give it a while of being totally off dairy for a few weeks to clear your system first.

    (A ton of good info on Wikipedia btw https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance )
  • ashbabe25
    ashbabe25 Posts: 173 Member
    edited September 2017
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    This is the new sucky thing that's going on with me. I used to have a full 8oz of milk in my morning smoothie and a few weeks ago it started disagreeing with me, so I subbed the milk with water and half a banana for creaminess.

    Thought it was a fluke and went back to milk yesterday and regretted it as my stomach gurgled all day :(
  • kavahni
    kavahni Posts: 313 Member
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    I became lactose intolerant at about 55. Funny thing though. I did the program in the book "I Gave Up Sugar" after having a runaway relationship with it. My hot flashes went away as did my lactose issues. More than two years later, and back eating sugar (though not as much as before), I'm still good with dairy. Hm.
  • Speziface
    Speziface Posts: 1,687 Member
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    My lactose intolerance started kicking in a few years ago, but it's pretty much limited to drinkable quantities of milk. Ice cream sometimes triggers it, but cheese, yogurt, and buttermilk don't appear to bug me at all. Interestingly, since I've started eating a lot of Greek yogurt the intolerance seems to have backed off a little bit.
  • ashleyconleche
    ashleyconleche Posts: 78 Member
    edited September 2017
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    You definitely can! I was lactose intolerant until I was about 3, then I was good for most of my life. About 5 years ago, it started to bother me again. It's mostly drinking milk that causes the issue for me (easy fix, stopped drinking dairy milk). Once in awhile, yogurt or cheese will cause some unwanted side effects, but I love them too much to give them up :s:s
  • bbontheb
    bbontheb Posts: 718 Member
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    Yes, I am and only since adulthood. Some of those items have minimal lactose (butter, for the amount you eat on a potato). IBS however can be flared by chocolate, oats, etc. It might be beneficial to look into a low-fodmap diet. You go through elimination diet and then introduce items slowly. Fodmaps are basically short chain carbohydrates that cause gas in the intestines, bloating, etc There is a (for a fee) app that is great called Monash I think to help if needed.

  • _pi3_
    _pi3_ Posts: 2,311 Member
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    Yeah I developed lactose intolerance once I got older. I used to drink milk and eat cereal all the time but not anymore
  • mail2dijaw
    mail2dijaw Posts: 36 Member
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    I developed lactose intolerance after a back to back episode of malaria and typhoid when I was 14 yrs old
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    Sure, it didn't show up for me until my twenties. I had a few issues but assumed it was fiber in the cereal. It wasn't until I got a large chocolate milkshake and received the "two minute warning" That I put the two together. You can get lactaid milk but I prefer almond milk now. I stay away from milk and cream but don't really have any trouble with cheeses.

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