So THAT'S Why You Get More Lactose Intolerant As You Get Older

LOADING ERROR LOADING Cheese is the ultimate comfort food — well, and ice cream, milk and butter. “As infants, humans produce significant amounts of lactase to digest the lactose found in breastmilk,” said Linna Goelz, a naturopathic medicine doctor at Sonoran University of Health Science. “The ability to digest lactose into adulthood is contingent on the specific gene variants inherited from parents, influencing the level of lactase activity present,” Laster said. “External factors such as gastrointestinal illnesses, accidents leading to small intestine injury, surgeries affecting the small bowel, or conditions like Crohn’s disease can contribute to the development of lactose intolerance,” Laster explained. “After a gastrointestinal illness, there might be a temporary reduction in the body’s lactase stores, impacting lactose tolerance.” Other things that could cause an increase in lactose intolerance include infections, inflammatory or autoimmune diseases like gastroenteritis, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, chemotherapy and antibiotics, according to Gupta.