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

Cheese is the ultimate comfort food — well, and ice cream, milk and butter. Is there anything these ingredients don’t make better? Unfortunately for our taste buds, dairy can become harder for our bodies to digest as we age.

If you find yourself unable to drink coffee with heavy cream or eat anything too cheesy without getting sick, then you could be lactose intolerant ― even if you never had a problem before.

Lactose is the natural sugar found in dairy products. According to the American College of Gastroenterology , our bodies rely on a digestive enzyme called lactase to help break down lactose into simple sugars (called glucose and galactose). The small intestine then absorbs these and they reach the bloodstream as nutrients.

If lactose isn’t properly digested, it moves to the colon and is broken down by fermentation. This results in uncomfortable symptoms like abdominal pain or cramping, excess gas, diarrhea and/or the sudden urge to have a bowel movement.

Approximately 75% of the world’s population lose their ability to digest lactose as they get older. We consulted with experts to figure out exactly why this happens, plus some advice on how to deal:

Why does lactose intolerance increase with age?

Drinking milk is necessary for our survival...at first.

“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. “Historically, once breastfeeding was done and solid foods were introduced, humans no longer consumed lactose-containing food.”

And because humans weren’t eating as much lactose-containing food, their bodies adjusted and naturally began “to produce less and less lactase