When people think of lactose intolerance, they might imagine a poor soul who eats his cereal dry, or a guy who can only cast a longing glance at bowl of mac and cheese.
But according to scientists, there’s a pretty good chance that you might have some degree of lactose intolerance. The National Institute of Health estimates a whopping 65% of humans have trouble stomaching dairy.
This can mean a lot of things. At a basic level, lactose intolerance is the inability to fully digest lactose, a sugar found in dairy products. As an infant, your body produces a surplus of an enzyme called lactase, which is responsible for breaking down the lactose.
It’s normal to make less lactase after infancy, but some people’s production of the enzyme reaches lower levels than others. For those folks, having too much lactose in one sitting can lead to gas, bloating and diarrhea.
The definition of “too much” lactose is what can vary from person to person. It’s a spectrum, says Men’s Health nutrition advisor Alan Aragon, M.S.
People who are extremely sensitive to lactose might not be able to digest even a few sips of milk. (If you’re that severe, it’s safe to assume that you’d already know it.)
But for most people, it takes about 12 grams of lactose for symptoms to start kicking in, says Aragon.
That’s the equivalent of 8 ounces of milk, or a cup of ice cream. After that amount, you’ll be feeling the rumbles within 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Certain foods like hard cheeses and yogurt are lower in lactose, so a cheesy slice of pizza might not bother you. (If you eat three or four, that’s another story.)
The symptoms are especially severe if you eat dairy products without other foods to help absorb the lactose, says Aragon.
If you’re from a part of the world with historically low dairy intake, you’re more likely to be at least a little lactose intolerant, says Aragon. People of African, Asian and Hispanic descent have the highest prevalence of lactose intolerance, whereas Northern Europeans have fewer instances.
The good news is there’s an easy fix for milk lovers. Any time you feel like indulging in dairy, take a dose of Lactaid with your first bite, says Aragon. It contains lactase, so you can easily digest all the ice cream you can eat within 30 to 45 minutes of taking the pill.
