LACTOSE INTOLERANCE

Lactose intolerance is a digestive condition in which the body cannot properly break down lactose, the natural sugar found in milk and other dairy products, due to the small intestine producing insufficient amounts of the enzyme _lactase_ .
When people who are lactose intolerant take milk, their bodies can’t fully digest the lactose in it. The undigested lactose moves into the large intestine, where bacteria ferment it, producing gas and drawing in water. This leads to symptoms like bloating, stomach pain, excessive gas, and diarrhea shortly after drinking milk.

 The condition is not an allergy and does not involve the immune system; instead, it is largely influenced by genetics, with lactase production naturally decreasing after childhood in many populations, particularly among people of African, Asian, and Indigenous ancestry.

Although uncomfortable, it is not dangerous, and many affected individuals can still tolerate small amounts of dairy or fermented products like yogurt.