When it comes to dairy intolerance, the problem isn't with what we eat. It's with how we digest it.
What causes dairy intolerance, and how can enzymes help?
If our bodies have difficulty digesting dairy, the root cause comes from a lack of lactase in our guts, a lactose-digesting enzyme. Enzymes are designed to break down a specific kind of food or compound, so the more or less lactase we have, the better or worse we can digest lactose. This enzyme works by breaking down lactose, which is difficult to digest, and turning it into the sugar glucose, which is easy to digest.
Lactose isn't the only challenge, however. Many individuals who struggle with dairy actually have an intolerance to casein, a protein found in dairy. That's why Lacto contains enzymes to break down both of these components. If you haven't had success with other lactase-only formulas, casein may be your biggest challenge.
When we don't have enough enzymes to digest the dairy we eat, the body retains water in the gut, resulting in uncomfortable symptoms like occasional bloating and irregularity. There are a number of reasons why someone may be lactase deficient, from age to being born without the ability to produce lactase, but the bottom line is that many Americans experience this and as many as 50 million of them.
This is where supplements come in. While Lacto comes with lactase for digesting lactose, it also includes protease for complete dairy digestion, along with a whole host of other enzymes for digesting the entire meal.^ Protease, a protein-digesting enzyme, helps break down casein and dairy proteins, so that every part of the dairy product is easily digested.^
