What Happens to the Body When We Quit Lactose

The truth about the “benefits” of dairy products

From childhood, we remember that milk is good for you. And some of us even found a time when a glass of milk was given in hazardous industries to replenish the balance of vitamins. Since then, many of our ideas about what is useful and what is not have changed. For example, we know that we should not stuff a child with food if he does not want to, that semolina does not give strength at all, and fruits are not always healthy.

So what is worth knowing in order to decide to give up milk and its derivatives? Here are six science-based reasons.

DIGESTION WILL IMPROVE

About 65 percent of the world’s population suffers from lactose intolerance, a gastrointestinal disorder in which the body cannot easily digest the type of naturally occurring sugar in dairy products. Reason: Most people actually stop producing the enzyme needed to digest dairy products as adults. And it’s not just that. There is nothing accidental in nature at all. It turns out that this feature is part of our body’s natural defense system: people with lactose intolerance have a lower risk of developing lung, breast and ovarian cancer (according to a 2014 study published in the British Journal of Cancer). However, many people drink milk even if they experience discomfort. The problem can be even more pronounced in those with irritable bowel syndrome or IBS, so if you are the one who gets sick after a milkshake try a lactose-free diet.

SKIN PROBLEMS WILL DISAPPEAR

Instead of buying expensive beauty products, just try to avoid milk and cheese. Many dermatologists recommend a lactose-free diet as the first step in treating skin conditions like acne and eczema. Cow’s milk and dairy products contain casein and whey protein, which increase the level of a certain hormone (insulin-like growth factor-1, or IGF-1). It is associated with increased sebum production, which causes acne to develop. According to medical research, dermatologist patients have reported that acne disappears and complexion improves when they eat a dairy-free diet.

THE WAIST WILL DECREASE

“Drink milk, children, you will be healthy.” This phrase, it turns out, should be taken literally. Children will be healthy not from the word “healthy”, but from the word “big”. The Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which analyzed 30 studies, said there is no conclusive scientific evidence that eating dairy will accelerate weight loss or help you maintain it. In fact, a study from the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, which involved more than 12,000 children, found that the more milk they consumed, the more they gained weight. And given that recent studies have shown that being vegan is the best way to lose weight, switching to a dairy-free diet could be the beginning of a vegan or vegetarian journey and, as a result, lower numbers on the scales. In addition, as you know, the result of the processing of lactose by bacteria is carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen and water. The gasses formed in the lumen of the large intestine stretch its walls, causing bloating and pain in it, and water causes the development of diarrhea. So, by cutting out lactose, you will immediately get a flat stomach.

BONES WILL GET STRONGER

Doctors unanimously say today: Eat a lactose-free diet to strengthen your bones. But isn’t milk the best way to get bone-strengthening calcium? No. Firstly, because pasteurized milk contains practically no vitamins. And second, according to a 2014 study published in the British Medical Journal, the more people drank milk, the more likely they were to have a hip fracture.

We are used to binding dairy products and calcium, but there are many plant sources of this important bone-building mineral. Leafy greens, beans, nuts, fruits (especially oranges and figs), grains, and nut milk contain a lot of non-dairy calcium. For example, a bowl of cereal will give you your daily calcium supply, but … before you add cow’s milk to it.

But if you find it difficult to give up dairy products once and for all, replace them with yogurt. For example, as a base for a granola breakfast or for smoothies. This product does have beneficial properties; this may be due to the fact that most of the lactose in yogurt is destroyed by the bacteria that ferment it, or due to the protective properties of the bacteria themselves. Those who eat yogurt have higher bone density than those who eat other types of dairy, according to a study published in the journal Arch Osteoporosis. And the British Journal of Nutrition writes that probiotics in yogurt, which are not found in milk, can significantly help you lose weight.