Diagnosis

If you suspect you suffer from lactose intolerance, your first step should be to avoid all dairy products.

A concrete diagnosis can be made with the Hydrogen Breath Test. The patient drinks lactose dissolved in water; the breath is then analyzed for hydrogen levels. Hydrogen is a by-product of lactose digestion by bacteria in the large intestine; its presence in the breath indicates that lactose is being broken down by these bacteria instead of by the enzyme lactase. The test lasts 3-4 hours.

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