Latest news with #lactoseintolerance
Medical News Today
6 hours ago
- Health
- Medical News Today
What foods become harder to digest with age?
Digesting spicy, dairy, and processed foods may be more difficult with age. Eating fiber-rich whole foods, exercising, sleeping better, and lowering stress can people age, their digestive systems can slow down. Consuming food, digesting it, and eliminating waste may take longer than it did earlier in a person ages, their digestive system muscles slow down and become less effective in containing stomach acid and article discusses which foods can cause digestive issues as people age, which foods are easier on the stomach, and how aging affects is the hardest food for the body to digest with age?After age 65, some people may find it harder to digest certain foods, such as: High fat foods: These may delay stomach emptying, causing indigestionSpicy or acidic foods: These may trigger heartburnDairy foods: These may trigger stomach sensitivity due to an increased lactose intolerance that can occur with ageUltra-processed foods: These are associated with stomach problems such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and even colorectal cancerThe following list highlights 10 of the foods from these categories that some people may find hard to digest as they grow older:burgerschipsgarliconionice creamcheesetomatoesorangeswhite breadsodasWhy might older people get digestive issues?As people age, their digestive systems change just like other parts of their bodies. For example, the stomach's lining and its resistance to damage can weaken over time. Additionally, the stomach can become less elastic, reducing its capacity to hold large intestine and rectum undergo fewer changes. However, constipation tends to be more common in older adults, especially in those ages 65 and over. Constipation can result from several factors, such as a reduction in the rate at which food moves into the small intestine or a decrease in the rectum's contractions when filled with conditions that can become more common with age include gas and bloating, as well as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Some external factors that can contribute to this include lower levels of physical activity, increased use of medications that can cause constipation, and pelvic floor weakness in older females assigned at birth (FAABs).How do you improve digestion as you age?Maintaining healthy eating habits is crucial for digestive health, especially as people age. According to the Canadian Society of Intestinal Research, it's important to choose foods that contain essential nutrients, such as fiber, vitamin D, calcium, protein, and vitamin B12. However, it is also important to focus on unprocessed foods containing these also a good idea to choose foods without added sugar, saturated fats, and sodium. A high fiber diet, in particular, can help prevent constipation. In addition, foods that contain probiotics, such as certain yogurts, may help manage conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, according to the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom, a person needs to consume these products consistently for at least 4 weeks and in consultation with their recommendations include maintaining a lifestyle that is as active as possible. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend aiming for at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week plus regular exercises focused on bone and muscle strength, such as resistance training or weight can also affect a person's digestion. Getting at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night can help keep the bowels working correctly, and working to reduce stress, which can also exacerbate digestive issues, might and nutrition with MedicarePeople enrolled in some Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans may have access to SilverSneakers, a fitness program for older adults that provides access to gyms, community exercise classes, and workout addition, Medicare Part B covers nutritionist services for people with diabetes and kidney disease, who have had a recent kidney transplant, or are undergoing dialysis.A Medicare-affiliated doctor must refer patients for these services, and telehealth may be available in rural areas. Part C plans should offer the same benefits, plus additional nutrition benefits in some cases. »Learn more:Food and nutritional needs for older adults: A guide.»Learn more:8 ways to improve are the 5 foods that older people should eat?Examples of foods that older people may find easier to digest include:brown ricewhole wheat breadoatsnon-citrus or non-acidic fruits and vegetables. live yogurt Older people should also try to drink non-carbonated, decaffeinated drinks, such as herbal tea, milk, or water.»Learn more:11 foods that are easy to people age, their digestive systems become less efficient. However, limiting or avoiding certain foods, such as spicy, acidic, and dairy products, can also help alleviate digestive adequate fiber can support digestion and reduce the risk of constipation. Choosing whole foods rich in protein, calcium, and other essential nutrients, getting sufficient sleep, engaging in regular physical activity, and managing stress levels can also help improve digestion.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
The food that gives you worse nightmares than cheese
Sweet dreams may be driven away by sweet treats before bedtime. While cheese usually gets the blame for disrupted sleep and nightmares, a new study suggests that desserts and sugary snacks are worse. Canadian researchers surveyed 1,082 students, asking about sleep time and quality, dreams and nightmares, and the association between types of dreams and different foods. Desserts and sweets topped the list for vivid, disturbing, bizarre or lucid dreams, with dairy coming second and fruit third. Surprisingly, spicy foods and pickles were less of a problem than cereals or meat. 'We are routinely asked whether food affects dreaming,' said Tore Nielsen, professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal. 'Now we have some answers.' The study also found a link between nightmares and lactose intolerance, which researchers suspect may be the reason that cheese has gained such a bad reputation. Dairy prevents body from switching off When the authors compared reports of food intolerances to reports of bad dreams and poor sleep, they found that lactose intolerance was associated with gastrointestinal symptoms, nightmares and low sleep quality. They believe that eating dairy can activate gastrointestinal disturbances that stop the body being able to switch off during sleep, with the resulting discomfort affecting people's dreams and the quality of their rest. Women were more likely to report both food intolerances and allergies. 'Nightmare severity is robustly associated with lactose intolerance and other food allergies,' said Prof Nielsen. 'These new findings imply that changing eating habits for people with some food sensitivities could alleviate nightmares. 'They could also explain why people so often blame dairy for bad dreams.' However, researchers say the link between food and sleep is not clear cut because it is possible that people do not eat well because they don't sleep well, or that another unknown factor influences both sleep and diet. The team is hoping to run a study asking people to ingest cheese products versus a control food before sleep to see if this alters their sleep or dreams.'
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Is it true that … we're all a little bit intolerant to dairy?
Most of us aren't inherently dairy intolerant, but we can go through periods where we become more sensitive to lactose in our diet, says Amanda Avery, an associate professor in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Nottingham. She says that when people talk about being 'dairy intolerant', they're usually referring to lactose, the sugar found in milk and dairy products, such as milk, cheese and yoghurt. In most people, that sugar is broken down by an enzyme called lactase, which is found in our small intestine. It helps our bodies digest and absorb lactose without causing discomfort. 'We're born with plenty of lactase. But as our diets diversify, our lactase levels decline,' says Avery. 'If there is minimal milk in the dairy diet then lactase levels may be zero, thus people from some cultural backgrounds and countries where dairy intake is negligible may be intolerant.' People who don't produce enough lactase may find themselves having gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating and loose stools when they consume dairy. Some people can find their lactase activity is temporarily reduced when their gut function is disrupted by antibiotics or stress. This can lead to 'transient lactose intolerance' – a period where your body struggles to digest dairy even if you weren't previously sensitive. If people cut out dairy and then reintroduce it, they might also experience abdominal symptoms for a short period while their lactase activity is being restored, says Avery. But this doesn't necessarily mean you're permanently intolerant. It could just be your gut enzymes playing catchup. 'Good practice, even if you do think you are slightly intolerant, is to try to keep a little dairy in your diet – cheese or yoghurt should be OK. Cheese has very little lactose, and in yoghurt, much of the lactose is broken down by the bacteria. Even having a little bit of milk in your tea helps,' says Avery. So, is it true that we're all a little bit intolerant to dairy? No, but our ability to digest it can definitely fluctuate. For many, it's not a lifelong intolerance but a temporary reaction.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Is it true that … we're all a little bit intolerant to dairy?
Most of us aren't inherently dairy intolerant, but we can go through periods where we become more sensitive to lactose in our diet, says Amanda Avery, an associate professor in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Nottingham. She says that when people talk about being 'dairy intolerant', they're usually referring to lactose, the sugar found in milk and dairy products, such as milk, cheese and yoghurt. In most people, that sugar is broken down by an enzyme called lactase, which is found in our small intestine. It helps our bodies digest and absorb lactose without causing discomfort. 'We're born with plenty of lactase. But as our diets diversify, our lactase levels decline,' says Avery. 'If there is minimal milk in the dairy diet then lactase levels may be zero, thus people from some cultural backgrounds and countries where dairy intake is negligible may be intolerant.' People who don't produce enough lactase may find themselves having gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating and loose stools when they consume dairy. Some people can find their lactase activity is temporarily reduced when their gut function is disrupted by antibiotics or stress. This can lead to 'transient lactose intolerance' – a period where your body struggles to digest dairy even if you weren't previously sensitive. If people cut out dairy and then reintroduce it, they might also experience abdominal symptoms for a short period while their lactase activity is being restored, says Avery. But this doesn't necessarily mean you're permanently intolerant. It could just be your gut enzymes playing catchup. 'Good practice, even if you do think you are slightly intolerant, is to try to keep a little dairy in your diet – cheese or yoghurt should be OK. Cheese has very little lactose, and in yoghurt, much of the lactose is broken down by the bacteria. Even having a little bit of milk in your tea helps,' says Avery. So, is it true that we're all a little bit intolerant to dairy? No, but our ability to digest it can definitely fluctuate. For many, it's not a lifelong intolerance but a temporary reaction.
Irish Times
04-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Irish people are talented at many things. But we have our shortcomings too
Ancestrally speaking, and just between us, there are things Irish people are and are not good at. Digesting dairy? We're very talented at it. Our lactose intolerance rate is under 5 per cent, which is way under the 65 per cent global average. That makes us almost superhumanly good at digesting butter, as well as exporting it. We can enjoy it without a roiling gut and an afternoon of debilitating cramps. Our ancestors equipped us to digest the foods around us, which is apparently largely dairy, and whatever the British weren't first having themselves. Knowing the secrets of everyone in the small town where we grew up? Nobody is better at that either. We are like a nation of grizzled but lovable private detectives. We all know Jimmy 'the wagon' (unfortunate and insensitive nickname – classically Irish) is off the wagon again when we see him sitting inside the window of the local Supermac's eating garlic cheese chips without a fork at half 11 in the morning. We are all familiar with the widely circulated rumour that Mary from down the road killed a man in a disagreement over scratch cards in 1984. Crucially, since they never found a body, she's still the school lollipop lady (we are all innocent until proven guilty). There are things Irish people are good at. Emigrating and then remaining very Irish in almost hermetically sealed cabals of their own despite being in Canada, or Australia , the Philippines, or wherever else. Alcohol consumption – unfortunately, we earned that reputation fair and square, and my numerous family members with drinking problems will readily attest to it as, I'm sure, will yours. READ MORE We have many gifts and talents. A penchant for the creative – art, literature and music. A sort of hardiness that comes of being largely cold and wet for hundreds of consecutive generations. (We might be genetically coded for immunity to trench foot.) A fitting and solemn respect for a dinner that is mostly carbohydrates as long as it has gravy on it. But we have shortcomings too. Many of these are not our fault, and I would argue strongly that one example is our poor ability to adapt to other climates. We have pollen in Ireland, of course, and the summer season is an absolute pain in the face (quite literally) for anyone with hay fever in a country richly carpeted in grass Living in Australia, I've seen more than one man red as a beet in a Mayo jersey, his boiled forehead audibly sizzling under the Australian sun as he declares it's 'actually unbelievable to feel the heat' on his face. 'My friend,' I think, 'the heat you are feeling is radiation scrambling your DNA. Get some factor 50 on or you'll be scraping your forehead skin up off the floor.' [ Hay fever and asthma sufferers face more severe symptoms due to agricultural fertilisers - study Opens in new window ] Those of Celtic heritage developed their skin tone, as I did, vaguely in the vicinity of Limerick, where sunlight is a thing we mostly read about in books and consider a rare and special treat, like having pancakes for dinner. It's all well and good for us to be going to California or Sydney or the UAE or wherever, but we would be foolish indeed to think that we don't need to take precautions to protect ourselves against a climate we are ill-equipped to survive in. We need sunscreen, ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) clothing and a decent hat or we will, quite simply, perish. Pollen is no different. We have pollen in Ireland, of course, and the summer season is an absolute pain in the face (quite literally) for anyone with hay fever in a country richly carpeted in grass. We would go to visit my great aunt who lived on Bere Island every summer when I was a child. Each year, just as I was taking in the verdant majesty of my favourite part of the country, my eyes would promptly swell shut. Because it was the 1990s, nobody thought to actually do anything much to assist a temporarily blinded seven-year-old with restricted airways. In fairness, my great aunt did say she'd pray for me, which was good of her. Unfortunately, in the depths of my youth and physical discomfort, this promise served only to convince me that I was dying. So look, I thought I 'knew' pollen. She has been my old nemesis, reeling drunkenly forth each year as spring slurs blowsily into being, and staying long past her welcome once September arrives, still swaying alone on the dance floor as people are stacking chairs in the background. 'The season is over, you relentless slattern,' I would think. 'Go to bed'. And, eventually, she would. My airways would clear and my eyeballs decrust, and there would be room to promptly catch a cold that you couldn't shake till April, like every other respectable Irish person. Still, somewhere out on the vast, mountainous horizon, there are plants desperately trying to have sexual intercourse with one another Then, I moved to Canberra, the hay fever capital of Australia, which does have a primary pollen season during the summer but also enjoys a rolling repertoire of other, less extreme pollen seasons through most of the year. You can actually see the pollen, rolling in mucky clouds, on a windy day. It furs window screens and sills, parked cars and public benches, giving everything it touches the look of something long neglected on Miss Havisham's diningroom table. It gathers in your hair and eyebrows, clinging to your clothes. You can see it running down the drain when you wash your face at night. It plagues people with asthma, who are advised to shower on arrival at home during the worst of the year, lest they keep repollinating themselves each time they move. [ The challenging art of pollen forecasting Opens in new window ] Now, it's autumn in Canberra, as the Irish climate warms up, and I somehow still have hay fever. The leaves are falling, limp and yellow, and my thermals are on and my feet are cold, and still, I am sneezing. Still, somewhere out on the vast, mountainous horizon, there are plants desperately trying to have sexual intercourse with one another. Possibly, there's some sort of lesson in all this, but I'm too congested to glean what it is. It does make me miss Limerick a bit, though, and its chaste plant-life that has the decency to die – or to play dead – once autumn shuffles in. Sign up to The Irish Times Abroad newsletter for Irish-connected people around the world. 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