Fighting and Managing Lactose Intolerance Many people are forced to track their diet every day of their lives. From children to adults, a large number of people are diagnosed with lactose intolerance. Others, who may not have been examined by doctors, may misdiagnose themselves, confusing this disorder with many other extremely similar ones. Being lactose intolerant negatively impacts daily life. People need to be constantly aware of what they are eating and how much they are consuming. With this disorder, each person must learn to manage it correctly. From person to person, the inability to digest lactase varies depending on how the body handles it and why. Many people believe that the solution to the problem of lactose intolerance is to completely eliminate dairy products from their diet. However, this could be worse for them. Due to the lack of consumption of dairy products by people who are lactose intolerant, there are also health risks associated with this condition. Dairy products and milk contain a sugar known as lactose. To digest this sugar, you need the necessary enzyme. There are several reasons for the inability to digest lactose: primary lactase deficiency, secondary lactase deficiency, congenital lactase deficiency, and developmental lactase deficiency. Cases involving primary lactase deficiency are the most common. As children, more lactase enzymes are normally produced than is needed to digest lactose. “Worldwide, most humans lose 90% to 95% of lactase levels at birth by early childhood, followed by a continuous decline throughout life” (Thorn). When children reach around three years of age, lactase production declines significantly. In some... half of the paper... for people with lactose intolerance." Women's Health Advisor. 16.3 (March 2012): p6. Academic Health Reference Center. Network. 12 November 2013. Mattar, Rejane , et al. “Lactose Intolerance: Diagnosis, Genetic and Clinical Factors.” Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology 5(2012): 113+. Academic Health Reference Center. November 11, 2013. Thorn, Allison to lactose." Doctor reviews November 2010: 17+. Academic Health Reference Center. Network. November 1, 2013. Vesa, Tuula H, Leena M Seppo, Philippe R. Marteau, Timo Sahi and Riitta Korpela. "Role of lactose syndrome. "Irritable Bowel in Subjective Lactose Intolerance." American Clinical Nutrition J 1998;67:710-5. 1998. Network. November 12, 2013.Heyman, Melvin B. "Lactose Intolerance in Infants, Children, and Adolescents." Pediatrics September 2006: 1279+. Academic Health Reference Center. 22 November. 2013.