How long does lactose intolerance self-heal?

Written by Si Li Li
Gastroenterology
Updated on March 30, 2025
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Lactose intolerance may resolve on its own in some babies after the age of three, while others may not recover from it. Lactose intolerance primarily occurs because the secretion of lactase in the intestines decreases, leading to incomplete breakdown of lactose found in breastmilk or cow's milk. This results in symptoms such as diarrhea, bloating, and indigestion. There are two causes of lactose intolerance: one is congenital lactose intolerance, which requires long-term medication or avoiding dairy products as much as possible. The other cause is transient lactose intolerance due to infection, which generally improves about a month after treatment.

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Written by Tong Peng
Pediatrics
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What are the effects of lactose intolerance in infants?

Lactose intolerance in children primarily causes an imbalance in the gut microbiome, leading to digestive system symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. The main mechanism is the insufficient secretion of lactase in the baby's intestines, which fails to digest and absorb lactose in food, resulting in symptoms of lactose intolerance. In such cases, the intake of probiotics orally and reducing the intake of foods containing lactose can be helpful. If the baby is fed with formula or breast milk, taking lactase orally or switching to lactose-free formula milk for feeding can be considered. If the child has already started on solid foods, halt the intake of dairy products and simply continue feeding with solid foods, such as porridge, noodles, or rice flour. If a baby shows signs of lactose intolerance, it is crucial to monitor for symptoms of dehydration. If there are signs like poor skin turgor, low energy, or reduced urine output, it is essential to seek medical attention promptly from a specialist to manage and prevent the aggravation of dehydration symptoms.

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Written by Wu Hai Wu
Gastroenterology
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How to deal with nausea from lactose intolerance?

Patients with lactose intolerance who experience nausea can consider using some medications for symptomatic treatment. For example, they can use meclozine orally or by muscle injection. They may also use medications that promote gastric motility, such as domperidone, mosapride, and itopride, to treat impaired gastric motility. Patients with lactose intolerance may also experience bloating, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation. Appropriate symptomatic treatments can be taken according to different symptoms. Lactose intolerance, if due to a secondary disease such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, requires active treatment of the primary disease. (The use of medications should be under the guidance of a professional doctor.)

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Written by Tong Peng
Pediatrics
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What should I do if I am lactose intolerant?

If lactose intolerance occurs, it is essential to adjust the diet and medication. Lactose intolerance can cause an increase in the frequency of bowel movements and changes in stool characteristics in children. If it persists for a long time, it can lead to indigestion and malnutrition. In cases where the symptoms are not severe, reducing the intake of lactose-containing foods and adding lactase can help alleviate the symptoms. However, if the condition has been prolonged and is accompanied by complications such as malnutrition, it is advisable to temporarily stop the intake of formula and dairy products and feed lactose-free formula until the symptoms improve and then resume a normal diet. Lactose intolerance can be congenital or acquired, but the treatment method is through dietary control.

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Written by Wu Hai Wu
Gastroenterology
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What to eat when lactose intolerance causes nausea

Patients with lactose intolerance primarily show clinical symptoms related to the digestive tract such as bloating, increased bowel sounds, intestinal colic, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and more. Some patients experience reduced intestinal motility, leading to constipation, and the severity of symptoms is somewhat related to the amount of dairy products consumed. If a patient with lactose intolerance is experiencing nausea, they should eat light foods and avoid dairy products as much as possible. Patients with lactose intolerance should seek medical attention in a timely manner. When visiting a doctor, they should provide detailed medical history information to help the doctor determine the correlation between the clinical symptoms and lactose intolerance.

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Written by Si Li Li
Gastroenterology
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How long does lactose intolerance self-heal?

Lactose intolerance may resolve on its own in some babies after the age of three, while others may not recover from it. Lactose intolerance primarily occurs because the secretion of lactase in the intestines decreases, leading to incomplete breakdown of lactose found in breastmilk or cow's milk. This results in symptoms such as diarrhea, bloating, and indigestion. There are two causes of lactose intolerance: one is congenital lactose intolerance, which requires long-term medication or avoiding dairy products as much as possible. The other cause is transient lactose intolerance due to infection, which generally improves about a month after treatment.