Here is a checklist of the usual symptoms. If you find you can tick most of them - and that
they are always brought on when you have milk in one form or another - it may be that you are
lactose intolerant.
Feeling sick
Stomach discomfort
Bloated feeling
Cramping pain
"Wind" or flatulence
These symptoms may vary in severity according to how much lactose you have had. Some sufferers
can tolerate the equivalent of up to about half a pint of milk without too much trouble. Only when
you exceed your limit - maybe by eating something you didn't realise contained lactose - does the
trouble start.
There is no hard and fast rule on how soon symptoms appear after eating lactose-containing foods.
The feeling of sickness and stomach discomfort can appear after only five minutes, whereas other
symptoms may take a few hours to develop.
If symptoms are persistent or particularly severe, or if they occur independently (that is, when
you haven't had any lactose) you should seek medical advice.
