(HealthDay News) -- Italian researchers report that some people who think they are lactose-intolerant may actually suffer from a psychological condition known as somatoform disorder.
With true lactose intolerance, a person is deficient in the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the lactose. Those who suffer it say they experience bloating, gas, gut pain and nausea when they eat or drink products containing the milk sugar lactose.
Somatoform disorder describes a group of conditions in which the physical pain and symptoms a person experiences are really related to psychological factors.
This new study shows that some people "should not blame lactose for symptoms of lactose intolerance," said Dr. Guido Basilisco, a researcher in the gastroenterology unit at IRCCS-Ca Granda, in Milan. Read more...
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