Lactose Sensitivity: Why Milk Gives You Gas and How to Stop Farting


Farting too much from dairy productsLactose sensitivity is a very common cause of digestive problems, such as bloating, intestinal cramps and excessive gassiness.

A person who is sensitive to lactose (the sugar in milk) will often experience gastrointestinal issues soon after consuming dairy products, or one of the many other hidden sources of it.

Ahead is what causes lactose sensitivity and intolerance, how to know if it’s affecting you, why milk makes you fart, and a list of foods and drinks that are high in lactose.

Also learn how to greatly reduce gassiness from dairy products, using the simple tips and healthy substitutes ahead.

What Is Lactose Sensitivity?

Lactose is a type of sugar found in cow’s milk and other dairy products. It is made of a glucose and a galactose molecule.

Lactose should be broken down in your upper intestine by the enzyme lactase. As infants, most of us produce a lot of lactase in our digestive systems and usually have no problems digesting milk.

As we get older though, usually around adolescence, the amount of the lactase enzyme that our bodies produce to break down lactose diminishes.

This is quite normal, as milk is for infants and humans are the only mammal that continues to drink it beyond infancy. 

Just how sensitive you are to lactose, and how well you tolerate dairy products, depends on just how much lactase enzyme your digestive system is still producing.

Some adults can drink a glass of milk without any obvious side effects. Others may be able to have half a glass without discomfort, but any more than that will trigger symptoms like bloating and gassiness.

For even more lactose sensitive people, even a splash of cream in their coffee can cause gastrointestinal distress.

At this level, a person is considered lactose intolerant. Virtually any dairy products or ingestion of milk sugar found in various other foods will quickly make them gassy and cause intestinal problems.

Someone who is intolerant usually knows it, as they experience belly bloat, cramps, flatulence and even diarrhea soon after having dairy products.

More commonly, people have varying degrees of lactose sensitivity, making it difficult to pinpoint it, as the cause of their intestinal issues.

Yet without supplemental lactase, they will continue to suffer from digestive issues, such as stomach cramps, bloating and farting from dairy.Dairy stomach discomfort

How Many People are Lactose Sensitive or Intolerant?

It’s estimated that around one third of Americans would be recognized as lactose intolerant. This figure can be misleading though as it depends greatly on your ethnic background.

Virtually all Native Americans and those of Asian descent have problems digesting lactose. Around 75% of people of African and Caribbean descent have milk intolerance. And around half of Americans with Mediterranean heritage also show signs of intolerance.

Only Americans of northern European descent have commonly developed the genetic mutation to deal with lactose and can consume dairy products regularly without bloating, abdominal pain and gassiness. It’s estimated that only between 5% and 15% of these people would be considered truly intolerant.

So while your family background definitely plays a part in just how much dairy you can tolerate, the majority of adults do have a reduced ability to digest lactose.

Unfortunately, despite all the potential digestive problems with lactose, food manufacturers find milk sugar a cheap and useful ingredient. As such, it is added to a wide variety of processed food and drink products, as you’ll see ahead.

But first, why exactly do dairy products and their lactose make you gassy?

Why Does Milk Make You Fart?

When your body isn’t producing enough of the lactase enzyme in your small intestine, any lactose in the food you eat or the beverages you drink pass through to your large intestine undigested.

Certain bacteria in your colon love milk sugar and will quickly go to work fermenting it. This process creates a lot of gassiness and, due to the high levels of protein in dairy, it’s usually much smellier flatulence than that produced by the fermentation of the raffinose in beans.

These extra gases in the gastrointestinal system can cause all sorts of problems and discomfort, from tummy bloating and intestinal cramps and spasms, to diarrhea when pressure from flatus gas interferes with water absorption in the colon, and of course lots of farting.

In some respects, passing wind after drinking milk, and getting the gas out before it causes any more problems is the best thing that can happen. Not very comforting I know if it comes on during an office meeting or on a date.

This process usually happens quite quickly and some individuals can experience bloating and flatulence after drinking milk in as little as 15 to 20 minutes.

If they are going to have symptoms, most people will usually experience them within an hour of having dairy if they are sensitive to lactose.Dairy Causing Farts

Which makes you wonder why, if it’s such an obvious cause of bloating and flatulence and it happens so quickly, why are dairy products and other sources of lactose still so popular? Why haven’t we worked out on a larger scale that milk makes you fart?

It’s likely many people can get away with a small amount of milk, perhaps the amount they splash on their cereal in the morning.

But then, with their lactase enzyme stores depleted, any one of the many other sources of milk sugar we’ll cover next, have the potential to cause digestive problems and gastrointestinal issues.

Since food containing lactose travels through the digestive tract much slower than liquid, it can be many hours before symptoms appear.

Someone who has milk in the morning without obvious problems, but then ends up gassy in the evening from the lactose-rich lunch he ate, may never make the connection between the two.

What Foods and Drinks Contain Lactose?

Here’s a list of foods and drinks that contain lactose. You definitely want to avoid the products on this list if you are intolerant or highly sensitive.

While dairy products are the most obvious source, there are many other potential culprits behind excessive gas, bloating and other intestinal problems caused by undigested milk sugar.

The majority of us, with varying levels of lactose sensitivity, would do well to reduce our consumption of the following where possible to prevent bloating, abdominal cramps, flatulence and other symptoms caused by not breaking down the sugar in milk.Glass of gas-causing liquid

A List of Foods and Drinks High in Lactose

  • All dairy milk, especially the skim version which has even higher levels of sugars, but all milks derived from cows or goats will contain lactose in some of the highest levels.
  • Protein powders made with whey can be a concentrated source of lactose and cause excessive gas problems for many people.
  • Butter and all forms of cream contain far less lactose than milk, but still enough to cause problems for highly sensitive individuals.
  • Cheese will generally contain less lactose the harder it is. So hard aged cheeses like Romano, parmesan or cheddar will be less likely to make you gassy than soft cheeses like Camembert or mozzarella, which are generally higher.
  • Ice cream can unfortunately be particularly bad. Not only is it made from milk, but manufacturers have incentive to sweeten it even further with added lactose or sugar alcohols like sorbitol.
  • Yogurt, in theory should be lower in lactose as the beneficial bacteria predigests the milk sugar. Unfortunately, what passes for yogurt in the supermarket fridges these days is usually nothing more than sweetened, thickened milk with very little probiotic content. Traditional Greek or cultured yogurt will likely be much lower, but these can be difficult to find.
  • Canned soup is a less obvious source of lactose, but often quite a high one. Check the labels for any milk-based ingredients, but generally any cream-based soup is a potential source of bloating and gassiness.
  • Savory snacks often contain milk powder which is full of lactose and anything cheese flavored will usually be especially high in it.
  • Sweets like light chocolate (dark chocolate is much lower and healthier), cakes, puddings, cookies and particularly doughnuts are all potentially significant sources.
  • Sauces, gravies and salad dressings like mayonnaise can all contain lactose. You can check the labels for milk solids, milk powder, anything starting with whey.
  • Breakfast cereals are also sometimes made with milk powder or solids, though of course this pales into insignificance if you’re already eating them with a big bowl of cow’s milk.
  • Bread is another commonly eaten food that can contain lactose. The amount on its own may not cause problems, but as you can see with all the different products containing milk sugar, it’s all the more to ferment in the lower intestine.
  • Processed meats like sausages and luncheon meat can have lactose in them, as can breaded or battered meats. Of course pizza with its combination of soft cheese, bread and often processed meats will be a triple whammy and usually high on the scale.
  • Even birth control tablets, headache tablets and some prescriptions and supplements contain milk sugars as an ingredient for some strange reason. Alone they are unlikely to have an effect, but if your body cannot produce any more lactase enzyme then it all adds up.

As you can see it’s a fairly extensive list of products with lactose in them. 

If you’re looking on food labels trying to avoid it you want to watch out for anything that says: milk powder or solids, milk protein, whey solids, nonfat dried milk, casein, sodium caseinate and obviously lactose itself.

If there are foods and drinks on there that you simply can’t see yourself living without, then taking a high strength lactase enzyme right before eating or drinking them is a simple solution.

Intolerance Versus Sensitivity

For someone who is truly lactose intolerant it’s important to avoid as many foods as possible on the above list to prevent gastrointestinal problems.

It’s much more serious than just cramps, bloating and gassiness. Constantly dealing with the fermentation of milk sugar can leave your digestive system in a weakened state and lead to harmful bacterial overgrowth and lowered immunity.

For a person who is only slightly lactose sensitive, just avoiding dairy products may be enough to prevent all but occasional problems.

Those with moderate dairy sensitivity (and I’d include myself in this group) would want to avoid milk and generally some of the higher lactose containing foods like soft cheese, ice cream, supermarket yogurt, snacks with milk solids, pizza, doughnuts and creamy soups, sauces and gravies.

If you’d like to check for sure if you are intolerant or on the higher scale of sensitive then there is a simple test available from your GP called the ‘Lactose Intolerance Breath Test’.Cow's dairy products

How to Drink Milk Without Farting

If you really can’t bear the thought of a life without flavored milk, ice cream and Camembert on crackers, there are supplemental lactase that you can take. These products replace the digestive enzymes that your body is no longer making in large enough quantities.

Lactaid is the most well known of these, but others are available. They should contain at least 9000 FCC (Food Chemical Codex) units of lactase per capsule or tablet to be effective.

I take them at the same time as an occasional ice cream or pizza and there’s none of the usual bloating, tummy rumbling or gassiness in the hours afterwards.

It’s a good idea to take supplemental lactase with you if you think you could be having foods or drinks containing a lot of lactose. Have them either just before or with your meal or dairy-based drink.

Beware of cheap lactase enzyme caplets or chewables that only contain 1000 or 2000 FCC units. This won’t be enough for all but the lowest of lactose sensitivity and definitely not enough if you are truly intolerant.

Millions of people in America have problems with the lactose in dairy but don’t know it and needlessly suffer with abdominal cramps, bloating, farting and other gastrointestinal issues. Please share this page with your friends and let people know there is a simple solution if milk makes you gassy.

Click Here to Leave a Comment Below 52 comments
John

Thank you so much. I believe I have found a solution to a problem finally.

Reply
Wayne

Very informative article!

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Adrian Jones

It’s great you elaborated on how lactose sensitivity can affect people throughout their lives–while some people can down an entire carton of milk without a care in the world, some people develop allergies to it as they get older. As to how exactly why this happens is still a mystery, since people are still trying to understand what exactly is in milk that can cause people to develop an intolerance for it as they get older. Using some samples of lactose to test for these sensitivities is a good thing, but at the moment there’s just not enough data to fully explain why some people develop an intolerance for milk as they get older or much later in life. Luckily, while I’m not lactose intolerant myself, having to live with a wife who can’t digest milk is tough…

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Jules

Thx for this good info. I’ve been drinking almond milk for 5+ years and find it makes me less bloated. Recently I’ve been diagnosed with a rare cancer of the bile ducts, am doing chemo and have lost weight. I’ve been eating ice cream every few days to gain weight, one of the joyous things I like to eat, given my taste buds have changed. I think it makes me gassy but I want to eat it! Not sure what else would give me so many calories and taste so good. I’ve tried dairy free options, not as flavorful. Should I try using lactose pills on days when I eat it? I also eat oatmeal with flax seeds, wonder if this is had too. Trying to stay healthy and gain weight, it’s hard! Thank you

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Jak

Hi

Thank you that was very informative and answered a lot of my questions. I was never one of those people who liked drinking milk, in fact it was always a chore for my mother to get me to drink it (my calcium levels were always low in tests). I’d only gulp it down in front of the kitchen sink, like a bad tasting medicine.

When I was in high school, I noticed a pattern. Drink (powdered) milk for breakfast – 6:00 a.m. (I wasn’t big on having much else so early in the morning, maybe just a handful of dates), get stomach cramps – 10:00 a.m. , go to the washroom, life is good again. But the stomach cramps just weren’t worth it. I talked to my mother, she let me out of having it.

At the same time I noticed that if I had milk (packaged – lacnor) during our morning break (at which point I actually had a proper breakfast in me), I had no trouble at all.

I noticed the same thing on non school days; if I had milk on a full stomach – no problems. Empty stomach – big problems.

Now many years later, I’m beginning to crave milk: the body has a way of wanting what it needs. So I gave in and started drinking it again. Only it gives me gas for the next 12 hours. Though no stomach pain this time around. It may be because I’m having fresh (buffalo) milk now. But then again I take it in the evening, on an empty stomach, which from past experience, I know I don’t handle too well…

After reading your post, it all makes sense now. If my body, indeed, produces less lactase; then by taking milk on a full stomach, I am, in fact, prolonging the amount of time the milk remains in my stomach. Which means that the fewer lactase have enough time to digest all the lactose, completely, before the digested contents move to the next phase in the digestive tract. Walah! problem solved.

Conclusion: If only slightly lactose sensitive, have milk on a full stomach.

Other things I noticed:
– I wasn’t sensitive to any other dairy products
– For me, mixing milk with yoghurt (50: 50) with a dash of rohafza (a sweet herbal syrup used just for flavoring), never gave me any issues…even if on an empty stomach

P.s. Asia just so happens to be the largest continent and chunking all Asians together in just one ethnic race seems rather insulting.

Reply
    James Dillan

    Hi Jak and thanks for your detailed reply on how your lactose sensitivity manifests.

    You’re right that having milk on a full stomach rather than empty stomach will be less likely to cause stomach cramps due to the slower digestive process. It’s interesting that the different timings make such as a difference as well.

    On ethnic groups, it was not my intention to insult Asians in any way. The research studies that I read for this article did not generally differentiate between different parts of Asia (or indeed Africa) as they found little statistical difference between different regions in lactose sensitivity regardless of the size of the land mass.

    There would be little point in listing 98% of people from Indian descent, 98% of people from Chinese descent and so on and so on. The intention of that paragraph is simply to illustrate that the majority of people in America of different ethnic heritage are highly likely to be sensitive to dairy products unless they are of Northern European descent. I don’t see any valid reason for someone to be insulted by this fact from scientific research.

    All the best,

    Jim

    Reply
Ashok

I heard A2 milk doesn’t cause some if these issues. What others opinion

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    James Dillan

    Hi Ashok,

    The A1 protein could indeed be causing additional problems which A2 milk would address. For a smaller percentage of people it could be the primary problem. However A2 milk, while likely healthier, still contains lactose that the majority of people are sensitive too.

    All the best,

    Jim

    Reply
Melinda

I actually gave up dairy along with a bunch of other inflammation causing foods recently. But I have heard that if you don’t want to give up milk altogether drinking whole raw milk is a better choice. The theory behind it is that it contains the enzymes needed to help digest. Apparently the pasteurization process kills the enzymes and so your stomach and intestines have to do all the work. Any thoughts or anecdotes?

Reply
    James Dillan

    Hi Melinda,

    I agree that drinking whole raw milk is better and much healthier but still think most people would experience problems with any more than a little of it. I certainly have in the past. Interestingly, I can drink proper fermented milk kefir without the same problems.

    All the best,

    Jim

    Reply
Hazel

Hello, I’ve been having a problem with flatulence recently, can you help me?
I’m an Asian student who’s studying abroad in the Netherlands and only after I had consumed a lot of dairy products did I realise I (seemingly) have lactose intolerance which led to IBS. I was informed I had bacteria in my intestine and I’ve drunk a lot of medicines (anti-biotic and such) to cure this and it seems fine. However, I am still suffering from flatulence (even rumble). So I checked the things I ate during these periods.
– 1st + 2nd week: Kellogg cereal + lactose-free milk in the morning. I only drank 1 litre of milk for the whole week, which means I only drank a small amount each day.
– 2nd week: I ate more onions and seemed like it affected(?) then the gas thing started to increase by this time.
– 3rd week:
+) cereal + lactose-free milk in the morning
+) 2 slides of bread + lactose-free cheese for lunch + butter (Sunflower)
if flatulence increases, it’s likely to be due to lactose in dairy products, but the cheese and milk I ate are all lactose-free =.= or are all kinds of dairy products can cause flatulence? What should I do if these things happen again in the future, like should I stop eating something? Sorry for such a long comment, but I’ve been going to the doctor’s office quite a lot of times and it is really costly, plus my doctor did not say I needed to avoid eating anything specific.
Thank you.

Reply
    James Dillan

    Hi Hazel,

    Virtually all people of Asian descent are lactose sensitive if not outright intolerant. Unfortunately lactose is often used as a additive in many European foods and you may still be getting it through these. Gluten in wheat products can also be a problem for many people.

    While the antibiotics may have initially seemed to clear up the problem they can also reduce good bacteria and leave you GI tract unbalanced. I’d suggest cutting down processed foods with simple sugars, getting some good probiotics and eating a mainly natural food diet for a while.

    Vegetables are great but it’s also best to limit certain ones like onions for a little while until this clears up https://flatulencecures.com/vegetables-that-cause-gas

    As an emergency remedy activated charcoal is particularly good if you time it right https://flatulencecures.com/how-to-use-activated-carbon-flatulence

    Hope this helps,

    James

    Reply
iko

Great Article! So I finally know what the heck is wrong with my stomach.. No more milk but I will def try Hemp Milk!
Thanks for your time!

Reply
    James Dillan

    Thanks for your positive comments and all the best with a lot less stomach problems.

    Reply
DORIS

hi this is doris I was having this problem for the very long time not knowing that I’m lactose intolerance so now I’m happy because I now were the problem is as from today I will stay awayfrom milk and sugar because write now I don’t see clearly my eya is blurred

Reply
betty

does fennel tea help to relieve flatulence caused by dairy products

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Thiên thảo

Hi Jim
Thank for this article. Now i know the real cause to my gas problem. i wonder which times of the day is the best to drink milk to avoid gas problem and which food should i eat with?
Thank you

Reply
    Jim

    Hi there,

    There isn’t really a best time, but perhaps by only drinking small quantities far apart you may be able to make enough lactase enzyme to handle the next dose of lactose. The worst is drinking a lot of milk all at once. That said, as it explains in the article https://flatulencecures.com/lactose-sensitivity-why-milk-causes-gas most people who aren’t from northern European ancestry are lactose senstive.

    Hope this helps,

    Jim

    Reply
Krunal

Hi,

Thanks for this. I very hardly got the know about real cause of my gas problem. one evening I avoided my dinner and just had milk instead. and I hit a bulls eye!!! experiencing a log of gas and bloating problem that night. And that is how I got to know that its milk that is causing the problem.

And then google search leads me to your article.

Thanks man for sharing this!

Reply
    Jim

    Hi Krunal,

    Thanks for your positive comments and I’m glad you discovered that lactose was causing your digestive problems. Please spread the word as I think a lot of people are unaware of this issue.

    All the best,

    Jim

    Reply
    Amit

    Hi Jim,

    Your article is really an eye opener and as brought by Krunal even I experienced the gastric issues after consuming milk, other days wherein I dint consume milk my body was totally fine. I usually have a protein supplement added with milk after coming back from gym but this is creating bloating and lot of ugly smelling gas.

    Anu remedies apart from lactaid, any natural way to cure it?

    Reply
    James Dillan

    Hi Amit,

    Many people naturally lack enough of the lactase enzyme so would need to supplement with it when drinking milk or avoid it.

    The casein in some protein powder can also be an bad gas issue. I’ll likely write about this soon.

    All the best,

    Jim

    Reply
Nate

You all should drink Raw Milk. It’s straight form the cow’s nipple, its not processed like the milk we’re used to buying at the supermarkets. Only bad thing is the shelf life is half that of reg milk. Raw milk has natural bacteria that’ll digest the milk sugars. try it, you’ll be happy.

Reply
Andy

If Lactaid isn’t effective, would you rule out a lactose intolerance?

I seem to get a lot of bloating and gas from dairy, especially ice cream, and yogurt. Sometimes I get away with minimal or seemingly no symptoms, other times it can be incredibly bad. I’ve tried taking Lactaid when I consume dairy, but it doesn’t appear to change results any.

Reply
    Jim

    Hi Andy,

    Another possibility is the casein protein in milk, which some people also have a bad reaction to. I’d recommend switching to coconut milk. You can dilute it with half water to make it last longer. There is also coconut based ice cream available.

    All the best,

    Jim

    Reply
DEEPAK

YOUR ARTICLE WAS AN EYE OPENER. I WAS UNABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHY I WAS HAVING THE FEELING OF BLOATING AND FLATULENCE.
NOW THAT I KNOW I SHALL BE TAKING DUE PRECAUTIONS.
THANKS.

Reply
    Jim

    Hi Deepak and thanks for your positive comments.

    All the best,

    Jim

    Reply
Sabri

Thanks a lot now i think i can solve my gas problem

Reply
Amber

Is it at all possible for your body to produce too much lactase??

Reply
    Jim

    Hi Amber,

    Children have alot but not that I’m aware of for adults. 75% are sensitive to lactose in some way and most will experience digestive issues in large enough amounts.

    All the best,

    Jim

    Reply
Dreas

I 8 pounds of whey protein powder is a terrible thing to waste. Thanks.

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    Naseem Alibhai

    Thank you for all the information. It is great. However, both Peppermint tea and Fennel Tea gives me diaharrea, so is there something else I can do. What at present I do is put whole fennel seeds when making soups and sprinkle fennel powder on beans.

    Reply
    Jim

    Hi Naseem,

    Sorry to hear that. You could try ginger tea https://flatulencecures.com/ginger-tea-benefits-digestion or chewing the fennel seeds just prior to or just after a meal is also usually effective.

    All the best,

    Jim

    Reply
Estelle Stauffer

Very informative! Thank you!

Reply
Tyna

Thank you very much. This is quite informative.

Reply
vicky

thanks so much,this is such an eye opener..very helpful too.

Reply
vivian

great page.so educative

Reply
Yaw

Very informative

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Fiona

Thanks! Your article explains why I’ve had all these problems. For 2 years I could never work out what was causing it. The cramps got so bad and the flatulence is so embarrassing. The tiniest bit of lactose sets it off!

Reply
    Jim

    Hi Fiona,

    Lactose really is a big problem for a lot of people. With all the digestive issues it causes it’s really surprising dairy products are still so popular.

    All the best,

    Jim

    Reply
s.c.goel

dear sir
It is very good efforts for giving good learning.But let me know that gastric problem can feel faint some time.
Regards

Reply
chioma

Thank u Very much for this information.

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Shameen Iqbal

I have severe chronic constipation I have gluten n lactose tolerance
Which having private tests soon as dont understand why my stomach is severely bloating makes me feel so sicl whicj causes my migraines to come ion everyday I am extremely fed up doctors arent of any help therefore any advice willbe helpful I have fennel seeds tbey dont seem to help and I am forever letting wind out

Reply
    Jim

    Hi Shameen,

    Peppermint oil capsules before a meal are even stronger than fennel tea for severe bloating https://flatulencecures.com/how-to-make-farts-smell-better Hopefully your doctor or a holistic healer can diagnose the source of these problems so you have a better idea of how to treat it.

    All the best,

    Jim

    Reply
Laura

Thank you so much! This is very informative and well explained!

Reply
    James

    Thanks for your positive comments.

    All the best,

    Jim

    Reply
parmbir dhaliwal

Drinking apple cider vinegar helps or makes it worse ? Does it triggers fermentation ?

Reply
Shawshank

Thanks.. especially for the solution. I dont have to shun milk altogether now :-)

Reply
    James

    Thanks for your positive comments!

    Reply
James

Thanks Minnie

Reply
Minnie Singh

Very informative

Reply

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