Foul breath is not always a sign of bad oral hygiene. It can be something more than that too. Yes! Even your lactose intolerance can make you suffer from Halitosis or bad breath. It may sound odd, but it is true. Yet, bad breath is not listed among the most common symptoms of lactose intolerance. Why? Reason is, bad breath is not that common and hence, does not find mention in commonplace listing of symptoms. This article will explore the connection between bad breath and lactose intolerance.
What is lactose intolerance? Lactose intolerance is something which is prevalent in about 75% of the world population. It is basically caused by the body’s inefficiency to digest the ingested lactose. Insufficient production of lactase enzyme in the body causes the condition, leading to a series of gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, gas, flatulence, cramps and pain.
Bad Breath or Halitosis: Bad breath or halitosis is a common condition which many people in the world face on a day to day basis. It is socially embarrassing and also mars a person’s reputation and hygiene. Many people tend to think that bad oral hygiene is the reason behind bad breath. Not always. Bad breath can be caused by several other disorders in the body of which lactose intolerance is one.
There are different factors which affect one’s breath and different medications and cures are needed to combat it. Many mouth-wash solutions or tablets are available in the market to keep one’s breath fresh and odorless. But these solutions are temporary and permanent cure can be got only if the person attends to the root of the problem. Strep throat, nasal polyps etc too can cause bad breath. However, if you are lactose intolerant and have developed bad breath recently, be assured that your bad breath is a result of your intolerance to lactose.
How does lactose intolerance cause bad breath? If there is insufficient production of lactase enzyme, the ingested lactose is quickly cleared from the stomach and small intestine. Gastric clearance is pretty fast and the undigested lactose moves to the colon. In the colon, an osmosis-like reaction takes place and the lactose absorbs water. Then, it ferments with the bacteria in the colon, producing lactic acid, carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Along with this, there is a production of several other foul smelling gases. The important thing to note is, all these gases are exhaled through the lungs. This results in halitosis or bad breath. The higher the amount of undigested lactose in your body, the greater the intensity of the gases.
How to cure bad breath? If you have diagnosed that your bad breath is caused by intestinal issues like lactose intolerance, cure the issue first. Your breath will become normal by itself. Cut off all lactose foods from your diet and put an end to the bloating, gas and flatulence, you will cure your bad breath.
