“I don’t know how you even know that.” When you just happen to know an obscure answer to a random question, this is the type of response you can expect from your friends! I’ve always enjoyed learning random factoids, whether from reading whatever I could as often as I could or through observing others while they worked. I enjoy learning all these factoids partly because I’m convinced they will someday help me fulfill my life-long dream of appearing on Jeopardy and winning, but mostly because I have found that the knowledge I glean from them will occasionally come in handy and help me in my day-to-day life. So, in the spirit of learning (and potentially winning game shows), let’s spend a few minutes digesting some food factoids.
- Lactose intolerance isn’t a food allergy. Milk and milk products contain a type of sugar known as lactose. To properly digest that lactose, we need an enzyme called lactase (Notice the very small difference in spelling!) When our small intestine stops producing lactase or reduces the amount of lactase we produce, we begin to notice side effects such as bloating, gas, or nausea. This is different than a milk allergy, which would be the immune system responding to milk protein by triggering symptoms such as hives, vomiting, or even anaphylaxis. Lactose intolerance is fairly common in adults, with over 30 million Americans experiencing the condition.
- You might be able to blame heartburn on a muscle. At the end of our esophagus (the tube which carries food from your mouth to your stomach) is a small muscle called the lower esophageal sphincter, or LES. When this muscle is weakened or when it fails to maintain a certain pressure barrier, gastric acid from your stomach can head back up the esophagus and give you that uncomfortable burning sensation. This is why individuals who experience acid reflux are often advised to sit or stand upright for at least an hour after eating- they are trying to avoid excess pressure on the LES!
- Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are two different things. Individuals diagnosed with non-celiac gluten sensitivity and those diagnosed with celiac disease can both experience unpleasant side effects such as lethargy, abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea if they consume gluten. But only a person diagnosed with celiac disease will experience an autoimmune response that severely damages the villi of their small intestine if they consume gluten. The villi are responsible for absorbing nutrients from the foods we eat, so damage to them can cause additional and severe problems such as anemia, malnutrition, and undesired weight loss. Also, there is a genetic component to celiac disease, but not for non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
Factoids are described as “brief or trivial items of news or information.” We certainly won’t be considered experts by knowing these three random food factoids, but they may prompt us to learn additional information about a subject and help us understand a little more about certain conditions that might be affecting ourselves, our friends, or our families.
