I recommend that hardgainers drink up to a gallon of milk a day (known as GOMAD) to gain weight the natural, fast, and healthy way. Read Gallon of Milk A Day

Sixty Percent of Adults Can't Digest Milk

The problem is that sixty percent of adults can't digest milk, due to lactose intolerance. Infants secrete an enzyme called lactase that breaks down lactose into galactose and glucose which can then be absorbed. Production of the enzyme lactase tends to decrease once adulthood is reached. In extreme cases it can become so limited that the individual is classified as lactose intolerant, which you've probably heard of.

Read the USA Today article, "Sixty Percent of Adults Can't Digest Milk".

You can still drink milk even if you are lactose intolerant by providing your body with the enzyme lactase that it needs to break down the lactose sugar in milk. The solution to lactose intolerance is to either consume lactase pills along with milk and other dairy products, or to drink milk with without lactose; Lactaid milk, for example.

My name is Al Smith and I am lactose intolerant.  Yet still I drink 2 quarts of milk every single day.  I do this with the help of lactase pills.  I wouldn't be able to get the amount of calories I need in a day without the hlp of milk, and so lactase pills are must-haves for me.  Buy lactase pills here.

Follow me on Twitter at ALGetsBig as I strive to reach my goal weight of 170 pounds; I used to be 117 pounds at the same height of 5'7"!.

Lactose Intolerance Tests

Lactose tolerance tests measure the ability of your intestines to break down lactose, a type of sugar found in milk and other dairy products.

The hydrogen breath test is the preferred method. It measures the amount of hydrogen in the air you breathe out.

A breath test result that shows a rise in hydrogen content of 12 parts per million (ppm) over your pre-test level is considered positive, and means you may have trouble breaking down lactose.  Normally, very little hydrogen is in your breath. But if your body has trouble breaking down and absorbing lactose, hydrogen levels increase.

If you are lactose intolerant, like me, you may notice that your breath stinks after you consume milk or or dairy products.  This is because of the raised hydrogen content in your breath as a result of your body not being able to break down the lactose sugar in dairy. Other lactose intolerance symptoms include bloating, nausea, cramping, and diarrhea.

Lactose intolerance is the inability of the body to break down the sugar in milk, lactose.  People with lactose intolerance lack the enzyme lactase that breaks down lactose.

How to Drink Milk When You Are Lactose Intolerant

The solution to lactose intolerance is to either consume lactase pills along with milk and other dairy products, or to drink milk that is lactose free, for example, Lactaid milk.