If you are lactose intolerant, you may use lactose-reduced milk and other products to help with this unpleasant condition. Lactose intolerance can cause abdominal bloating, cramping and diarrhea. You may be genetically programmed to develop lactose intolerance, or a decreased production of the needed enzyme may be either temporary or permanent after some illnesses.
Significance
Lactose is the sugar in milk. Lactase is the enzyme that your body uses to digest lactose. If you don't produce enough lactase, you will experience the symptoms of lactose intolerance. Certain people may produce some lactase and have symptoms only when they overindulge. Others may be able to eat some dairy products with naturally-reduced lactose such as yogurt or cheese. Some individuals may produce little or no lactase and not be able to digest even small amounts of dairy products.
Acidophilus Milk
The bacterium Lactobacillus acidophilus digests lactose as it ferments milk products. The amount of lactose left in the product varies. The lactic acid produced from the lactose by the bacteria gives a sour and tangy taste to these foods. If you have a mild lactose intolerance, you may be able to eat some yogurt and other fermented milk products with no problems. Acidophilus milk is a fermented milk product that contains live cultures. It is much like a yogurt that has not been allowed to thicken.
Lactose-Reduced Milk
There is no live acidophilus in lactose-reduced milk. Milk in the cow is sterile, and any bacteria that are introduced during and after milking are killed by pasteurization. The enzyme lactase is added to lactose-reduced and lactose-free milk and milk products. It works by splitting the lactose molecule into glucose and galactose which you can then digest normally. These sugars are sweeter than lactose, so the milk tastes somewhat sweeter than regular milk.
Considerations
Only with experimenting can you decide what you can comfortably eat. With yogurt, there may be live cultures added after fermentation that provide healthy probiotics. The probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus bulgaricus may help reduce symptoms. Some cheeses may be fine for you and others may cause problems. Taste is an issue also, as you may not want everything to have the sour tang of fermented milk products. Lactose-reduced and lactose-free milk can be useful for a sweet milk source.
Diagnosis
According to the "Textbook of Gastroenterology," some degree of lactose intolerance is more common in the adult world population than lactose tolerance. In people with the predisposition, the lactase enzyme production begins to decline at about age 5. The digestive problems begin later in childhood or early adulthood. Other sugar intolerances can have similar symptoms, and you can have more than one such intolerance. There are tests to determine if lactose intolerance is the problem, and correct diagnosis can help guide your food choices and improve your health.
References
- "Textbook of Gastroenterology"; 4th Edition; Ed. Tadataka Yamada M.D.; 2003
- The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Lactose Intolerance
- "The Merck Manual" Seventeenth Edition; Editors Beers, MD and Berkow, MD; 1999
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