If you're lactose intolerant, many medications and supplement pills are available at drug and health food stores. Some of these are firmly founded in sound, scientific principles and prove quite effective at helping to alleviate symptoms. Others aren't effective and can't help you digest lactose. Knowing which are which can help you make wise choices when selecting a lactose intolerance medication.
Treating Lactose Intolerance
One of the problems associated with treating lactose intolerance is that no available medications will cure your condition. This is because lactose intolerance stems from your body's inability to produce the lactase enzyme that digests lactose, explains Dr. Lauralee Sherwood in her book, "Human Physiology." The most common cause is aging -- your body simply stops making the enzyme as you grow older -- and no medication can provide a permanent solution. However, many temporary options are available.
Lactase Supplements
Lactase supplements are common over-the-counter medications that can give you the temporary ability to consume milk and other dairy products. While they don't cause your body to make the lactase enzyme, they do provide you with a small, short-term supply of lactase that breaks down the lactose in milk that you consume within a short period of taking the pill -- generally several hours. If you choose to use lactase supplements, you'll need to take them any time you want to consume dairy products.
Lactobacillus Acidophilus Supplements
Another common over-the-counter option for lactose intolerance is supplements containing Lactobacillus acidophilus, a probiotic bacterial species. These bacteria produce the lactase enzyme, meaning that if you consume them, they can help break down the lactose in the milk you drink shortly thereafter. As with lactase supplements, you need to use them regularly. While some studies show that Lactobacillus supplements work quite well, others -- such as a 1999 report in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" -- show no effect.
Other Supplements
A variety of alternative medications, including supplements that contain "food enzymes," suggest they'll treat or alleviate the symptoms of your lactose intolerance. Among the most common and popular of these is papaya enzyme, or papain. Unfortunately, papaya enzyme is a proteolytic, meaning that it helps digest protein. It has no effect whatsoever upon lactose or any other sugar. As such, you shouldn't rely upon papaya enzyme -- or any enzyme other than lactase -- to help you digest the lactose in dairy products.
References
- "Human Physiology"; Lauralee Sherwood, Ph.D.; 2004
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; A Randomized Trial of Lactobacillus Acidophilus BG2FO4 to Treat Lactose Intolerance; J. Saltzman et al; January 1999
