Lactose is a complex sugar found in dairy products. In order for the body to absorb and properly digest lactose, the sugar needs to be simplified by an enzyme in the small intestines, lactase. If you lack the appropriate amount of lactase to digest lactose, you are considered lactose intolerant. You may or may not be able to tolerate the lactose in butter. Discuss the use of butter in your lactose intolerant diet with your dietician or doctor.
Lactose Intolerance
If you can't digest lactose and you develop common symptoms, your doctor will diagnose you with lactose intolerance. Most people do not develop symptoms until adulthood or adolescence. Certain ethnicities are more prone to lactose intolerance, such as Asians, Africans, Native Americans and Hispanics. Because the lactose remains in its complex state, the body cannot absorb the sugar and therefore it goes undigested and enters the colon. In the colon, bacteria interact with it, causing common symptoms.
Butter
Butter is made from cream. Some butter is cultured and some butter is not. Cultured butter will contain less lactose because the cultures help digest the lactose before it's ingested. Butter that is not cultured will contain more lactose than cultured butter, but the amount of lactose is sill minimal because you typically only use a small amount of butter on foods. Butter substitutes may not contain any lactose because they are typically made from vegetable oils. If you experience severe stomach pains and other symptoms, you may have a milk allergy, not lactose intolerance.
Lactose Intolerance Symptoms
If you eat butter and you develop common lactose intolerance symptoms, you should stop eating the butter and call your doctor. Common symptoms include bloating, gas, diarrhea, foul-smelling stool, nausea, vomiting, cramping and stomach pain. Most symptoms develop within 30 minutes after eating butter. Symptoms will last for less than an hour. Once the body effectively rids itself of the lactose, your symptoms will subside. If you develop blood in your vomit or stool, call your doctor.
Eating Butter
If you develop lactose intolerance symptoms from eating butter, you may be able to still eat butter by taking a lactase supplement before ingesting the butter. Taking a lactase enzyme supplement before eating butter can prevent lactose intolerance symptoms. You may also be able to purchase lactose-free butter. Some butter manufactures add the lactase enzyme during the production of the butter, which makes it free of lactose.
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