Lactose intolerance is a bothersome problem, especially for people who love milk. Recently, you can easily get milk without lactose, and in fact with a reduced content of this disaccharide. Is it worth drinking them?
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What is lactose intolerance?
The sugar found in milk is lactose, a disaccharide which, in order to be absorbed by the intestinal mucosa, must be broken down into simple sugars: glucose and galactose. This requires an enzyme, lactase, which is produced by the lining of the intestines. However, not always everything goes as it should and there is not enough enzyme for various reasons. We are talking then about lactose intolerance. We distinguish between congenital intolerance (rare, the child does not produce lactase), primary intolerance (occurs in adults, is hereditary, rarely there is complete loss of lactase) and secondary intolerance (caused by damage to the mucosa of the small intestine by e.g. drugs or diseases). Secondary lactose intolerance can also be caused by prolonged lactose-free diets and surgery.
The production of lactase by mucosal cells also decreases with age. This is why it is assumed that the elderly should not consume more than 15 g of lactose per day, which is about 300 ml of milk.
Lack of proper hydrolysis of lactose in the small intestine causes its passage to the distal part of the intestine, where it is acted upon by fermentation bacteria. After a while, gas is produced and symptoms such as cramps, bloating and diarrhea occur.
How Much Lactose Is Harmful?
Of course, it depends on individual predispositions and the type of intolerance. However, a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association proved that a lactose load of 6 g, usually found in half a portion of a dairy product, does not cause discomfort in people with lactose intolerance.
Largely lactose intolerant people can provide servings of dairy products with hard cheeses (which are low in lactose) and fermented dairy products (bacteria help digest lactose). What if we are missing not cheeses, not yoghurts, but plain milk? Lactase tablets are available, but they are often resistant to use. And here a good solution may be exactly lactose-free milk, which we can find more and more often even in popular discount stores.
How is lactose-free milk produced and for whom?
Lactose-free milk is made by adding lactase (genetically engineered) to milk, an enzyme that breaks down milk sugar. It is a good option, but for people who have any type of lactose intolerance and feel the need to drink milk. Recently, however, there has been a trend for ‘without something’ products: lactose-free, gluten-free. They are used without any special justification. The same is true of lactose-free milk. Can healthy people use it? They can, but what for? Firstly, it is more expensive, secondly for most it tastes specific, more caramel, which is related to the breakdown of disaccharide into simple sugars. But it is not everything. If we provide the body with an enzyme to break down lactose, it will reduce its production, because it will no longer be needed. In such a situation, we are dealing with secondary lactose intolerance. If we want to drink lactose milk after some time, we must take into account stomach ailments.
Photo credit: Neil T / Foter / CC BY-SA
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