Mitch Trail

actose is present in all kinds of animal milks. Goat milk, for example, has about 5 to 10% more lactose than cow’s milk. In the past it was thought that only a minority of people suffered from lactose intolerance, but the latest research is dispelling this myth. The reality is that virtually all people are lactose intolerant - it’s just a matter of degree.

Lactose intolerance affects the body by causing varying degrees of nausea, bloating, cramps, gas, and diarrhea, which begin between 30 minutes and 2 hours after milk consumption. This happens because the body is unable to breakdown the lactose properly,

The symptoms of lactose intolerance will vary with individuals, depending on how well you tolerate it, and the amount of lactose consumed. The condition develops over time, getting worse with age. Men and women suffer equally.

When lactose (the main sugar in milk) is consumed it is broken down by lactase bacteria into glucose and galactose. But if you don’t have enough lactase (most people don’t) you won’t be able to break down the lactose and that’s when you suffer lactose intolerance.

Human babies are born with enough lactase to digest the lactose in human milk. But gradually, as the baby is weaned, it loses the capacity to breakdown and digest lactose.

In the USA, for instance, over 50 million people are thought to be lactose-intolerant by the medical profession. The condition is more widespread in certain ethnic and racial populations. As many as 90 percent of Asian-Americans, and 75 percent of African-Americans and American-Indians are said to be lactose-intolerant. It is least common among persons of northern European descent.

But even people who do not think they are lactose intolerant do in fact suffer from the condition whenever animal milk is consumed. However, the effects for some people may be so mild as to be hardly noticeable. Slight feelings of indigestion or bloating will usually be associated with a poor or rushed meal rather than with lactose intolerance.

There are many studies showing how lactose intolerance causes human illness (too many to list here). A quick search on Internet will reveal lots of studies into the subject.

Government dietary guidelines for people wanting to avoid lactose in milk recommend eating other calcium-containing foods like fish, broccoli and fortified orange juice. But this is poor advice because what people need is information on milk alternatives.

You can, of course, buy ‘lactose reduced’ or ‘lactose free’ milk. For example in the USA you can buy ‘Lactaid’ which is lactose free. The drawback is that lactose-free milks are generally not so widely available, and tend to be more expensive.

The biggest drawback for lactose-free milk is that it is ultra-pasteurized (also known as ‘UHT’ or ‘Long Life’ milk). Virtually all the research is showing that UHT milk is a lot worse for health than regular pasteurized milk. For example, the evidence is showing that UHT milk may be the biggest dietary cause of serious brain diseases such as Huntingdon’s, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

What is the best way to avoid lactose in milk you may wonder? A simple solution is to switch to milk made from seeds, nuts, or soybeans. Non-dairy milks offer a great variety of delicious flavours and they are full of healthy nutrients.