Written by Catherine Saxelby
on Thursday, 18 October 2012.
Tagged: dairy, drinks, guides, health, healthy eating, special diets, tips
Can't drink milk? Get tummy pains and bloating when you eat dairy? Around one in every 10 Australians suffers from lactose intolerance, a condition where they are unable to digest dairy foods, mainly milk. If they drink too much milk, they end up with pain, bloating, wind and even diarrhoea. Here are ways to help sufferers.
Lactose is a sugar naturally occurring in milk. Lactose intolerance occurs when the body is unable to digest this sugar because of an insufficiency of an enzyme in the small intestine that breaks down the sugar allowing it to be absorbed.
It is most common among Asian, Aboriginal, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Maori adult populations and tends to be less common in those of northern European descent.
However it can also occur short term whenever the digestive tract is affected, say after a bout of gastroenteritis or in certain illnesses like coeliac disease or HIV infections.
Don't confuse it with milk allergy which occurs via a different biological mechanism involving the body's immune system.
Lactose is a sugar and is made up of two simple sugars glucose and galactose. It is a natural component of the milk of all mammals including cows, goats, sheep and also of humans (breast milk).
One of the most common misconceptions about intolerance to lactose is that it means no more dairy. The good news is that milk and other dairy foods - important sources of protein, calcium and B vitamins - don't need to be completely eliminated. Research shows that most people with low enzyme levels can have up to two glasses of milk, with meals every day, without symptoms of lactose intolerance.
Start small. Work out your own tolerance by trying one quarter of a glass of milk and gradually increasing your intake.
If you eliminate ALL milk, yoghurt and cheese from your diet, you're eliminating the major source of calcium. So a calcium supplement is a good idea, particularly for children or pregnant women. Adults require 1000mg a day, while children range from 700 to 1200mg.
Look for a supplement that will give you at least 600mg of ‘elemental' or pure calcium per day. Check the label - the quantity of pure calcium should be listed, not just the amount of calcium carbonate or calcium gluconate. Take them at night as calcium uptake by bones peaks during the night.
Try this simple test at home to see whether you are lactose intolerant. It has been devised by Professor Terry Bolin of the Gut Foundation.
If you answered Yes to one or more of the above factors, you are probably lactose intolerant. See your doctor for a full diagnosis.
The presence of milk must be declared on the label of all food products as milk is one of the major allergens. If in doubt, you can scan the list of ingredients for:
pdf Download my handy one-page chart (38 KB) of where lactose is in dairy foods (milk, yoghurt, cheeses) as well as in dairy alternatives (plant mylks) and which foods have the highest concentration.
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