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Longitudinal prospective anthropometric evaluation in Caucasian prepubertal children with lactose intolerance
Mauro Lizzi1, Laura Sgrazzutti2, Annamaria Porreca3
1Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Allergy and Pulmonology Unit, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy.
Insights
Children with lactose intolerance (LI) showed no difference in height velocity compared to controls. A lactose-free diet significantly reduced gastrointestinal symptoms in the LI group, though results require careful interpretation due to small sample size.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Gastroenterology
- Growth and Development
Background:
- The health effects of lactose intolerance in children are not well understood.
- Lactose intolerance (LI) is a common condition affecting nutrient absorption and gastrointestinal health.
- Assessing the impact of LI on pediatric growth is crucial for understanding its long-term consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between lactose intolerance and growth parameters in prepubertal children.
- To evaluate the effect of a lactose-free diet on gastrointestinal symptoms in children with LI.
Main Methods:
- A prospective case-control study compared Caucasian children with LI (n=30) to healthy controls (n=75).
- Lactose intolerance was diagnosed using a lactose tolerance test.
- Anthropometric parameters and gastrointestinal symptom scores were measured at baseline and follow-up after a median of 9 months on a lactose-free diet.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in height velocity standard deviation scores (SDS) was observed between the LI and control groups.
- Children with LI experienced a significant reduction in gastrointestinal symptom scores after adhering to a lactose-free diet (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
- Lactose intolerance did not appear to affect height velocity in the studied pediatric population.
- The findings regarding anthropometric profiles in LI children should be interpreted cautiously due to the small sample size.
- Larger-scale studies are needed to elucidate the comprehensive impact of LI on pediatric growth and metabolic profiles.
Introduction:
The health consequences of lactose intolerance remain unclear. We studied the association of lactose intolerance with growth in children.
Methods:
In this prospective case-control study, we compared Caucasian prepubertal children with lactose intolerance (LI) [n = 30, median age = 7.87 years (3.00-12.75)] to healthy controls [(n = 75, median age = 2.25 years (2.00-7.25)]. A lactose tolerance test was performed for lactose intolerance diagnosis. The gastrointestinal symptom score was administered at baseline and after a lactose-free diet for a median period of 9.0 months [range 5%-95% (6.0-24.0)]. The anthropometric parameters were measured at baseline and follow-up. All the anthropometric data were converted into standard deviation scores (SDS). A linear regression model was used to investigate the association of lactose intolerance with growth parameters.
Results:
We found no difference in height velocity SDS between the LI and control groups [SDS difference (95% CI): 0.52 (-1.86 to 2.90)]. In addition, we found a significant reduction in the clinical score of the LI group after a lactose-free diet [median (5%-95%): 7.5 (4.0-15.0) and 3 (0.0-8.0); p-value <0.001].
Conclusions:
The LI group exhibited no difference in height velocity compared with the control group. Nonetheless, due to the small sample size, the results on the anthropometric profile of the LI group require careful interpretation. More large-scale studies in the pediatric population are required to better understand the association of LI with anthropometric and metabolic profiles.
