Lactase deficiency: a common genetic trait of the American Indian

Intestinal lactase activity was assessed indirectly in 156 American Indians by measuring breath hydrogen after an oral lactose load. Lactase deficiency was present in 66% of subjects and correlated highly with the percentage of Indian blood. Lactase deficiency was present by the age of 5 years and was unrelated to sex. Most lactase-deficient subjects (81%), but only a minority (23%) of lactase-sufficient subjects, developed symptoms after the oral lactose load, and among lactase-deficient subjects, symptoms occurred more frequently in adults than in children (P = 0.05). Indeed, by history, 53% of lactase-deficient adults, but only 10% of lactase-deficient children under 18 years of age, were aware of milk intolerance. Despite these differences, milk consumption was only slightly less (19 g) in the lactase-deficient subjects than in those with normal lactase activity (25 g) (P less than 0.05). The results indicate that lactase deficiency is a common autosomal genetic trait in the American Indian that becomes manifest in early childhood. Tolerance to dietary lactose appears to decline in the American Indian as he reaches adulthood, but in this population the decline in tolerance had only minor influence on lactose intake.