Utilization of a low-lactose milk

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Lactose intolerance affects a significant portion of the population, causing digestive distress.
• Standard milk consumption can trigger symptoms in milk-intolerant (MI) individuals due to lactose malabsorption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the tolerance and nutritional benefits of prehydrolyzed lactose milk in a milk-intolerant population.
• To determine if hydrolyzed lactose milk can be consumed without inducing lactose intolerance symptoms.

Main Methods:

• A tolerance test involving 12 milk-intolerant (MI) patients and 12 lactose-tolerant (LT) controls.
• Administered solutions included lactose, skim milk, low-lactose skim milk, and glucose/galactose.
• Monitored serum glucose levels and assessed subjective/objective intolerance symptoms over two hours.

Main Results:

• Milk-intolerant individuals showed significant differences in tolerance between standard skim milk and low-lactose skim milk.
• No significant differences were observed in the lactose-tolerant control group.
• Low-lactose skim milk was well tolerated by the MI group, unlike regular skim milk.

Conclusions:

• Milk-intolerant individuals poorly absorb or tolerate lactose in standard skim milk.
• Prehydrolyzed lactose in low-lactose skim milk is well tolerated, indicating effective absorption of monosaccharides.
• Individuals with milk intolerance can consume prehydrolyzed milk without experiencing typical intolerance symptoms.