Lactose is present in all animal milks. Goat's milk, for example, usually has 5 to 10% more lactose than cow's milk. It used to be thought that only a minority of people suffered from lactose intolerance, but the latest research dispels 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 severity of symptoms varies depending on the amount of lactose each individual consumes or can tolerate. Lactose intolerance usually develops over time, getting worse as you get older, with men and women suffering equally.

Lactose is the main sugar in milk. When it is consumed it gets broken down by lactase bacteria into glucose and galactose. But if, like most people, you don't have enough lactase you will not be able to break the lactose down and this then causes the symptoms of 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.

Even people who do not regard themselves as being lactose intolerant do in fact feel the effects whenever dairy milk is consumed. However, the effects for some people can be so mild as to be hardly noticeable. Slight feelings of bloating or indigestion will typically be associated with overindulgence or a 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.

The dietary guidelines given by the US authorities (for people wanting to avoid lactose intolerance) is to recommend they eat other calcium-containing foods like broccoli, fish and calcium fortified juices. This is poor advice because what people really want 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.

However, by far the biggest drawback is that virtually all lactose-free milk is ultra-pasteurized (also known as 'Long Life' or UHT milk). Just about all the research is showing that UHT milk is significantly worse for health compared to regular pasteurized milk. For example, there is overwhelming evidence showing that UHT milk may be the biggest dietary cause of a variety of brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntingdon's and others.

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.