LACTOSE INTOLERANCE

Lactose Intolerance and Diet

Many years ago Romans took excessive milk drinking as evidence of Barbarism. Romans were eating cheese but rarely drinking milk and only for medical purposes.
Approximately 65 % of the general population and 90% of the population of East Assian origin has reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy.

Despite these facts there are dairy products that are safe to digest. Foods that contain very little or no lactose are butter, hard cheese, kefir, heavy cream and probiotic yogurt. Strained full fat yogurts like Greek or Greek style yogurt are better.
Cheese contains very little lactose because this is drained off with the whey. The small amount of remaining lactose transforms to lactic acid during the ripening or aging process.

Therefore fresh cheeses contain more lactose than aged cheeses and less lactose than milk.

Pasteurized yogurts are not well tolerated because they contain residual lactose. Lactose intolerant population often find yogurt much easier to digest than milk. The best yogurt for people with lactose intolerance is a full-fat, probiotic yogurt that contains live bacterial cultures.

For those who want to drink milk there is Lactaid milk and also supplements containing the enzyme which can be help with digestion of lactose.

Oxana Popescu MD

Serving Westchester County:

Hastings on Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Tarrytown, Ardsley and Yonkers.