American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 57, 399-401, Copyright © 1993 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Correlation of lactose maldigestion, lactose intolerance, and milk intolerance

AO Johnson, JG Semenya, MS Buchowski, CO Enwonwu and NS Scrimshaw
Center for Nutrition, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208.

Lactose digestion and tolerance were evaluated in 164 African Americans ranging in age from 12 to 40 y who claimed intolerance to one cup (240 mL) or less of milk. With use of a breath-hydrogen test with 25 g lactose as test dose and the presence or absence of symptoms, 50% of the subjects were classified as lactose maldigesters and intolerant, 8% were maldigesters but tolerant, 15% were digesters but intolerant, and 27% were digesters and tolerant. Forty-five subjects from the lactose maldigesting and intolerant group were further tested for milk intolerance in a double-blind study. Sixty-seven percent of the subjects reacted appropriately to the presence or absence of lactose in ingested milk whereas 33% reported symptoms to both low-lactose milk and milk containing lactose. The results suggest that the cause of milk intolerance in as many as one-third of African Americans claiming symptoms after ingestion of a moderate amount of milk cannot be its lactose content.

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