Lactase Drops - 0.5 Ounce - Research

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Lactase Drops

Lactose Intolerance is a common digestive condition where the body does not produce enough (or any!) lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose, a sugar found in milk. There are three types of lactose intolerance: Congenital, Primary, and Secondary^1,2. Congenital lactose intolerance is a rare genetic condition where the individual never is able to produce lactase enzyme. Prior to the availability of infant formulas, this would have been a life-threatening health concern as nursing infants of every mammalian species lactase in order to digest breast milk².

Primary lactose intolerance occurs when an individual loses the ability to digest lactose at some point after infancy. Many people experience this to varying degrees; some don’t begin to show symptoms of lactose intolerance until well into adulthood. Primary lactose intolerance is relatively common, affecting 95% to 100% of American Indians; 80% to 90% of African-Americans, Asians, and Jews; and 50% of individuals of Northern and Central European descent¹.

Ethnic groups in which lactose intolerance is common are statistically more likely to develop osteoporosis due to inadequate calcium intake². For lactose intolerant people who find it difficult to get adequate calcium from a lactose-free diet, supplemental lactase enzyme can make it possible to consume dairy without experiencing symptoms of lactose intolerance. The body is able to adapt to lactose intolerance to some degree if the digestive system is continually exposed in a controlled manner:

“…temporary avoidance of milk and dairy products from the diet should be indicated to obtain symptom remission. Subsequently, we suggest a gradual re-introduction of dairy products considering the individual threshold dose, to assure an equate intake of essential nutritional substances. In order to raise the threshold dose, some non-pharmacological and pharmacological strategies should be considered”⁴

If digestive or other symptoms occur after re-introducing foods that contain lactose and the symptoms are not resolved by taking supplemental lactase enzyme, it is likely that a true dairy allergy may be present and dairy products should be avoided altogether.

Secondary lactose intolerance is more straightforward: intestinal conditions that damage the small intestinal mucosa brush border or otherwise impede intestinal function can cause an inability to produce lactase enzyme. When the underlying etiology is resolved, the lactose intolerance disappears in turn. Secondary lactose intolerance can occur with rotavirus, topical sprue, celiac disease, bacterial overgrowth, Crohn’s disease, intestinal resection and other conditions^1,4.

For persons using lactase enzyme supplements to eliminate symptoms of lactose intolerance, it is not always convenient to add lactase to milk beforehand and wait for the lactose in the milk to be hydrolyzed. An in vivo study testing different types of lactase found that lactase derived from Kluyveromyces lactis to be more effective than that of Aspergillus niger when taken immediately before a meal containing solid foods and lactose⁵. Lactase enzyme supplements derived from K. lactis can be used to “incubate” milk at home (hydrolyze the lactose over a period of 24 hours to create lactose-free milk), or taken with a lactose-containing meal at a restaurant or in other situations where dairy may be accidentally ingested.

1.Rusynyk RA, Still CD. Lactose intolerance. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2001 Apr;101(4 Suppl Pt 1):S10-2.

2.Melvin B. Heyman, MD, MPH. Lactose Intolerance in Infants, Children, and Adolescents. Pediatrics 2006;118;1279-1286

3.Karry A. Jackson, BS, and Dennis A. Savaiano, PhD. Lactose Maldigestion, Calcium Intake and Osteoporosis in African-, Asian-, and Hispanic-Americans. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 20, No. 2, 198S–207S (2001)

4.Montalto M, Curigliano V, Santoro L, Vastola M, Cammarota G, Manna R, Gasbarrini A, Gasbarrini G. Management and treatment of lactose malabsorption. World J Gastroenterol. 2006 Jan 14;12(2):187-91.

5.Solomons NW, Guerrero AM, Torun B. Effective in vivo hydrolysis of milk lactose by beta-galactosidases in the presence of solid foods. Am J Clin Nutr. 1985 Feb;41(2):222-7.

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