Effectiveness of milk products in dietary management of lactose malabsorption

Abstract

Eleven lactose malabsorbers were studied to compare the effectivness of two commercially available products recommended for dietary treatment of lactose malabsorption. One product, a commercial lactase preparation, is added to milk for lactose hydrolysis before consumption. The other is a commercial milk product containing lactose-hydrolyzing, nonpathogenic bacteria, Lactobacillus acidophilus. Both of these products are presently recommended for management of lactose malabsorption, although such recommendations have not been validated by controlled studies. Lactose malabsorption was determined by breath H₂ analyses after subjects drank four different test doses on 4 different days. The first test dose was 480 ml of low fat milk; the second was 480 ml of milk treated with a commercial lactase preparation; the third was 480 ml of a commercial L. acidophilus-containing milk; and the fourth was 480 ml of the L. acidophilus-containing milk after 1 wk of gastrointestinal exposure to this commercial bacteria-containing milk. The mean breath H₂ response to the lactase-treated milk was significantly lower (p < 0.001) than the mean response to regular milk. However, the mean breath H₂ responses to either of the test doses of the L. acidophilus-containing milk were not significantly different than responses to regular milk. It is concluded that the lactase-treated milk reduces breath H₂ responses and symptomatic discomfort from malabsorption while the L. acidophilus-containing milk does not.