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Lactase information page
Lactase is required to break down lactose (a primary sugar found in mammalian milk) and is produced in the small intestine, which breaks lactose into two simpler sugars.
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It is required the digestion of milk and milk products.
Some people do not produce enough lactase and are often referred to as lactose intolerant, and symptoms may include cramps, gas as well as diarrhea.
It has also been suggested that lactose intolerant people have a problem with calcium absorption, and this may also need to be checked, by a lactose intolerant person.
If the intestines do not produce enough (or any) lactase, the milk sugar (lactose) is not digested and moves into the colon, where it is fermented by bacteria - producing hydrogen, carbon dioxide and organic acids, which can result in diarrhea, gas and cramps.
To test for lactose intolerance, drink two glasses of milk on an empty stomach and watch for any gastrointestinal symptoms. Do the same test but substitute the milk with cheese.
If you have any symptoms from the milk, but not from the cheese (which contains very little lactose), you might be lactose intolerant. If you have symptoms from both, it may indicate an allergy to dairy.
If you suffer from lactose intolerance, it might be helpful to have a lactase supplement before having any meal containing lactose.
It is safe, and no toxicity or side effects have been reported when taking a dietary supplement.
A supplement may be beneficial to people suffering from diarrhea, indigestion, heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome as well as sufferers of migraine headaches, since certain studies indicate that migraine sufferers are deficient in lactase.
It is an interesting point that when yogurt is eaten, it does not easily trigger symptoms in lactose-intolerant people.
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