MILK

I heard my big brother when we were in the kitchen one day saying he's lactose intolerant.  I did not pay much attention at the time and just let it passed.  Well, something new came up out of Barcelona, Spain.  I guess folks out there have problem drinking milk.
According to researchers from the Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, half of the patients who thought they can't tolerate the lactose in milk may be mistaken.  And doing their health a disservice without calcium to prevent osteoporosis and other bone diseases, higher blood pressure and colon cancer.  In the lab, they were given a quart of lactose solution and their stomach absorbed the sugar normally and they experienced less gas and other bowel trouble.  There's a belief among patients with gut trouble that these are the result of drinking milk and other dairy products.  The digestion of lactose depends on an enzyme in the stomach called lactase.  When there is not enough enzyme, bacteria present eat on the leftover sugar, producing gas in effect.  So lactose intolerance or malabsorption refers to the symptoms of abdominal cramping and flatulence that happen after drinking milk.  In the study, lactose intolerance may not be due to a biological inability to absorb the sugar - as many as 189 out of 353 referred patients suspected of lactose intolerance turned out to normally tolerate the sugar with fewer symptoms than at home.  Some researchers are not clear why patients who have no problem digesting lactose would get symptoms - they think it may be due to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or memory of earlier overdrinking of milk.
Carol J. Boushey, a nutritional scientist at Purdue Unviversity in Indiana, who was not involved in the study recommended to drink small amounts of milk, like a quarter cup, but don't go over a cup.
Drink and see if you can handle it.  By the way, I love milk in the can (Carnation), so rich and tasty.


ALT Health & Technology



Published 6/19/10   altgroup multiply
Web Page: MILK