Yogurt--an autodigesting source of lactose.
Large quantities of yogurt are consumed by some lactase-deficient population groups. We used breath hydrogen measurements to determine whether lactase-deficient subjects absorbed lactose in yogurt better than lactose in milk. Ingestion of 18 g of lactose in yogurt resulted in only about one third as much hydrogen excretion as a similar load of lactose in milk or water, indicating a much better absorption of lactose in yogurt. Ingestion of yogurt also resulted in fewer reports of diarrhea or flatulence than did a similar quantity of lactose ingested in milk or a water solution. The enhanced absorption of lactose in yogurt appeared to result from the intraintestinal digestion of lactose by lactase released from the yogurt organisms. This autodigesting feature makes yogurt a well-tolerated source of milk for lactase-deficient persons and may explain the widespread consumption of yogurt by lactase-deficient population groups.
D000328:Adult; D001944:Breath Tests; D003611:Dairy Products / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000032:analysis; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D007785:Lactose / Q000378:metabolism*; D007787:Lactose Intolerance / Q000378:metabolism; D015014:Yogurt / Q000032:analysis; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000378:metabolism
D006859:Hydrogen; D001616:beta-Galactosidase; D007785:Lactose