title: Correlation of lactose maldigestion, lactose intolerance, and milk intolerance.
abstract: Lactose digestion and tolerance were evaluated in 164 African Americans ranging in age from 12 to 40 y who claimed intolerance to one cup (240 mL) or less of milk. With use of a breath-hydrogen test with 25 g lactose as test dose and the presence or absence of symptoms, 50% of the subjects were classified as lactose maldigesters and intolerant, 8% were maldigesters but tolerant, 15% were digesters but intolerant, and 27% were digesters and tolerant. Forty-five subjects from the lactose maldigesting and intolerant group were further tested for milk intolerance in a double-blind study. Sixty-seven percent of the subjects reacted appropriately to the presence or absence of lactose in ingested milk whereas 33% reported symptoms to both low-lactose milk and milk containing lactose. The results suggest that the cause of milk intolerance in as many as one-third of African Americans claiming symptoms after ingestion of a moderate amount of milk cannot be its lactose content.
authors.affiliation: Center for Nutrition, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208.
authors.forename: A O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Semenya
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Buchowski
authors.forename: C O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Enwonwu
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Scrimshaw
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044383:Black People; D002648:Child; D004063:Digestion; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007785:Lactose / Q000378:metabolism*; D007787:Lactose Intolerance / Q000208:ethnology*; D008297:Male; D016269:Milk Hypersensitivity / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology; D001741:Black or African American
chemical_list: D007785:Lactose