title: Self-perceived lactose intolerance results in lower intakes of calcium and dairy foods and is associated with hypertension and diabetes in adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Self-perceived lactose intolerance may result in adverse dietary modifications; thus, more studies are needed to understand the prevalence of self-perceived lactose intolerance and how it relates to calcium intake and selected health conditions.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to examine the effects of self-perceived lactose intolerance as it relates to calcium intake and specific health problems that have been attributed to reduced intakes of calcium and dairy foods in a nationally representative multiethnic sample of adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study in a national sample of 3452 adults. The relation between self-perceived lactose intolerance, calcium intakes, and physician-diagnosed health conditions was analyzed by using linear regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the total sample, 12.3% of respondents perceived themselves to be lactose intolerant. The age-adjusted prevalence of self-perceived lactose intolerance was 7.8% for non-Hispanic whites, 20.1% for non-Hispanic blacks, and 8.8% for Hispanics. Respondents with self-perceived lactose intolerance had significantly lower (P < 0.05) average daily calcium intakes from dairy foods than did those without self-perceived lactose intolerance. A significantly higher (P < 0.05) percentage of respondents with self-perceived lactose intolerance than of respondents without self-perceived lactose intolerance reported having physician-diagnosed diabetes and hypertension. The odds of self-reported physician-diagnosed diabetes or hypertension decreased by factors of 0.70 and 0.60, respectively, for a 1000-mg increase in calcium intake from dairy foods per day.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Self-perceived lactose-intolerant respondents had a significantly lower calcium intake from dairy foods and reported having a significantly higher rate of physician-diagnosed diabetes and hypertension.
authors.affiliation: US Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA. tnicklas@bcm.edu
authors.forename: Theresa A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Nicklas
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Sheryl O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Mengying
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Sara E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Herman R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Foushee
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Shewchuk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003611:Dairy Products; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology*; D007787:Lactose Intolerance / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D002136:Calcium, Dietary