Why Lactose-Free Milk Should Always Be Avoided

Lactose is found in all animal milks. Goat's milk, for example, has 5% to 10% more lactose than dairy milk. It was assumed that only a minority of people suffered from lactose intolerant, but the latest research dispels this myth. The reality is that virtually everybody is lactose intolerant - it's just a matter of degree.

With lactose intolerance the body cannot digest lactose properly, causing varying degrees of nausea, cramps, gas, bloating and diarrhea. Typically, this happens about 30 minutes to 2 hours after milk consumption.

The symptoms of lactose intolerance will vary with individuals, depending on how well you tolerate it, and the amount of lactose consumed. The condition develops over time, getting worse with age. Men and women suffer equally.

Lactose is the main sugar in milk. When it is consumed it gets broken down by lactase bacteria into glucose and galactose. But if, like most people, you don't have enough lactase you will not be able to break the lactose down and this then causes the symptoms of lactose intolerance.

Most human babies have enough lactase to breakdown and use the lactose in human milk. But within one or two years of life the baby gradually loses the capacity to produce lactase and cope with lactose.

For example, in the USA the medical profession regards over 50 million people as being clinically lactose-intolerant. Some racial and ethnic populations are more widely affected than others. As many as 75 percent of African-Americans and American-Indians (and 90 percent of Asian-Americans) are said to be lactose-intolerant. The condition is known to be least common among people of northern European descent.

Even people who do not regard themselves as being lactose intolerant do in fact feel the effects whenever dairy milk is consumed. However, the effects for some people can be so mild as to be hardly noticeable. Slight feelings of bloating or indigestion will typically be associated with overindulgence or a rushed meal rather than with lactose intolerance.

There are many studies showing how lactose intolerance causes human illness (too many to list here). A quick search on Internet will reveal lots of studies into the subject.

The dietary guidelines given by the US authorities (for people wanting to avoid lactose intolerance) is to recommend they eat other calcium-containing foods like broccoli, fish and calcium fortified juices. This is poor advice because what people really want is information on milk alternatives.

Clearly, you can use 'lactose free' milk. In the USA, for example, you can buy 'Lactaid' which is sold as lactose free. But lactose-free milks are generally not so widely available; also they tend to be more expensive.

The biggest drawback for lactose-free milk is that it is ultra-pasteurized (also known as 'UHT' or 'Long Life' milk). Virtually all the research is showing that UHT milk is a lot worse for health than regular pasteurized milk. For example, the evidence is showing that UHT milk may be the biggest dietary cause of serious brain diseases such as Huntingdon's, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

How then can you best avoid lactose in milk? Quite simply, switch to milk made from a variety of nuts, seeds, or soybeans. These non-dairy milks are super-nutritious and they offer a wonderful variety of delicious creamy flavours.

For easy ways to make milk see Make Your Own Milk - The word's best milk-making recipes. Also see Organic Milk Myth - Why organic and UHT milk are so much worse for health compared to regular milk.

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Why Lactose-Free Milk Should Always Be Avoided
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