Milk contains precious proteins, calcium and vitamin D; it is one of the most important constituent of our diet. Nonetheless, milk is not suitable for everybody.

Milk and virtually all milk products contain some milk sugar or lactose. Normally this lactose is separated in the small intestine by the lactase enzyme into glucose and galactose, substances which can be digested by the body without any further problems. However, people who do not produce enough lactase enzyme (or none at all), can only digest milk sugar with difficulty. As a consequence, the undigested sugar passes on to the large intestine where the bacteria found there cause fermentation. This fermentation process leads to the formation of gases and organic acids (over acidity) and this in turn leads to symptoms such as flatulence, diarrhoea and stomach cramps. In Central Europe some 15% of the population suffers from the consequences of lactose intolerance, i.e. not being able to digest milk sugar.

Low levels of lactase production is not a disease but a typically programmed process that sets in with many people shortly after terminating breast feeding. A newly born baby, just like many other young mammals, produces large quantities of lactase so that the milk sugar in its mother's milk can be properly digested. As the baby is weaned the production of the lactase enzyme slows down and thus the ability to digest milk sugar is lessened. If lactase production is drastically lowered we can speak of lactose intolerance.

What can be done to deal with the problem?
A person suffering from lactose intolerance should avoid food and food products with a high lactose content. That includes quark, yoghourt, butter milk, cream, butter, milk drinks, white bread, cakes, biscuits, instant cake mixes, chocolate, ice cream and instant foods such as potato puree, sauces, ketchup etc. Unfortunately it is not always possible to avoid milk sugar entirely, since it is one of the ingredients in very many food products.

It is possible to supplement one's daily diet with extra lactase enzyme so that more milk sugar can be digested. The amount required depends very much on the degree of lactase intolerance and must be assessed for each person individually. As a guide, 300 FCC units of lactase enzyme can separate about 1 gram of milk sugar (see table). That means that the body needs about 1500 FCC units of lactase enzyme to separate the 5 grams of milk sugar found in 100 ml of milk.

Lactase enzyme as a dietary supplement makes it possible to regulate the digestion of milk and milk products in a natural way. Lactase enzymes do not help when dealing with a milk protein allergy.