Lactose, lactase deficiency and managing intolerance
What it found
Lactose is the main sugar in human milk and the only source of galactose in the diet.
When the body does not make enough lactase, it can cause pain, bloating, gas and diarrhea.
What they found
What lactose is
Lactose is the main carbohydrate in human milk. It is a disaccharide made of glucose and galactose, and it is made in the mammary glands no matter what the mother eats.
Jobs in the body
Besides giving energy, lactose is the only source of dietary galactose, which the body needs to build larger molecules. It also helps the body take in and hold on to calcium, magnesium and zinc.
How it is digested
Lactose is broken down by the enzyme lactase and taken in through the small intestine. In the colon, bifidobacteria and lactobacilli can also break it down.
Lactase deficiency types
Lactase deficiency can be present from birth, which is very rare, appear later in life, or follow an injury to the intestine.
Symptoms of intolerance
Lactase deficiency can cause intolerance with pain, abdominal bloating, gas and diarrhea.
Managing intolerance
Nutritional management should always preserve breastfeeding. Cutting down or removing lactose should be short term, and any removed food should be replaced with something similar in calories, protein, minerals and vitamins.
What the authors conclude
- They say the nutritional management of intolerance should always preserve breastfeeding.
- They advise that lactose reduction or elimination should be transient.
- They advise that eliminated food should be replaced with other food similar in calorie, protein, mineral, and vitamin content.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This paper does not report new studies in people, animals or cells.
- It cannot show how common lactase deficiency is or how well any particular treatment works.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Nutricia Bagó (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- Nutricia Bagó provided the place to carry out meetings and helped to develop the charts. Nutricia Bagó did not have any participation in the writing of this article and did not interfere with the editorial management. None of the authors has a business relationship with Nutricia Bagó, except for their participation in conferences organized by the company and other events organized by other companies.
- Authors work at
- Hospital de Niños Sor María Ludovica, Argentina; Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina; Instituto de Lactología Industrial (CONICET-UNL), Argentina
The paper
- Title
- Lactose intolerance: myths and facts. An update
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Toca MDC, Fernández A, Orsi M, Tabacco O, Vinderola G (2022). Lactose intolerance: myths and facts. An update. Archivos argentinos de pediatria. doi:10.5546/aap.2022.eng.59PubMed 35068123DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error