The Hidden Dangers of Lactose-Free Milk

By: Russell Eaton

Lactose is present in all kinds of animal milks. Goat milk, for example, has about 5 to 10% more lactose than cow's milk. In the past it was thought that only a minority of people suffered from lactose intolerance, but the latest research is dispelling this myth. The reality is that virtually all people are 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 vary depending on the amount of lactose consumed and the tolerance of the consumer. Lactose intolerance usually gets worse as you get older (you don't outgrow it), with men and women suffering equally.

When lactose (the main sugar in milk) is consumed it is broken down by lactase bacteria into glucose and galactose. But if you don't have enough lactase (most people don't) you won't be able to break down the lactose and that's when you suffer lactose intolerance.

Human babies are born with enough lactase to digest the lactose in human milk. But gradually, as the baby is weaned, it loses the capacity to breakdown and digest 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 those who do not think they are prone to lactose intolerant will suffer from the condition whenever dairy or goat milk is consumed. But the effects for such people may be mild and hardly noticeable. Typically, slight feelings of indigestion or bloating will be associated with a rushed meal or poor food, rather than with lactose intolerance.

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

Typical government advice for people wanting to avoid lactose in milk is to say they should eat other calcium-rich foods such as fortified juices, fish and broccoli. But this doesn't help much because what most people need is information on alternative kinds of milk.

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.

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