The medical doctor answered if lactose-free products are really a salvation for those who do not tolerate them.

Myth no. 1: Not all adults tolerate dairy products, they can only be consumed by children

Perhaps the most popular myth about lactose is that all adults should avoid dairy products because milk is only suitable for growing children.

Medicine. meter. Dr. E. Gavelienė says: “Lactose is the main carbohydrate in milk and constitutes up to 40 percent. energy values ​​of milk. It is a fundamental source of energy in the diet of babies and children. As a person grows, the diet increases, the body easily absorbs carbohydrates from other nutrients. Therefore, milk is no longer the only and most important part of the diet, but there is no age limit beyond which milk can suddenly become useless or intolerant ”.

Myth no. 2: lactose intolerance is a very common problem

There is a myth in society that many adults are lactose intolerant. As a result, people sometimes decide for themselves that “if many won’t tolerate it, it’s probably me.” Medicine. meter. Dr. According to E. Gavelienė, in fact, the numbers are much smaller than many imagine. Teacher. According to the research of J. Kalibatienė, less than a third of the society in Lithuania is lactose-tolerant.

“Dairy products are valuable due to their protein and complete minerals. Their abandonment in the absence of allergies is an irrational impoverishment of the ration”, warns med. Meter. Dr. E. Gavelienė. The doctor adds that lactose helps to absorb calcium and magnesium, and undigested lactose enters the large intestine and acts as a prebiotic there, promoting the growth of good bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli.

Myth no. 3: A lactose intolerant person should avoid milk and dairy products.

For lactose to be absorbed, you need the enzyme lactase, which is produced in the mucosa of the duodenum. If the enzyme is missing or not effective enough, symptoms such as diarrhea, bloating, and bloating occur. This situation is called enzyme deficiency: hypolactasia.

Medicine. meter. Dr. E. Gavelienė says: “Hippocrates also spoke about hypolactasia at 400 m. pr. However, the clinical causes of the symptoms became clear about 60 years ago. In hypolactasia, it is not necessary to avoid milk completely, it is simply recommended to choose dairy products without lactose. “

Myth no. 4: lactose-free milk is fake milk

When people see packages of “lactose-free” dairy products on store shelves, sometimes people think it’s not real milk, maybe it’s herbal milk substitutes or even some “chemistry.”

“Lactose-free milk is still real milk,” says Edita Stasytienė, chief technologist at the Kauno Pienas branch of Pieno Žvaigždžiai. “In the production of lactose-free products, we use ordinary milk, we simply break down the lactose in milk into glucose and galactose during the technological process, and the human body no longer needs to do that. In this way, a person can consume dairy products, get all the useful substances from milk, but avoid the unpleasant sensations caused by lactose intolerance ”, explains E. Stasytienė.

Myth no. 5: lactose-free products are less nutritious

Another myth is that if dairy products are lactose free, then they are not as helpful. “In the process of decomposition of the lactose in milk, other properties of milk do not suffer. This is especially important for those who do not tolerate lactose, but want to replenish the body’s stores of calcium, potassium, sodium, protein or vitamins “, says E. Stasytienė

Not everything you hear about lactose is true. Do not trust myths and do not rush to make a diagnosis for yourself. You should not avoid milk “for the good of everything” because if you do not have problems with lactose intolerance, dairy products can be very useful for your body. And if you are convinced that you are still not lactose tolerant, then even then it is not necessary to give up useful dairy products. You can confidently consume lactose-free products.