| Lactose Intolerance - Research Ignored |
23 March 2008 |
It's Official - Most People Are Lactose Intolerant
If milk products upset your stomach, then you're in good company. Long-term research underscores the fact that humans like all other mammals cannot digest milk after weaning. So why is consumption of dairy products at an all time high?
Even though we think of Lactose Intolerance as a minority condition, research dating back more than forty years (1) shows that 75% of world population is affected.
(If you suffer from chronic stomach bloating, flatulence, nausea, coughing, bronchitis, diarrhea or other symptoms you may be lactose intolerant. Check your symptoms in the Symptoms Matrix (must register first))
What we already know
Mammals are born live and begin life drinking mother's milk. And the young digestive tract is specially adapted to process the milk at this vital stage, weeks or months depending on the species.
Gradually solid foods are introduced. These contain nutrients more suited to a growing and increasingly active animal. Eventually the young mammal stops suckling all together and the mother stops lactating because:
- The food value provided by her milk is no longer appropriate for its changed requirements and
- The young digestive tract has altered to better process the more complex foods being eaten.
In fact, in the mature digestive tract milk causes gastro-intestinal problems: abdominal cramps and loose motions.
- In the supermarket you may have seen pet's milk marketed as lactose-free. The idea is you can still feed your dog or cat milk and avoid the fluid and smelly aftermath. But why feed milk in the first place? Your pet is most likely past weaning and milk is no longer an appropriate nourishment.
Our romantic association of milk with all things homely and comforting (and a powerful dairy industry lobby) keeps us indulging long after we have lost the physiological means to digest dairy foods. Further info Dairy Sensitivity
Events conspiring to deliver more lactose
The enduring association of dairy foods with wicked treats (like ice cream and chocolate) has meant that dairy has weathered decades of fearful warnings from the medical fraternity who are concerned with our cholesterol levels and intake of fat.
The response of food manufacturers and the dairy industry has been interesting. The overwhelming theme has been one of aggressive growth and expansion of existing markets to increase dairy consumption nationally and globally.
- That is, in the face of irrefutable evidence that populations around the world have difficulty digesting lactose, the dairy industry has worked very hard to have us eat more.
Targeted marketing and educational programs have been very effective in increasing our consumption. The responses include:
1) The Reduced Fat Response
With rising concerns about cholesterol and fat intake the dairy industry responded with low-fat and no-fat milk products. However, to make these more appealing to the consumer additional milk solids are added taking the levels of lactose higher than whole milk. (So we unknowingly increase lactose intake. Manufacturers have failed to point this out.)
2) The Calcium Response
Enduring and pervasive marketing of milk as a Good Source of Calcium has lent artificial weight to a largely unsubstantiated claim: that dairy foods assist in the prevention of osteoporosis. This has been roundly refuted (2,3) In fact, research has shown that consumption of milk does not reliably prevent osteoporosis.
3) The Omega-3, Antioxidant and Folate Responses
Suddenly it seems that milk can cure a number of other conditions as well. We now have milks that contain additives to improve blood flow, knock out free radicals and replace the need to eat fish. There are even some with added folate, a substance implicated in the prevention of foetal abnormalities. Perhaps milk is becoming a delivery conduit for all the missing nutrients needed for our hectic lifestyles.
But what about Lactose? Why don't milk manufacturers give details about Lactose? Especially in light of its known effects on a large sector of the population and in particular, the risks for elderly people.
In persuading us to drink milk in increasing quantities and glean its newly added nutrients we are led unwittingly into increased lactose ingestion. For all the educational marketing campaigns about the nutritional value of milk, none mentions lactose.
In fact, aggressive marketing of dairy foods as healthy eating may actually be compromising consumer health.
- Quite simply, some great business and marketing methodology has been applied to underpin an industry whose products adversely affect 75% of consumers globally. We have to wonder why.
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References
1. Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine http://www.pcrm.org/health/Info_on_Veg_Diets/lactose_intolerance.html
2. Looker AC, Johnston CC, Wahner HW, et al. Prevalence of low femoreal bone density in older U.S. women from NHANES III. J Bone and Mineral Research 1995;10:796-802.
3. Abelow BJ, Holford TR, Insogna KL. Cross-cultural association between dietary animal protein and hip fracture: a hypothesis. Calif Tissue Int 1992;50:14-8.
More information
Symptoms Matrix (must register first)
The Tuesday Club.
Author: Deborah Manners B.Sc.(Hons) Dip.Ed. is not a medical or healthcare professional. Ms Manners has multiple food intolerances and presents information from the point of view of the consumer.
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Date modified: 23 March 2008
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