FOOD PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN: LACTOSE – THE SUGAR FOUND IN MILK

Before considering what can be done about colic, we need to look at the question of lactose and lactose intolerance. Lactose is the main sugar found in all animal milks, including human breast milk (the name means ‘milk sugar’). Unlike most sugars, it does not taste sweet – if it did milk would be quite sugary to the taste-buds because it is loaded with lactose.

In order to break down lactose, we have an enzyme (see pl8) known as lactase (the -ase ending denotes an enzyme) in our intestines. Almost all babies have this enzyme, although there are rare cases in which the enzyme is entirely lacking – these babies are likely to be detected soon after birth because they are made seriously ill by any sort of milk, cow’s or human. Adults tend to lose this enzyme unless they continue taking cow’s milk and milk products from the time they are weaned onwards. In China and Southeast Asia, where milk and cheese are not part of the diet, most adults are lactase-deficient, but they can regain the ability to produce lactase if they persist in drinking milk.

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Related Posts:

• DIET FOR APPENDIX VI: PESTICIDES
• ELIMINATION DIET: FOOD TESTING
• PREVENTING FOOD SENSITIVITY IN CHILDREN: WHEN IT COMES TO INTRODUCING NEW FOODS
• FOOD ALLERGY: FRUITS AND NUTS