Lactose Intolerance: A Minority Report

Many people who consider themselves lactose-intolerant are surprised to learn that they actually can consume some dairy products without getting cramps, gas, and diarrhea. Most Asian and African adults, as well as Native Americans, Latinos, and Ashkenazi Jews, have lower levels of lactase (the intestinal enzyme that digests milk sugar, or lactose) than people of northern European descent. But that doesn’t mean that members of these groups should be stereotyped as lactose-intolerant. One problem: people tend to blame any kind of stomach upset on lactose intolerance. Don’t classify yourself as a lactose “maldigester” without a diagnosis by a health professional (there’s a simple test).

Many studies show that lactose intolerance is less common than is widely believed. Also, even those who are lactose-intolerant can digest moderate amounts of dairy, especially with other foods. Lactose intolerance is not an all-or-nothing scenario, but a matter of degree.

 Even if you are lactose-intolerant to some degree, you can consume dairy if you do the following:

• Eat small portions of dairy foods (e.g., less than one cup of milk daily) and increase slowly.

• Consume dairy products with other foods. Try yogurt made with “live active cultures” which break down some of the lactose.

• Try hard cheeses (they are lower in lactose).

• Buy lactose-reduced milk.

• If all else fails, you can buy the lactase enzyme in pill form such as Lactaid.