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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    What is the treatment for lactose intolerance?

    Related Topics
    Digestive Health Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Lactose Intolerance
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  • Linda Hodge

    Dietitian

    I am Accredited Practising Dietitian with a passion for helping people who suffer from food intolerance. I have 25 years of experience in this area … View Profile

    Lactose intolerance is caused by the body's inability to produce sufficient lactase, the enzyme needed to break down lactose, the sugar in milk, so that it can be absorbed.  This is a very common problem and affects approximately 70% of the world's population.  

    Avoiding foods that contain lactose is the simple solution.  The foods containing the most lactose include milk, yoghurt and icecream.  Hard cheddar cheese and butter contain virtually no lactose and do not need to be eliminated.  Soft cheeses contain very small amounts and these are usually tolerated.  

    There are dairy products on the market which have had the lactose pre-digested (lactose-free milk, yoghurt and icecream) and it is possible to buy the enzyme (Lacteeze) in tablet form which is taken with the food or as drops to add to milk to break down the lactose before consuming.

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