Lactose Free Milk

[m_arch]

Hi all,

I've been drinking lactose free low fat milk while peating due to dairy problems (lots of gas, pimples, etc). I was wondering what peat thoughts are on it?

Thanks

 

[Blossom]

Hi all,

I've been drinking lactose free low fat milk while peating due to dairy problems (lots of gas, pimples, etc). I was wondering what peat thoughts are on it?

Thanks

I'm not sure what Peat's thoughts are on lactose free milk but my feeling is that if it tastes good and you tolerate it fine then it's probably no problem. AFAIK it's nutritionally the same as regular milk with just the enzyme lactase added to break down the lactose. Hopefully if someone has information about Peat's thoughts on lactose free milk or something more about it of interest they will let us know.

 

[m_arch]

If lactose is a sugar - do you suspect the sugar is reduced or something? More protein less carb? So far i'm doing pretty well on it - just curious mostly. I imagine this would be a good option for a lot of people - but I've never heard anything about it before around Ray Peat.

 

[Blossom]

I believe the lactose is just broken down into smaller particles that people without the lactase enzyme can handle. I know we have some more nutrition orientated folks here who could explain it better but I think we do still get basically the same amount of carbohydrate in lactose free milk.

 

[Amazoniac]

lactose intolerance - how to fix

 

[mmb82]

Ray mentions in the Herb Doctors "Milk" audio interview that people who drink lactose-free milk do not absorb as much calcium (from the milk, I am assuming) as people who drink regular milk. He says that this has to do with sugar (lactose in this case) working in parallel to thyroid and vitamin D to stimulate respiratory metabolism.

He goes on to say that lactose intolerance is temporary and that gradually increasing daily milk intake can induce the lactase enzyme in the intestine. He then mentions reasons why the loss of the lactase enzyme can occur, one of which is a bacterial infection.

You can find the full interview here, where the above information I mentioned is found roughly 16 minutes into the interview. I did not re-listen to the entire audio, which is about an hour long, so more might be said at the end about lactose-free milk.

In summary: I don't want to put words in anyone's mouth, but it seems like Ray's opinion on lactose-free milk is that it is preferential to drink regular milk, even if it takes time to develop tolerance. Being unable to develop tolerance to lactose over a couple of months by gradually increasing intake of regular milk may be indicative of other systemic issues such as low thyroid, low progesterone, or a bacterial infection of the small intestine.

Hope that answered your question or at least directed you to another place to look for answers.

 

[Blossom]

That's super helpful @mmb82!

 

[Mittir]

Are you using lactose free milk where enzyme is used to break down lactose into
glucose and galactose or the one where lactose is removed and replaced with glucose or sugar?

It is not clear to me if there is a difference between calcium absorption of lactose
and glucose+galactose. My guess is that it would be same whether lactose is broken
down or not. Galactose has many interesting beneficial properties.

This study compared calcium absorption between lactose and glucose and lactose caused
10% more absorption. It is a small difference. I think the most important thing is to avoid
food that causes digestive problems.

Calcium and zinc absorption from lactose-containing and lactose-free infant formulas.
Abrams SA1, Griffin IJ, Davila PM.
Author information

Erratum in

• Am J Clin Nutr 2002 Nov;76(5):1142.

Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Calcium absorption is enhanced by the presence of lactose, but the quantitative significance of this effect in infant formulas is uncertain. It is also not known whether lactose affects zinc absorption.

OBJECTIVE:
We measured the absorption of calcium and zinc from infant formulas by using a multitracer, stable-isotope technique.

DESIGN:
Eighteen full-term infants (aged 8-12 wk at enrollment) were fed 2 partially hydrolyzed whey-protein-based formulas ad libitum for 2 wk per formula. The carbohydrate source was lactose in one formula and glucose polymers in the other (lactose-free). Infants were studied in a blinded crossover fashion after 2 wk of adaptation to each formula. Isotope absorption studies were conducted with a 4-tracer method in which (70)Zn and (44)Ca were provided orally and (67)Zn and (46)Ca intravenously. Zinc and calcium absorption was measured from the fractional excretion of the oral and intravenous isotopes in urine.

RESULTS:
Fractional and total calcium absorption was significantly greater from the lactose-containing formula than from the lactose-free formula. For total calcium absorption, the mean difference between formulas was 10.3% (P = 0.002) and 60 mg/d (P = 0.006). For zinc, fractional absorption (32 +/- 11%), total absorption, and intake did not differ significantly between the 2 formulas.

CONCLUSIONS:
The presence of lactose in a formula based on cow-milk protein increases absorption of calcium but not of zinc. Absorption of calcium from a lactose-free infant formula is, however, adequate to meet the calcium needs of full-term infants when the formula's calcium content is similar to that of lactose-containing, cow-milk-based infant formulas.

 

[Mittir]

Here is another study showing there is no difference between lactose or hydrolysed lactose in
calcium absorption.


Reprod Nutr Dev. 1988;28(6A):1465-72.
Effect of lactose hydrolysis on calcium absorption during duodenal milk perfusion.
Birlouez-Aragon I1.
Author information

Abstract
A multi-lumen intubation system was used to study the absorption of calcium, glucose and galactose in 13 human subjects. The intubation was placed between the duodenum abdomen and proximal jejunum and the subjects were perfused with milk and lactase-supplemented milk. Lactose disappearance over a 20 cm length of intestine was used as the index of lactase activity. The subjects were assigned to one of two groups, lactase-normal and lactase-deficient. There was linear correlation between the absorption of calcium and lactose: lactase-deficient subjects absorbed less calcium than lactase-normal subjects. Perfusion with lactase-supplemented milk enhanced calcium absorption in lactase-deficient subjects but had no effect on that of normal lactase subjects. All subjects absorbed approximately the same percentage of perfused calcium (24%) when perfused with hydrolysed milk. These data indicate that the enhancement of calcium absorption is not a function of lactase per se, but of its hydrolytic products, glucose and galactose.

 

[m_arch]

Are you using lactose free milk where enzyme is used to break down lactose into
glucose and galactose or the one where lactose is removed and replaced with glucose or sugar?

It is not clear to me if there is a difference between calcium absorption of lactose
and glucose+galactose. My guess is that it would be same whether lactose is broken
down or not. Galactose has many interesting beneficial properties.

This study compared calcium absorption between lactose and glucose and lactose caused
10% more absorption. It is a small difference. I think the most important thing is to avoid
food that causes digestive problems.

Thanks Mittir,

The one i'm having is broken down by the lactase enzyme.
Every time I've ever gone near dairy I've had bad reactions, not horrible, but obviously not good. Lots of ear wax, sleep dirt, bloating, gas, etc.

Okay I haven't done the absolute strictest protocol to ensure I'm increasing dairy really slowly at a certain percentage each day, but I think that would be a bit stressful. 10% reduction isn't enough to warrant that to me. I'll probably recommend lactose free milk to others with a dairy intolerance also after reading this.

 

[Lightbringer]

I'm not sure what Peat's thoughts are on lactose free milk but my feeling is that if it tastes good and you tolerate it fine then it's probably no problem. AFAIK it's nutritionally the same as regular milk with just the enzyme lactase added to break down the lactose. Hopefully if someone has information about Peat's thoughts on lactose free milk or something more about it of interest they will let us know.

Thus spoke Peat:

I think the lactase milk is safe.

 

[Mittir]

Thanks Mittir,

The one i'm having is broken down by the lactase enzyme.
Every time I've ever gone near dairy I've had bad reactions, not horrible, but obviously not good. Lots of ear wax, sleep dirt, bloating, gas, etc.

Okay I haven't done the absolute strictest protocol to ensure I'm increasing dairy really slowly at a certain percentage each day, but I think that would be a bit stressful. 10% reduction isn't enough to warrant that to me. I'll probably recommend lactose free milk to others with a dairy intolerance also after reading this.

Based on the second study i posted, calcium absorption is same for lactose milk and lactase
enzyme added milk. The lactose free milk you are drinking should have same absorption as
regular milk.

 

[Blossom]

@m_arch Does lactose free milk taste sweeter than regular milk to you?

 

[jb116]

@m_arch Does lactose free milk taste sweeter than regular milk to you?

I've definitely noticed this.

 

[Blossom]

Why does Lactaid taste sweet? - Quora
I found this explanation.

 

[Blossom]

I've definitely noticed this.

Awesome jb116, I kind of like the taste and I'm surprisingly less bloated so it's a win/win.

 

[jb116]

Awesome jb116, I kind of like the taste and I'm surprisingly less bloated so it's a win/win.

Oh I friggin love it! Easily digested super food? Yea I'm in

 

[Blossom]

Oh I friggin love it! Easily digested super food? Yea I'm in

Yah, definitely!!!

 

[jb116]

Btw @Blossom my take on its sweetness is simple, that complex disaccharides or polysaccharides don't necessarily have a sweet taste and yet are comprised of sweet tasting components. So being the lactase breaks it down into those components naturally we would taste something sweeter.

 

[Blossom]

Btw @Blossom my take on its sweetness is simple, that complex polysaccharides don't necessarily have a sweet taste and yet are comprised of sweet tasting components. So being the lactase breaks it down into those components naturally we would taste something sweeter.

That's what I was thinking that too since the carb content is the same.