Lactase

    The ‘lac’ in lactase comes from the word for milk and the suffix ‘ase’ from the word for enzyme. Similarly, lactose identifies milk sugars with the ‘ose’ ending. Accordingly, lactase enzymes digest lactose sugars that make up between two to eight percent of milk. Therefore, Lactase enzymes are dairy-specific and are not designed to work if taken apart from milk products. While most humans are born with the ability to produce sufficient lactase at birth, the amount of lactase production sometimes diminishes in childhood, and sometimes in adulthood. This means that without sufficient quantities of the enzyme lactase, milk products will be incompletely digested and proceed to ferment in the bowel which causes bloating, constipation, cramping, diarrhea, and flatulence.

    Some people are genetically lactose intolerant. It is also possible that a viral or bacterial infection can damage the small intestine’s ability to produce lactase. Lactose intolerance is “more common in people with Asian, African or Native American heritage and less common in people with a northern or western European background.” “About 80 to 90 percent of African Americans have lactose intolerance, and it is also very common in Asians and Native Americans… It is also important to remember that lactose intolerance increases with age and is quite common in the elderly.”