What Is Lactose Intolerance?
Lactose intolerance is a difficulty digesting lactose, the sugar (or carbohydrate) found in milk. It can cause uncomfortable symptoms but it’s not life-threatening.
Lactose intolerance shouldn’t be confused with milk allergy, which is your immune system’s overreaction to one or more of the proteins found in milk. Milk allergy can be extremely severe and in some cases can cause life-threatening anaphylaxis. Lactose intolerance doesn’t involve the immune system, so while it can trigger a great deal of discomfort, it won’t produce a sudden or dangerous reaction.
Unfortunately many people - doctors included - get these very different conditions confused. Newspaper and magazine articles sometimes even use the terms interchangeably, so be very careful how you interpret them.
What Is Lactose?
Lactose is a disaccharide, which is two simple units of sugar bound together. In this case it’s glucose and galactose that are joined to make lactose.
Dr Adam Fox,
Tanya Wright , BSc hons, HPC registered,
Ria Campbell,
Ingredients and information are subject to frequent changes beyond our control – always be vigilant and seek medical advice if you have special dietary requirements.
