Understanding Lactose Intolerance

What is Lactose Intolerance?

Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose, a sugar found in dairy foods. Lactase, a naturally occurring enzyme, breaks the lactose down into two simple sugars, which your body then converts into energy. If your body does not produce enough lactase, you can experience uncomfortable symptoms such as bloating, cramps and gas within 30 minutes to two hours of consuming dairy products. The severity of symptoms varies depending on the amount of the lactase enzyme you produce, and the amount of lactose in the food you eat. For the extremely sensitive, consuming even small amounts of lactose may cause serious discomfort.

Approximately 70% of the world’s population is lactose intolerant, making this condition more the norm than the exception. The condition affects nearly every ethnic and racial group, with particularly high percentages in the Asian (almost 100%), African American (up to 80%), Native American (almost 100%) and Hispanic (up to 80%) communities.*

Milk Matters

Lactose intolerance is more than just an inconvenience. Milk and other dairy products are an essential part of a healthy diet, providing calcium, vitamins D and A and protein. Calcium is especially important because the body needs it for building and maintaining healthy bones and teeth. Drinking milk is an easy way for you to meet your daily calcium needs. One 8-ounce serving contains 300mg of calcium, 30% of the recommended daily allowance. Avoiding dairy can result in a shortage of calcium and other essential nutrients, which may increase your risk of osteoporosis, hypertension, stroke and colon cancer.

The Good News

Fortunately, with Dairy Ease®, you can enjoy fresh, real dairy milk and get calcium and nutrients that are essential for good health – with no worries about uncomfortable symptoms. Dairy Ease® is an ideal everyday milk for the whole family. It’s delicious for drinking, over cereal and in your favorite recipes. Plus, Dairy Ease® promises the simple goodness and quality you expect from the LAND O LAKES® brand. 100% Lactose-free and 100% real milk, Dairy Ease® is everything you love…nothing you don’t.™

* Heyman MB. Lactose intolerance in infants, children, and adolescents. Pediatrics 2006;118(3):1279-86.