What is Lactose?
Lactose, also known as milk sugar, is a sugar (carbohydrate) that is present in dairy products, including cow’s milk.
Lactose is less sweet than ordinary sugar and glucose, and because of its properties, lactose is frequently added to food products during their preparation.
Normally, lactose is broken down by an enzyme in the intestines (lactase) to form glucose and galactose. In people who have a lactase deficiency, however, this does not happen, and instead of being digested in the normal way, the lactose undergoes an anaerobic breakdown (fermentation), releasing substances that cause flatulence, abdominal cramps and sometimes diarrhoea.
Consumption of the enzyme lactase at the same time as products containing lactose prevents these unpleasant symptoms to a great extent.