Food tables:
lactose |
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The amount of lactose leading to symptoms varies between individuals. Many
affected tolerate up to 10g of lactose (i.e. one glass of milk) without
significant symptoms. Lactose is present in all mammals’ milk, except some sea
mammals. Consequently, there is no advantage in substituting cow’s milk with
other mammals’ milk.
Dairy products contain varying amounts of
lactose, depending on processing methods.
Besides the evident sources of lactose,
the latter is often found in hidden form.
Whey, for example, is commonly used in the
food industry as a browning or binding
agent, or to increase the smoothness and
sweetness of food and beverages. Sauces,
soups and salad dressing often contain
milk powder or products. Lactose is also
used as a filler substance in at least 20%
of drugs. Whey and casein are common constituents
of body building formulas. The lactose content of milk is
not greatly affected by heating or by fat content
(skimmed vs. full fat), but milk consumed
with other products (such as chocolate,
cereal) may greatly improve tolerability.
Yoghurt may not cause symptoms, as many of
the bacterial strains in yoghurt produce
lactase, aiding in the breakdown of
lactose. Consequently, it is worth
comparing the tolerability of different
yoghurt brands. Hard cheeses generally
have low lactose content and are usually
well tolerated.
Lactose content may be indicated by the
following constituents used in food labels -
it is not compulsory to declare lactose
content in all countries:
- Artificial butter flavor, butter,
caramel color or flavoring, casein or
caseinate, cheese, cream, dried milk, high
protein flour, lactalbumin, lacitol
(E966), lactose, lactoferrin,
lactoglobulin, milk derivatives or powder
or solids, natural flavoring, non-fat milk
solids, whey, whey protein and whey solids
concentrate.
It should be borne in mind that complete
exclusion of all lactose is usually not
necessary in lactose intolerance, although
this is required for cow’s milk allergy.
The following foods may contain lactose;
food labels should be checked.
- Baked goods (e.g. cake, bread,
cookies, crackers, donuts, waffles,
pancakes), butter, buttermilk cheese,
chocolate, cream, cream soups, curds,
custard, deli meats, desserts (e.g.
caramel, custard, mixes, mousse, soufflé),
egg substitutes, energy drinks and
concentrates, frozen yoghourt, gravy ghee,
half & half, health and muesli bars, hot
dogs, ice cream, instant drinks (e.g. ice
tea, coffee, ovaltine) and instant food and mixes,
kefir, margarine (not all), milk (whole,
2%, 1%, skim, condensed, chocolate, cocoa,
evaporated, powdered, lactose reduced),
pizza, processed meats, pudding, salad
dressing, sausages, seasonings, sherbet,
sour cream, whipped toppings and yoghourt.
The lactose content of some common food
items is listed below:
| |
Lactose content in
gram / 100g product |
| Whey |
39 - 75 |
| Milk powder |
36 - 52 |
| Coffee creamer |
35 - 55 |
| Milk, condensed |
10 - 16 |
| Milk, low fat |
4 - 5 |
| Milk, whole fat (cow, goat, sheep) |
4 - 5 |
| Milk, chocolate |
4 |
| Cream, half and half |
4 |
| Cream, light |
4 |
| Cream, sour |
4 |
| Yoghurt, whole milk |
4 |
| Ice cream |
3 - 8 |
| Buttermilk |
3 - 5 |
| Cream, whipping |
3 |
| Yoghurt, low fat |
2 - 7 |
| Cheese, ricotta |
1 - 5 |
| Cheese, cottage or cream |
1 - 3 |
| Cheese, mozzarella |
1 - 3 |
| Sherbet |
1 - 2 |
| Butter |
0.5 - 1 |
| Cheese, feta |
0.5 |
| Cheese, brie |
0.1 - 1 |
| Cheese, camembert |
0.1 - 1 |
| Cheese, parmesan |
0.1 - 1 |
| Cheese, emmentaler (“Swiss”) |
0 - 3 |
| Cheese, appenzeller |
0.1 - 1 |
| Cheese, gruyere |
0.1 - 1 |
| Cheese, tilsiter |
0.1 - 1 |
| Cheese, gouda |
0 - 2 |
Many supermarkets now offer lactose-free
(i.e. reduced lactose content) dairy
products, simplifying adequate intake of
calcium, which is especially important in
lactose intolerance. The daily calcium
requirement is 800mg in children 1 - 5
years, 1200mg in children 6 - 10 years, 1200
– 1500mg in 11 - 24 year olds, 1000mg in 24
- 50 year olds, 1500mg in those over 50
years and 1200 – 1500mg in pregnant and
nursing women.
Calcium-rich, non-dairy foods include:
-
Soymilk (fortified), sardines, salmon
(canned with bones), broccoli, orange
juice (fortified), chard, okra, spinach,
dandelion greens, beans (pinto), turnip
greens, tofu, tuna, almonds, rhubarb,
oatmeal (fortified) and bread (whole
wheat, fortified).
More complete lists of calcium-rich foods
can be found on these websites:
Reminder:
at least 20% of patients with
lactose intolerance also suffer from
fructose intolerance and may benefit from general reduction of FODMAPs.
Celiac’s disease should be excluded.
Links to extensive food content list
http://www.stevecarper.com/li/list_of_lactose_percentages.htm
(the content is listed in %, i.e. g lactose
/ 100g of product). Extensive lay lactose
website.
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumerinformation/nuttab2010/nuttab2010onlinesearchabledatabase/onlineversion.cfm?&action=nutrientFoods&category=Proximates&nutrientID=LACT
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
(enter food you are interested in checking
lactose content of, e.g. milk)
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