Lactose intolerance and diet

Laktoza je glavni sladkor v mleku, sestavljena iz glukoze in galaktoze, povezana z β-galaktozidazno vezjo. Nezmožnost prebavljanja mlečnega sladkorja zaradi pomanjkanja encima laktaze imenujemo laktozna intoleranca, za katero trpi 70 % prebivalstva po celotnem svetu. Pojavnost je pogojena z etničnimi skupinami in pogostostjo uživanja mlečnih živil. Večina ljudi ima primarno obliko intolerance, kar pomeni, da se z odraščanjem prilagajamo na različno hrano in mleko ni več naš edini ter najpomembnejši vir hranil, črevesne celice pa izražajo vedno manj laktaze. Če se laktoza ne razgradi, jo črevesne bakterije fermentirajo v različne pline, kot so ogljikov dioksid, metan, vodik. Te plini povzročajo napihnjenost, diarejo in abdominalne bolečine. Če pa se encim laktaza ohrani, se v tankem črevesju laktoza razgradi na glukozo in galaktozo, ki ju naše telo izkoristi za energijo in v drugih procesih. Poznamo tudi sekundarno obliko intolerance, kjer se encim preneha izražati zaradi poškodbe ali okužbe črevesja ter prirojeno obliko, kjer se encim ne izraža že od rojstva. Ljudem, katerim je bila diagnosticirana laktozna intoleranca se ponavadi predpiše dieta brez mleka in mlečnih izdelkov, vendar ob izogibanju teh živil lahko pride do pomanjkanja kalcija ter vitamina D. V današnjih časih izogibanje mlečnim izdelkom ni več potrebno, saj vemo, da hidrolizirano mleko in fermentirani mlečni izdelki vsebujejo bistveno manj laktoze, ki jih lahko prebavljajo tudi intolerantni ljudje. Tehnologija je tako napredovala, da encim laktazo v večjih količinah proizvajajo v mikroorganizmih, zato ga v obliki kapsul lahko ponudijo kot zdravilo. Posamezniki si lahko lajšajo simptome tudi tako, da mlečne izdelke uživajo skupaj z drugimi živili.Lactose is the main sugar in milk composed of glucose and galactose which form a β-galactosidase linkage. The inability to digest lactose due to a lack of the enzyme lactase is called lactose intolerance and it affects over 70% of the global population. The occurrence of the condition is linked to ethnic background and to the frequency of dairy consumption. The majority of people have primary lactose intolerance, meaning the adaptation to different kinds of food with aging, when milk is becoming less important source of nutrients and the production of lactose by intestinal cells is lowered. If lactose is not digested, the intestinal flora ferments it into different gasses such as carbon dioxide, methane and hydrogen. These gasses cause bloating, diarrhea and abdominal pain. If the enzyme lactase is preserved, lactose is broken down into glucose and galactose in the small intestine and our body uses it as an energy source and in other processes. The condition where the enzyme is no longer expressed due to damage or intestinal infection is called secondary lactose intolerance. The congenital form is a condition where the enzyme is not expressed at birth. A diet without milk and dairy products is usually prescribed to people with lactose intolerance. However this can cause a deficiency of calcium and vitamin D. Nowdays avoiding diary products is not necessary as it is well known that hydrolyzed milk and fermented dairy products contain less lactose and are easily digested even by lactose intolerant people. Technology has improved and lactose enzyme is produced in large quantities by microorganisms and thus could be offered in capsules as remedy for individuals. People can ease their symptoms by consuming dairy products with other food products