Current knowledge about the influence of the intestinal microbiome on the development, course and consequences of lactose intolerance

The bachelor thesis investigates the current knowledge about the influence of the gut microbiome on the development and severity of lactose intolerance, as well as whether and how it can be changed to influence the course of existing lactose intolerance and its immediate and long- term consequences. In the first part of this bachelor thesis I discuss lactose itself and its metabolism, which shows its direct link to the gastrointestinal tract. Lactose intolerance (LI) is also described, how it is diagnosed, what it manifests itself as, and what its degrees are. The next chapter discusses the relationship between LI, the gut, and the gut microbiome. First, I focus here on the possible adaptability of the gut, which is mainly determined by the presence of the microbiome. There is also a link between LI and other gastrointestinal disorders in which gut bacteria play a role. The microbiome is a very dynamic population of different types of bacteria, fungi and viruses that can influence the course of lactose intolerance. This can be exploated in the subsequent therapy of LI with probiotics, which are included in part three. The most commonly used probiotic bacteria are representatives of the genus Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. However, probiotics are not the only option for using the gut microbiome..