Give Dairy a Chance
For lactose-intolerant kids, cheese and yogurt may be the way to go
 (HealthDay News) -- For people who are lactose intolerant, a big bowl of ice cream looks less like heaven and more like a hell of cramps, nausea and diarrhea.
That's why parents of lactose-intolerant kids try to keep them away from dairy products. But experts say that may not be the best approach.
The American Academy of Pediatricians, the largest organization of children's doctors, thinks the health benefits of dairy products are so important that it wants parents of kids who get allergic reactions from lactose to at least give dairy a chance.
Lactose is a sugar substance found in milk. But it's the calcium in dairy products that is considered critical for bone health, and dairy items also contain other nutrients important for growth in children and teens.
To understand why parents should keep dairy in their kid's life, it helps to understand the problem.
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, lactose intolerance is the inability to digest significant amounts of lactose. It's caused by a shortage of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down milk sugar into two simpler forms of sugar, glucose and galactose, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream.
People who do not have enough lactase to digest the amount of lactose they consume usually feel very uncomfortable when they digest milk products. Symptoms begin from 30 minutes to two hours after eating or drinking foods containing lactose. The severity of symptoms depends on many factors, including the amount of lactose a person can tolerate and the person's age, ethnicity and digestion rate.
But experts say that lactose intolerance in kids is often mild enough that they could tolerate at least some milk and milk products.
"Lactose intolerance is relatively common," perhaps affecting up to 30 percent of children in the United States , said Dr. Melvin Heyman, chief of pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at UCSF Children's Hospital in San Francisco . Heyman was a member of the pediatric group's committee that last year revised its parental guidelines on lactose intolerance.
Parents also can confuse milk-protein intolerance and lactose intolerance, he told HealthDay . "Some people do get allergic to the protein in milk," he said. That condition can be serious but affects fewer children, just 3 percent to 5 percent in the United States .
To be sure calcium intake is sufficient, Heyman said he sometimes tells parents to focus more on yogurt and cheese, especially if milk gives a child symptoms of intolerance. "There is less lactose in yogurt and cheese," he said.
Or, he said, moderation might be key. A child might be able to drink a small amount of milk without the reaction of stomach pain -- one glass rather than two or three a day.
When choosing other dairy products for children, parents need to examine the product label to be sure it contains a healthy dose of calcium. "Ideal would be the same amount as in milk, 250 or 300 milligrams" per serving, Heyman said.
On the Web
To learn more about lactose intolerance, visit the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
SOURCES:
HealthDay News ; Melvin B. Heyman, M.D., professor of pediatrics, University of California , San Francisco ; September 2006, Pediatrics ; National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (www.niddk.nih.gov)
Author:
Anne Thompson
Publication Date:
July 31, 2008
Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
|
Health Info
