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Three hundred twenty-three of 473 questionnaires sent to hospital dietitians in 50 states and Puerto Rico concerning diet therapy for adult lactose malabsorption were returned and analyzed. Only 42% of the responding dietitians stated that their hospital diet manuals contained a diet for adult lactose malabsorption, with less than 1% having a diet specific for patients with peptic ulcer disease and lactose malabsorption. Physicians in almost half of these hospitals rarely considered lactose malabsorption when prescribing a diet for patients with peptic ulcer disease or rarely modified diets for suspected lactose malabsorption. The responding dietitians supplied pertinent portions of their diet manuals in 99 instances, which was 72% of those having such diets. Many of the submitted diets were too rigid, frequently restricting foods that did not contain lactose. On the basis of the survey and a review of the literature, a more reasonable approach to the therapy of adult lactose malabsorption is suggested.

The effect of ingesting cellulose, pectin, and psyllium with orally administered lactose in water or milk was tested in six lactose malabsorbers. Breath hydrogen tests were used to evaluate lactose malabsorption and mouth-to-cecum transit times. Addition of psyllium significantly reduced the breath hydrogen response, and symptoms in each subject; whereas, less diminution of expired hydrogen was seen after cellulose or pectin was added. The effect of each fiber on gastric emptying rates of an equal volume liquid meal was evaluated in three volunteers. Pectin had no effect, while the cellulose and psyllium modestly delayed emptying at approximately 30 min.

Seven females 18 to 26 years old (mean 23 years) who were lactose malabsorbers as determined by a lactose tolerance test were given two different test meals: 5 ml/kg body weight reconstituted nonfat dry milk and 5 ml/kg body weight reconsituted nonfat dry milk in which 92% of the lactose had been hydrolyzed to glucose and galactose. Lactose malabsorption was determined by the breath H2 test. Tests were done in duplicate for a total of 28 tests. Whether a 3-hr test period of a 5-hr test period was used, the average breath H2 response after the lactose-hydrolyzed nonfat dry milk test meals was significantly lower (P less than 0.002) than the average breath H2 response after the nonfat dry milk test meals. There were significant differences among individual responses (P lless than 0.06 for the 3-hr test period and P less than 0.09 for the 5-hr test period), and no significant differences between duplicate test days.

The purpose of this study was to compare breath hydrogen tests after oral lactose ingestion in nonoperated subjects and postgastrectomy patients. Simultaneous oral lactose tolerance tests and breath hydrogen tests were performed in 50 subjects. Twenty of the 30 subjects without prior gastric surgery had normal lactase activities and low breath hydrogen concentrations. The other 10 subjects had low lactase levels and increased breath hydrogen concentrations. The remaining 20 subjects had prior gastric surgery. Seven of these had normal lactase activities, no history of milk intolerance and low breath hydrogen concentrations. Two of the postgastrectomy patients had low intestinal lactases, milk intolerance, and high breath hydrogens. The remaining 11 postgastrectomy patients had normal intestinal lactases but high breath hydrogens. Eight of the 11 had milk intolerance while two of the other three had not consumed milk since childhood. From these studies the following conclusions can be reached: 1)a low lactose breath hydrogen test in the postgastrectomy subject correctly identifies the individual with normal lactase activity. However, high breath hydrogen responses, may be found in either those with lactase deficiency or normal lactase activity. 2) Lactose malabsorption would appear to explain the milk intolerance in the postgastrectomy patient with normal lactase activity.

Eleven lactose malabsorbers were studied to compare the effectiveness of commercially available products recommended for dietary treatment of lactose malabsorption. One product, a commercial lactase preparation, is added to milk for lactose hydrolysis before consumption. The other is a commercial milk product containing lactose-hydrolyzing, nonpathogenic bacteria, Lactobacillus acidophilus. Both of these products are presently recommended for management of lactose malabsorption, although such recommendations have not been validated by controlled studies. Lactose malabsorption was determined by breath H2 analyses after subjects drank four different test doses on 4 different days. The first test dose was 480 ml of low fat milk; the second was 480 ml of milk treated with a commercial lactase preparation; the third was 480 ml of a commercial L. acidophilus-containing milk; and the fourth was 480 ml of the L. acidophilus-containing milk after 1 wk of gastrointestinal exposure to this commercial bacteria-containing milk. The mean breath H2 response to the lactase-treated milk was significantly lower (p less than 0.001) than the mean response to regular milk. However, the mean breath H2 response to either of the test doses of the L. acidophilus-containing milk were not significantly different than responses to regular milk. It is concluded that the lactase-treated milk reduces breath H2 responses and symptomatic discomfort from malabsorption while the L. acidophilus-containing milk does not.

Because of the traditional "nonmilking" attitude in Vietnam, a high incidence of lactose malabsorption would be expected in Vietnamese. However, confirming data are not available, and for this reason 31 adult Vietnamese were studied by obtaining diet histories and performing oral lactose tolerance tests. Twenty-three had drunk from one glass of milk a month to three glasses a day as adutls in Vietnam, and eight had noted milk-related symptoms. Since arrival in the United States, 30 had drunk milk and six had experienced symptoms. All 31 adult Vietnamese tested had flat lactose tolerance tests, signifying lactose malabsorption, with 20 subjects having symptoms during or after the tests.