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We conducted blinded, controlled crossover studies to determine the effect of daily lactose feeding on colonic adaptation and intolerance symptoms. The initial study with nine lactose maldigesters showed a threefold increase in fecal beta-galactosidase activity after 16 d of lactose feeding. To determine the effects of this adaptation on breath hydrogen and intolerance symptoms, 20 lactose-maldigesting adults were randomly assigned to lactose or dextrose supplementation for 10 d (days 1-10), crossing over to the other period for days 12-21. The sugar dosage was increased from 0.6 to 1.0 g.kg-1.d-1, subdivided into three equal doses, by adjusting the dose every other day. Symptoms during lactose supplementation and comparison of symptoms during the lactose and dextrose feeding periods showed no significant differences. On days 11 and 22, challenge doses of lactose (0.35 g/kg) were administered after an overnight fast, and breath hydrogen and intolerance symptoms (abdominal pain, flatulence, and diarrhea) were carefully monitored for 8 h. Frequency of flatus passage and flatus severity ratings after the lactose challenge decreased 50% when studied at the end of the lactose period compared with the dextrose period. The sum of hourly breath-hydrogen concentrations (1-8 h) was significantly reduced after the lactose feeding period (9 +/- 38 ppm.h) compared with after the dextrose period (385 +/- 52 ppm.h, P < 0.001). We conclude that there is colonic adaptation to regular lactose ingestion and this adaptation reduces lactose intolerance symptoms.

To determine whether African-American adolescent girls who were fed a dairy-rich diet for 21 days could adapt to lactose, experiencing an overall improvement in lactose tolerance as well as a decrease in hydrogen gas production.Twenty-one-day dietary intervention study.Seventeen of 21 African-American girls (aged 11 to 15 years) enrolled in a calcium metabolism study chose to participate in the lactose tolerance study. Subjects were screened for any diseases, conditions, or medications that might alter calcium metabolism or colonic fermentation. Subjects were housed in a fraternity on the Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind, campus, and were supervised 24 hours a day.Subjects consumed a dairy-based diet averaging 1,200 mg calcium and 33 g lactose per day for 21 days. Lactose digestion was assessed by an 8-hour breath hydrogen test on days 1 and 21, and symptoms of intolerance (abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence, and diarrhea) were evaluated hourly on a ranked scale during the breath hydrogen tests and once each evening during the 21-day feeding period.A comparison of breath hydrogen production and gastrointestinal symptoms at the beginning and end of the study.The Wilcoxon signed ranks test was used to compare the area under the curve for the 2 breath hydrogen tests. Spearman's p test for trend was used to determine whether there was a change in symptoms. All statistical analyses were 2-tailed and significance was set at P = .05.Fourteen of the 17 subjects had lactose maldigestion. Breath hydrogen excretion decreased significantly (P.03) from the beginning (148.3 +/- 27.0 ppm x hours) to the end (100.7 +/- 19.3 ppm x hours) of the 21-day period. Gastrointestinal symptoms were negligible during both the breath hydrogen tests as were symptoms during the 21-day period.The diet was well tolerated by the subjects. Furthermore, the decrease in breath hydrogen suggests colonic adaptation to the high-lactose diet. The results indicate that lactose maldigestion should not be a restricting factor in developing adequate calcium diets for this population. The existence of lactose maldigestion does not result in lactose intolerance in this population when it is fed a dairy-rich diet.