KEFIR MAY BOLSTER LACTOSE TOLERANCE IN INTOLERANT PEOPLE

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http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/kefir.htm

 

KEFIR MAY BOLSTER LACTOSE TOLERANCE IN INTOLERANT

PEOPLE

COLUMBUS, Ohio – For lactose intolerant adults, drinking fermented

milk either eliminated or drastically reduced symptoms related to

lactose intolerance. Researchers think that microbes in this fermented

milk – called kefir – possess the enzyme that is necessary to digest

lactose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steven Hertzler

 

 

 

 

Kefir is a little known, and slightly more expensive, alternative to

milk. It contains a multitude of bacteria that are thought to break

down lactose in the digestive tract.

“Many health claims exist for kefir, including the enhancement of

the immune system and improved digestive health, particularly with

regard to lactose digestion,” said Steven

Hertzler, a study co-author and an assistant professor of medical dietetics at Ohio State

University.

“We wanted to find out if kefir would improve lactose digestion.

The research showed that it did.”

The study appears in a recent issue of the Journal of the American

Dietetic Association. Hertzler conducted the study with

Shannon Clancy, a clinical dietitian at Toledo Hospital in Toledo, Ohio.

Kefir tastes slightly on the tart side and has the consistency of

liquid yogurt. To manufacture kefir, producers add clusters of starchy

carbohydrate – kefir grains – that contain healthy bacteria and are

left to ferment in milk. The grains are filtered out while the live

cultures remain.

The researchers asked 15 adults to consume five separate test

foods: 2 percent milk; plain kefir; raspberry-flavored kefir; plain

yogurt; and raspberry-flavored yogurt. Each food was eaten after a

12-hour fast and followed up by a series of breath hydrogen tests every

hour for eight hours. Participants were asked to record any symptoms of

lactose intolerance for eight hours after eating each food.

Past studies by other scientists have shown that eating fermented

dairy products, such as yogurt, improves lactose digestion.

Participants in the current study reported having little or no symptoms

associated with lactose intolerance after eating both types of yogurt

and kefir. Flatulence was the most-reported symptom. Drinking kefir

reduced flatulence frequency by more than half, compared to milk.

Breath hydrogen levels were also significantly lower after

consuming the plain and flavored kefir than after drinking milk.

Flatulence is the biggest complaint among lactose-intolerant people,

Hertzler said, and breath hydrogen is indicative of excessive gas in

the digestive tract.

While it’s known that lactose intolerant people can tolerate yogurt

– it contains healthy bacteria that break down lactose – there has been

relatively little scientific information about the potential benefits

of kefir.

Kefir might be a better option than yogurt for some lactose

intolerant people, Hertzler said, adding that, like yogurt, kefir is a

good source of calcium, potassium and protein. But kefir also contains

a wider array of microorganisms than yogurt does.

“Both kefir and yogurt improve lactose digestion simply because

some of the bacterial cells give up their lives in the intestinal

tract, release their enzymes and digest the lactose,” Hertzler said.

“It’s a one-shot deal. However, kefir has additional microorganisms

that may be able to colonize the intestines and benefit health further

by protecting the intestine against disease-causing bacteria.”

Hertzler said he hopes to conduct further studies that explore

kefir’s potential for improving health.

This study was funded by a grant from Lifeway Foods, Inc., a company that

manufactures kefir. Hertzler has no financial connections to Lifeway

Foods, Inc.

#

Contact: Steven Hertzler, 614-292 8141; Hertzler.4

Written by Holly Wagner, 614-292-8310; Wagner.235

[Guest guest]

> KEFIR MAY BOLSTER LACTOSE TOLERANCE IN INTOLERANT PEOPLE

 

The fact that inulin, a prebiotic, improves or eliminates lactose

intolerance has been in the research for several years.

 

That's the approach I take with my clients because probiotics of any

type don't work that well unless you feed them. Only an active

culture can proliferate on the bowel lining and outcompete there, and

also produce the acids that suppress the bad bacteria and cancer, and

also produce the antibacterial and anticancer enzymes they are known

for. On the other hand if you feed the probiotics that are already in

your gut you don't need to add any at all.

 

The North American diet contains only 1/5 of the optimal amount of

inulin. High inulin-containing foods used to be staples; now they're

hardly used. Ideally, we could put those foods back into the food

chain. Inulin mainly comes from chicory root, one of those staple

foods. Several more are listed on my site.

 

 

 

Duncan Crow (copyright waived)

http://profiles./duncancrow/

 

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