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Lactose intolerance is caused by a lessened ability or a complete inability to digest lactose, a sugar found in dairy products. [1] Humans vary in the amount of lactose they can tolerate before symptoms develop. [1] Symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, flatulence, and nausea. [1]
The ability to digest lactose is not an evolutionary novelty in human populations. Nearly all mammals begin life with the ability to digest lactose. This trait is advantageous during the infant stage, because milk serves as the primary source for nutrition. As weaning occurs, and other foods enter the diet, milk is no longer consumed.
Lactase (EC 3.2.1.108) is an enzyme produced by many organisms and is essential to the complete digestion of whole milk. It breaks down the sugar lactose into its component parts, galactose and glucose. Lactase is found in the brush border of the small intestine of humans and other mammals.
This is likely due to lactose intolerance, a condition making it hard to digest lactose, a sugar found in dairy products. Most newborns are able to produce lactase, an enzyme crucial for the ...
Lactose, or milk sugar, is a disaccharide composed of galactose and glucose and has the molecular formula C 12 H 22 O 11.Lactose makes up around 2–8% of milk (by mass). The name comes from lact (gen. lactis), the Latin word for milk, plus the suffix -ose used to name sugars.
The lactose gives milk its sweet taste and contributes approximately 40% of the calories in whole cow's milk's. Lactose is a disaccharide composite of two simple sugars, glucose and galactose. Bovine milk averages 4.8% anhydrous lactose, which amounts to about 50% of the total solids of skimmed milk.
The hydrolysis of lactose to glucose and galactose is catalyzed by the enzymes lactase and β-galactosidase. The latter is produced by the lac operon in Escherichia coli. [13] In nature, lactose is found primarily in milk and milk products. Consequently, various food products made with dairy-derived ingredients can contain lactose. [14]
Many adult humans lack the lactase enzyme, which has the same function as β-galactosidase, so they are not able to properly digest dairy products. β-Galactose is used in such dairy products as yogurt, sour cream, and some cheeses which are treated with the enzyme to break down any lactose before human consumption. In recent years, β ...