Lactase enzyme - Lactose intolerance

May 21, 2018 Lactosolution

What do we know about the lactase enzyme?

Lactase is the enzyme responsible for the hydrolysis of lactose, i.e., the breakdown of lactose into galactose and glucose, which is normally present in the human body.

This cleavage is just one of many that occur in our digestive process and allows us to assimilate nutrients and discard unnecessary substances.

Due to antibiotic treatments, or even just a person's physiological growth, the amount of lactase enzyme our body produces decreases.

It is precisely the deficiency in the production of this enzyme that is the main cause of lactose intolerance. In fact, the intestine is unable to break down the lactose molecule into the simpler molecules already mentioned, and excessive fermentation of the substance occurs in the colon, leading to the appearance of the symptoms we are all familiar with (the symptoms can be found here).

The good news, which too often goes unnoticed, is that this enzyme can be produced naturally in laboratories and therefore purchased and taken easily in order to solve the problem.

Really? Can I supply my body with the lactase enzyme!?

Yes, really. And without contraindications.

Since it is normally produced by the human body, an external intake of the enzyme does not in any way alter the health status of the organism. That is why there are no restrictions on its use. These tablets are not a medicine but a nutritional supplement and can therefore be used whenever you need or want to eat dairy products.

-I want to leave you with a little nugget... nobody tells you the difference between the various active ingredients in enzyme supplements. Except for us. Click here to find out more.-

But is this always true?

All of this applies if you are lactose intolerant. It does not apply if you are allergic to milk proteins or if you have other types of disorders unrelated to an intolerance caused by a lactase enzyme deficiency.

To find out definitively if you are intolerant, you should take a test called a Breath Test, which we explain in another article on our blog.

It is always advisable to talk to your doctor about the onset of physical symptoms caused by food and disorders in general. They are the person to consult to understand which diagnostic test is most suitable for you and which supplement or medicine to take.

Remember that the expert on medicines and supplements, however, is the pharmacist and the chemist specializing in pharmaceutical technologies—two specific degree programs—figures who are somewhat underestimated in our country. They are able to define the right substance to take based on the doctor's diagnosis and can suggest natural alternatives suitable for your specific needs (for example, a medicine that does not contain lactose).

How many capsules should I take?

It depends. The question seems easy, but the answer is more complex than you might think. As I wrote before, lactase is not a medicine, so your doctor will not prescribe a specific dose. It is an enzyme that is already present in your body, to a greater or lesser extent, and it is up to us to supplement the amount of it until we reach the certainty of breaking down all the lactose into glucose and galactose.

Some of the factors that come into play in determining the amount of lactase you need to ingest to digest food include:

The amount of lactase the body produces
The amount of lactose you are eating
The capacity and speed of food digestion
The type of food ingested (find out here how pH variations influence the capacity of lactase)
The amount of lactase supplement that the tablet contains

This is why, with a basic product like those commonly found in stores, some people are able to digest food well and others are not, despite both taking the same number of tablets or pills.

With an innovative, professional, high-enzyme content product like Lactosolution 15000, the probability of poor digestion is significantly reduced and even a single tablet can make you forget you are lactose intolerant.

Some manufacturers recommend starting with one capsule and testing your level of intolerance, i.e., waiting for the effects of poor lactose digestion, and then increasing the dosage.

We don't like this solution.

Why make people feel sick? Why make them take 6 low-dose enzyme tablets to eat an ice cream? I asked myself these questions when I found myself, as a lactose-intolerant person, topping a yogurt with Nutella and Smarties with lactase tablets.

I said "No! It cannot be! Enough!"

We offer a tablet with a high content of lactase enzyme, designed to break down the lactose present in a normal meal (1 pizza, 1 hamburger, 1 cup of milk), to be taken with it or a few minutes before. A single tablet will be sufficient to eliminate the most common ailments caused by lactose intolerance—try it to believe it!

You can learn more about the "quantity" topic in our new article by clicking here.