Effect of low lactose milk Eiwit Melk (E.M.) on protein calorie malnutrition

A new type of low-lactose milk. Tolerance by lactose malabsorbers and evaluation of protein nutritional value

By ultrafiltration of skim milk a new low-lactose milk powder was developed whose lactose content was reduced by 86%. The lactose was replaced by malto-dextrin. In contrast to lactose-hydrolyzed milk powder, no protein-destroying processes (Maillard reactions) could be demonstrated during production or after storage at standard conditions. Tolerance of the new low-lactose milk versus regular skim milk was tested in 35 well-nourished, adult Latin Americans with lactose malabsorption. The ingestion of 500 ml of the low-lactose milk gave rise to significantly (p less than 0.05) fewer symptoms than regular skim milk. After the intake of 250 ml there a tendency to fewer symptoms after the low-lactose milk, although the difference was not significant (0.05 less than p less than 0.1). The new milk may be of potential usefulness in the treatment of protein calorie malnutrition in the developing countries, where lactose malabsorption is highly prevalent.

Weight-gain inhibition by lactose in Australian Aboriginal children. A controlled trial of normal and lactose hydrolysed milk

Weight-gain in 35 slightly undernourished Australian Aboriginal infants was studied in hospital (49 admissions) during a blind controlled trial of a pre-hydrolysed low-lactose milk preparation and reconstituted full-cream milk powder. Infants fed the lactose hydrolysed milk gained 70% more weight than those receiving normal milk. Better weight-gains were achieved in those on the lactose hydrolysed milk irrespective of percentage standard weight for age, the presence of diarrhoea on admission to the trial, and stool sugar concentrations. The use of low-lactose milk should be considered in nutritional aid programmes for undernourished children throughout the world.