What is lactose?
Lactose is a major type of sugar found in milk and milk products, including human milk. Lactose makes up less than eight percent of the solids in milk. Lactose is not found naturally in any other food aside from dairy products. Lactose intolerance is caused by the inability of the body to break down milk sugars. In a normal person, lactase, an enzyme produced by the small intestine, breaks down lactose so it can be absorbed into the bloodstream. People who are lactose intolerant cannot produce enough lactase and are unable to process lactose. As a rule, mammals lose the ability to digest lactose as they get older. Humans have undergone a mutation that allows them to retain a 10 percent capacity to produce lactase. This is normally enough to allow humans to digest milk and dairy products. Some people, however, don’t retain this 10 percent, so they cannot consume any fresh milk and milk products at all throughout their adult lives. Lactose is often added to prepared foods to prevent caki
