Top 10 Foods Highest in Lactose

Top 10 Foods Highest in Lactose

Lactose is a disaccharide sugar, which is a sugar made up of two smaller sugars linked together. Lactose is made up of a combination of galactose and glucose. Lactose is found primarily in milk (dairy) foods.

Later on in life, however, some people lose the ability to digest lactose, because their bodies stop producing the enzyme that breaks it down in the digestive tract. This is known as lactose intolerance. (1)

Symptoms of lactose intolerance include gas, diarrhea, and bloating after consuming foods containing lactose. (1) Some people with this condition only have trouble digesting lactose, while others also have trouble digesting certain other types of sugars. (2)

Foods high in lactose are generally those which contain milk or a milk product (such as cheese or yogurt). These include ice-cream, milk puddings, hot chocolate, eggnog, macaroni and cheese, yogurt, pancakes, milk chocolate, cottage cheese, and mashed potatoes. Below are the top 10 foods highest in lactose.

List of Foods High in Lactose

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Top 10 Foods Highest in Lactose

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Data Sources and References

  1. Sieber R, Stransky M, de Vrese M. Lactose Intolerance Z Ernahrungswiss. 1997 Dec;36(4):375-93. doi: 10.1007/BF01617834. 9467238
  2. Di Rienzo T, D'Angelo G, D'Aversa F, Campanale MC, Cesario V, Montalto M, Gasbarrini A, Ojetti V. Lactose Intolerance in Adults: Biological Mechanism and Dietary Management Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2013;17 Suppl 2:18-25. 24443063
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