Western Dairy Association

What’s New?

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  Health professionals…do you have patients who suffer from lactose intolerance?

  Help them enjoy dairy foods again with the simple tips highlighted in this consumer focused handout.
  Click here to download

National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference on Lactose Intolerance and Health: Consensus Statement and Implications.
This summary addresses the confusion surrounding lactose intolerance and lactose malabsorption, encourages formal diagnosis, and recommends individuals and healthcare providers work together to develop ways to incorporate dairy into a balanced, healthy diet. Click here to read the summary.

Lactose Intolerance Rates May be Lower than Previously Believed
Prevalence of lactose intolerance may be far lower than previously estimated, according to a study in the latest issue of Nutrition Today. Click here to access the study abstract.

The National Medical Association’s new Report on “Lactose Intolerance and African Americans: Implications for the Consumption of Appropriate Intake Levels of Key Nutrients”
Published as a supplement in the October issue of the Journal of the National Medical Association, this paper suggests that African Americans may be at risk for nutrient deficits as a result of under-consumption of dairy products attributed, in part, to the existence of lactose intolerance among this population.  Click here to read the supplement.

Lactose Intolerance

Lactose intolerance doesn’t mean dairy intolerance. You can still enjoy dairy products even if you have difficulty digesting lactose. Consumption of cow’s milk and milk products is associated with overall diet quality and adequacy of intake of many essential nutrients including calcium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, vitamins A, D (if fortified), and B12, riboflavin, and niacin. Unfortunately, some individuals may avoid milk and milk products unnecessarily because of adverse reactions to these foods.

A few simple strategies include drinking small amounts of milk at meals, drinking lactose-free milk, eating yogurt or enjoying cheeses such as Cheddar, Swiss and Colby, that are naturally low in lactose.

There are a variety of lactose-reduced and lactose-free dairy products available today. Lactose-reduced and lactose-free dairy products provide all the nutritional benefits found in traditional dairy products.