Genetic study of lactose intolerance


What is lactose intolerance?

Lactose intolerance means that you cannot digest foods that contain lactose.

Lactose is a type of sugar found in milk and other dairy products. The body needs an enzyme called lactase to digest lactose. Lactase breaks lactose, a complex sugar, into its two components: glucose and galactose. These simple sugars are then absorbed through the intestinal wall and pass into the bloodstream. In the absence of lactase, lactose cannot be digested or absorbed.

Lactose intolerance occurs when the small intestine does not produce enough of this enzyme, so the body cannot digest the sugar (lactose) contained in milk.

People with lactase deficiency in the intestinal mucosa (hypolactasia) do not digest lactose properly, resulting in the characteristic symptoms of lactose intolerance.

Lactase levels are high in breastfed babies, which allows them to digest milk. However, in most adults, lactase levels decrease after the breastfeeding period. It is estimated that 70-75% of the world’s population is lactose intolerant without knowing it, according to the National Polytechnic Institute.

Process


Collection of 3 mL of EDTA blood.

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Receipt and analysis of the sample in our laboratory.

Report dispatched within 10 working days.

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If you need any clarification, your doctor will explain the results to you.


Signs and symptoms

Symptoms of lactose intolerance usually begin within 30 minutes to 2 hours after eating or drinking lactose-containing foods, the most common are:
  • Diarrhoea
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Stomach cramps
  • Abdominal bloating and cramps
  • Gas

Indications

It is recommended for all people, especially those who have symptoms of intolerance or frequent digestive problems:
  • Indicated in the evaluation of hypolactasia in adults with clinical symptoms of lactose intolerance.
  • Clinical suspicion of lactose intolerance.

 Risk factors


There are some risk factors that may make you or your child genetically more likely to be lactose intolerant, some of them are:

  • Older age: Lactose intolerance usually occurs in adulthood. Rare in infants and young children.
  • Ethnicity: more common in people of African, Asian, Hispanic or Native American origin.
  • Premature birth: premature babies may have reduced lactase levels because the small intestine does not generate protective lactase cells until late in the third trimester.
  • Diseases affecting the small intestine: such as bacterial overgrowth, celiac disease and Crohn’s disease.
  • Certain cancer treatments: people who have received radiotherapy for stomach cancer or intestinal complications from chemotherapy are at increased risk.

Results


Our genetic study of lactose intolerance consists of the genetic analysis of the patient’s DNA to determine the presence of two polymorphisms in the MCM6 gene associated with the development of lactose intolerance in the adult phase.

The study is performed using the Real Time PCR technique.

As an alternative to the breath test/breath test, the analysis is performed on a blood sample, avoiding direct exposure of the patient to lactose-containing substances.

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Frequently asked questions


The results are presented in an online report.

If you need further clarification, your doctor will explain the results in detail.

The variability of symptoms and their intensity will depend on several factors in each individual.

Consumption factor:

  • Amount of lactose ingested.
  • Type of dairy product ingested (milk, yoghurt, etc.).
  • Concurrent consumption with another meal.

Individual/physiological factor:

  • Individual lactase activity level.
  • Gastric emptying rate.
  • Intestinal motility (visceral hypersensitivity).
  • Macrobiota particular to the individual (colon).
  • Water absorption capacity of the colon.

Probably the two most important factors in determining the presence of symptoms are the amount of lactose ingested and the water absorption capacity of the colon in the compensation and rescue of carbohydrates, reabsorbing water and short-chain fatty acids.

Because lactase is one of the most delicate and vulnerable intestinal enzymes. If we continue to take lactose, the damage to the intestinal mucosa will increase and a vicious circle will develop: damage to the mucosa/poor digestion of lactose, which will become increasingly difficult to solve.

Although both ailments have the same origin (milk or dairy products), they have nothing to do with each other (LPL allergy is a reaction of the immune system to the milk protein. This explains why you can find products on the market that are suitable for lactose intolerant people (milk, lactose-free cheeses, etc.) that are not suitable for people allergic to PLV.

The good news is that you can enjoy the delicious taste and high nutrients of milk, cheese and yoghurt if you are lactose intolerant. For example, lactose-free milk contains the same 13 essential nutrients as regular milk, including 8 grams of high-quality protein and vitamin D, which is linked to a healthy immune system.

Yoghurt contains live and active cultures that can help break down and digest lactose. This is true of other dairy products that contain live cultures such as kefir.

Finally, hard cheeses such as Cheddar, Monterey and mozzarella contain minimal levels of lactose and can be tolerated more than fresh cheeses.