Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Help Celiac.com:
    eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Record is Archived

    This article is now archived and is closed to further replies.

    Scott Adams
    Scott Adams

    Ellen Eagan on Lactose Intolerance and Celiac Disease

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    The following is a summary of lactose intolerance which was written by Ellen Eagan Open Original Shared Link. Ellen is a blood specialist at UC San Francisco Medical Center. Ellen Eagan on Lactose Intolerance:

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):
    The area in the intestines where lactase, the enzyme needed to break down lactose, is produced is called the brush border. It is at the ends of the microvilli. It is only one cell deep. As most people age, their ability to produce lactase decreases. Sometimes it decreases to the point where you are unable to deal with all of the lactose that you ingest. If you have decreased production of lactase and then something else happens to compromise the integrity of the brush border, it cases further reduction of lactase production. If you continue to take in lactose, that causes more irritation and loss of lactase production. It becomes a vicious negative feedback cycle.

    When you are suffering from celiac sprue, there is damage to your intestinal villi. This can make one temporarily lactase deficient to the point where lactose becomes a problem also. This happened in my case. Once I started on the gluten-free diet and my intestines had healed, lactose was no longer a problem for me. I can eat any diary product now with no problems.

    Not everyone will be so lucky. A lot of people will remain lactase deficient. Yogurt and aged cheeses are more easily tolerated because some of the lactose has been converted to lactic acid. One rule of thumb is that the higher the fat content of the dairy product, the lower the lactose level. People who are still producing some lactase would then be able to eat a very rich ice cream but would be bothered by skim milk or ice milk.

    I highly recommend the book No Milk Today: How to Live With Lactose Intolerance (Steve Carper, Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1986 ISBN0-671-60301-0). I found it at my local library. Its an excellent book for explaining the process, describing hidden sources of lactose (like whey), and tips on eating out. In regards to the fat content and lactose level I quote from page 119 of the book: Foods with high milk fat tend to be lower in lactose than other milk products. Heavy cream is lower in lactose than light cream, which in turn is lower than whole milk. Butter is higher in fat than any of these, and in turn is the lowest in lactose. It was mentioned that aged cheeses are lower in lactose than non-aged cheeses because the lactose had been broken down during the aging process.

    So, even though lactase deficiency and gluten intolerance can give the same symptoms, they are not caused by the same processes. Lactase is composed of two sugars. The problems arise when you are unable to break it into its two parts and absorb them.

    Gluten is a protein. It seems to cause a problem due to an immunological response, and as far as I know, symptoms are the only similarities between the two.



    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    There are no comments to display.



    Guest
    This is now closed for further comments

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Help Celiac.com:
    Donate
  • About Me

    Scott Adams

    Scott Adams was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1994, and, due to the nearly total lack of information available at that time, was forced to become an expert on the disease in order to recover. In 1995 he launched the site that later became Celiac.com to help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed so they can begin to live happy, healthy gluten-free lives.  He is co-author of the book Cereal Killers, and founder and publisher of the (formerly paper) newsletter Journal of Gluten Sensitivity. In 1998 he founded The Gluten-Free Mall which he sold in 2014. Celiac.com does not sell any products, and is 100% advertiser supported.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Related Articles

    Scott Adams
    Digestion. 2005 Mar 16;71(2):106-110
    Celiac.com 03/30/2005 – According to Italian researchers, those with lactose intolerance have a much higher incidence of celiac disease. In an effort to determine how many cases could be caused by undiagnosed celiac disease, the researchers screened 54 lactose intolerant patients (15 males and 39 females - positive H2-lactose breath test and a negative H2-glucose breath test) for celiac disease. All patients were screened using serum IgA antibodies to endomysium, anti-transglutaminase and total IgA, and anyone with positive results for any one of these markers was give an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The researchers found that a full 24% of those with lactose intolerance had biopsy-confirmed celiac disease. These results were compared t...


  • Recent Activity

    1. - knitty kitty replied to Holly15892's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      7

      Growth spurt after diagnosis in adulthood

    2. - shadycharacter replied to Linedancegal's topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      3

      25 year biopsy confirmed/ate pizza with no ill effects?

    3. - LimpToeTheTimeless replied to Holly15892's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      7

      Growth spurt after diagnosis in adulthood

    4. - trents replied to AlyO's topic in Parents, Friends and Loved Ones of Celiacs
      3

      Possible gluten exposure in 4yo


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      120,463
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    shadowblackwood
    Newest Member
    shadowblackwood
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.2k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Popular Now

    • Hannah24
    • jessiemariecar
    • Rhonda H
    • HayleyC123
    • Touche
  • Popular Articles

    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
  • Upcoming Events

×
×
  • Create New...