NEW YORK, Feb 16 (Reuters Health) -- People who are lactose intolerant
avoid dairy products, and so are often at risk for low calcium intake and the
bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, according to a US researcher.
More than 50 million Americans are lactose intolerant, meaning that they
are unable to digest lactose found in dairy foods. Individuals from minority
backgrounds appear to be at high risk.
"Nearly all Asians and about half of Hispanics are lactose intolerant...
about 70% of African Americans are lactose intolerant," Dr. Dennis Savaiano of
Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, told Reuters Health on Wednesday.
He has conducted a meta-analysis of the published scientific literature on
lactose intolerance and its effects on osteoporosis and has just submitted his
findings for review.
"After (the age of) 20, there is no chance to add bone mass," Savaiano
said. "Once you are postmenopausal, you start to lose bone mass. The more you
have to start with, the better off you are," he commented. "What you do in your
adolescent years affects what happens in your 70s."
Savaiano suggested that individuals with lactose intolerance need not
completely avoid dairy products, which are the primary source of calcium.
"Yogurt tends to be well tolerated. So is cheese," he said. A glass of milk with
food may also be tolerable, he added. If not, it may be necessary to take
calcium supplements, Savaiano advised. Some vegetables, such as broccoli and
kale, may provide important sources of calcium, he noted.
Savaiano explained that the average adult intake of calcium is about 600
milligrams (mg) daily. The goal is between 800 and 1,300 mg daily. "Some studies
suggest that 1,500 mg daily is optimal," Savaiano commented. Adolescents and the
elderly should have a daily intake of 1,200 to 1,300 of calcium daily, he said.
"We are far away from that goal," he added.
Savaiano said that his research on calcium intake and osteoporosis in
Asians shows that "this is more of an issue than we thought it was.... This is a
problem waiting to happen."
"We need to take a preventative approach. That's hard for Americans,"
Savaiano asserted. "Pharmacological approaches are available, but dietary
approaches are important.... We need to take a multivariant approach to
increasing calcium intake -- especially among the lactose intolerant."
