Clinical studies with low-lactose milk.

A low-lactose milk was evaluated for taste acceptance and clinical symptomatology by means of a double-blind control study in two groups of individuals. One group consisted of nine milk intolerant individuals, while the other consisted of five milk tolerant individuals. Each week for 9 wk the participants were given a coded sample of skim milk, lactose hydrolyzed milk, skim milk plus glucose, or sweet acidophilus milk. Each participant was asked to consume four liters of milk during a week and keep a daily log of symptoms (pain, bloating, nausea, flatus, emesis, bowel frequency) along with taste acceptability. After assigning a numerical value to the intensity of symptomatology a X2 analysis was performed on the data. In the milk intolerant population lactose hydrolyzed milk produced significantly milder (p < 0.05) pain and gas symptoms than the nonhydrolyzed milks. Bowel frequency was not altered between the types of milk in both groups. The lactose hydrolyzed milk did not reduce the symptoms of lactose intolerance in the milk intolerance population to the response of the control group. Although both study populations found decreased taste acceptability to the lactose hydrolyzed milk, a taste panel assessment did not show any significant differences in the milks.