Efficacy testing of beta-galactosidase with H2 breath test in patients with carbohydrate malabsorption.

The clinical efficacy and the potential side-effects of beta-galactosidase were studied in adult lactose intolerance. Various randomized oral tolerance tests were performed using lactose solution (35 g), glucose + galactose solution (17.5 + 17.5 g), native, skimmed milk and milk pretreated with beta-galactosidase. In each case, simultaneous examinations were made of the glucose concentration of capillary blood by an instrument constructed by the authors, of the H2 content of expired air as also of the subjective complaints and of the number of stools and their pH. It was established that pretreatment of milk with beta-galactosidase has a beneficial effect in adult lactose maldigestion, since it stops dyspeptic complaints and diarrhoea due to milk, it reduces the H2 content of expired air increases blood glucose concentration. Measuring the H2 content of the breath by using and instrument constructed by the authors, exact data can be obtained noninvasively, and rapidly on the degree of carbohydrate malabsorption in patients with lactose-intolerance.