Milk drinking by the elderly of three races.

The three objectives of this study were to determine: (a) If milk was acceptable for multi-racial groups of elderly people, some of whom had previously been described as lactose intolerant, (b) the frequency of milk rejection attributed to symptoms of lactose intolerance, and (c) the importance of offering different types of milk. The study was carried out on 347 elderly citizens participating in the Title VII Nutrition Program for the Elderly in Harris County, Texas. Eighty-five per cent of the Mexican-Americans, 93.5 per cent of the blacks, and 94 per cent of the Anglos surveyed reported drinking the milk served with their meal. Only 6.6 per cent of the Mexican-Americans, 1.4 per cent of the blacks, and 2.5 per cent of the Anglos did not consume the milk because of symptoms that might be related to low levels of intestinal lactase. It was concluded that milk could and should be served to multi-racial groups of elderly people. Offering a choice of milk type appeared to be important for acceptance. Twenty-two per cent of the blacks, 4 per cent of the Mexican-Americans, and 16 per cent of the Anglos always preferred buttermilk.