Diet therapy in adult lactose malabsorption: present practices.

Three hundred twenty-three of 473 questionnaires sent to hospital dietitians in 50 states and Puerto Rico concerning diet therapy for adult lactose malabsorption were returned and analyzed. Only 42% of the responding dietitians stated that their hospital diet manuals contained a diet for adult lactose malabsorption, with less than 1% having a diet specific for patients with peptic ulcer disease and lactose malabsorption. Physicians in almost half of these hospitals rarely considered lactose malabsorption when prescribing a diet for patients with peptic ulcer disease or rarely modified diets for suspected lactose malabsorption. The responding dietitians supplied pertinent portions of their diet manuals in 99 instances, which was 72% of those having such diets. Many of the submitted diets were too rigid, frequently restricting foods that did not contain lactose. On the basis of the survey and a review of the literature, a more reasonable approach to the therapy of adult lactose malabsorption is suggested.