Lactose malabsorption in adult Vietnamese.

Because of the traditional "nonmilking" attitude in Vietnam, a high incidence of lactose malabsorption would be expected in Vietnamese. However, confirming data are not available, and for this reason 31 adult Vietnamese were studied by obtaining diet histories and performing oral lactose tolerance tests. Twenty-three had drunk from one glass of milk a month to three glasses a day as adutls in Vietnam, and eight had noted milk-related symptoms. Since arrival in the United States, 30 had drunk milk and six had experienced symptoms. All 31 adult Vietnamese tested had flat lactose tolerance tests, signifying lactose malabsorption, with 20 subjects having symptoms during or after the tests.