LACTOSE is the main carbohydrate in human breast milk as well as cow's milk. It is also present in many other dairy products such as cheese and yoghurt.
Lactose intolerance in young children is said to be typically caused by underlying gut conditions such as gut infection, cow's milk allergy, celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease.
Sunway Medical Centre paediatric gastroenterology and hepatology consultant Dr Ong Sik Yong, says lactose intolerance is a common gastrointestinal condition caused by the inability to digest and absorb dietary lactose.
Approximately 70 per cent of the world population is affected by lactase non-persistence, which causes the condition of primary lactose intolerance.
Primary lactose intolerance in children usually crops up after the child turns five, but can also be present as early as two years old. When this happens, the symptoms can only be managed by limiting lactose in their diet, thus, parents are advised to keep a vigilant eye on their child's dietary needs.
Dr Ong says children showing signs of lactose intolerance should only be fed dairy products with naturally lower lactose content and after a period of limiting food with lactose, the child can resume consumption of small amounts of food and drinks containing lactose.
Symptoms should be observed throughout this trial period and overtime, the parents or even children themselves would be able to tell how much lactose they can take.
Besides that, parents can also consider using lactase enzymes, which can be taken prior to consumption of dairy products to reduce unwanted consequences from consuming lactose.
"Children with lactose intolerance may include a little dairy in their diet as milk and other dairy products are a major source of calcium and vitamin D," says Dr Ong.
It is also important to ensure that these children who can only consume limited dairy products, eat other non-dairy foods which are rich in the same nutrients, like fish with soft edible bones (salmon and sardines) as well as green leafy vegetables.
They may also require calcium or vitamin D supplements for their growing bones.
Children with lactose intolerance will usually experience one or more intestinal or extraintestinal symptoms upon consumption of food containing lactose and these may include abdominal discomfort, bloating, farting, and/or diarrhoea.
Usually, symptoms begin about 30 minutes to two hours after consumption. Their stools will also show a low faecal pH (less than 5.5) and it may cause perianal skin irritation and excoriation (raw irritated lesions on skin surrounding the anus).
Dr Ong says according to a study, the estimated prevalence of primary lactose intolerance due to lactase non-persistence is as high as 90-100 per cent in Southeast Asia compared to 2-5 per cent in Northern Europe (Scandinavia, Germany and Great Britain), 17 per cent in Finland and Northern France and about 50 per cent in South America and Africa.
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