Effect of Milk and Lactose on Zinc Absorption in Lactose-Intolerant Postmenopausal Women

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Abstract
We evaluated the effect of lactose intolerance on intestinal zinc absorption under various test conditions in a group of postmenopausal women. Fractional zinc absorption was studied with a dual-isotope technique using 65Zn and 51Cr (as nonabsorbable fecal markers). We performed four absorption tests on sixteen subjects with water (control), whole cow milk, lactose-free cow milk and lactose alone. Mean (± SEM) fractional zinc absorption was 0.558 ± 0.032 with water, 0.276 ± 0.031 with milk, 0.246 ± 0.028 with lactose-free milk and 0.564 ± 0.051 with lactose. No significant differences in zinc absorption were found under any of the test conditions between lactose-tolerant and lactose-intolerant subjects. Milk and lactose-free milk significantly reduced zinc absorption in both groups.