Lactase Deficiency in Thailand: Effect of Prolonged Lactose Feeding

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Abstract
The lactose tolerance test was abnormal in 97% of 140 healthy adult Thais, while glucose and sucrose tolerance tests were normal in nearly all. A selective deficiency of intestinal lactase activity was found that accounts for these results. Feeding 50 g of lactose, the sugar content of a quart of milk, daily to 50 healthy young adult Thais for 4 weeks did not alter the tolerance test or enzyme assay. This suggests that lactase deficiency in this population is not the result of adaptation to a milk-free diet.