Efficacy of incremental loads of cow's milk as a treatment for lactose malabsorption in Japan

Background: Lactose intolerance (LI) is commonly seen in East Asian countries. Several studies showed that lactose or milk loading has been used as a treatment for lactose malabsorption (LM) in Western countries, but there have been no reports regarding this type of treatment in Japan. As lactose or milk loading requires ingestion of large amounts of lactose within a short period, this is considered to be too harsh for Japanese people because of their less habitual milk consumption (175 mL per day in average) than Western people. In this study, we demonstrated lactose tolerance acquisition in a suitable way for Japanese.

Aim: To examine the efficacy of lactose (cow's milk) loading treatment in patients with LM.

Methods: Individuals with abdominal symptoms induced by milk or dairy products (LI symptoms) were identified with a questionnaire. A 20 g lactose hydrogen breath test (LHBT) was carried out to confirm LM diagnosis and to evaluate co-existence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Respondents diagnosed with LM were selected as study subjects and were treated with incremental loads of cow's milk, starting from 30 mL and increasing up to 200 mL at 4-7 d intervals. After the treatment, changes in symptoms and LM diagnostic value of 20 g LHBT were investigated. Stool samples pre- and post-treatment were examined for changes in intestinal microbiota using 16S rRNA sequencing. Informed consent was obtained prior to each stage of the study.

Results: In 46 subjects with LI symptoms (10-68 years old, mean age 34 years old) identified with the questionnaire, 35 (76.1%) were diagnosed with LM by 20 g LHBT, and 6 had co-existing SIBO. The treatment with incremental cow's milk was carried out in 32 subjects diagnosed with LM (14-68 years old, median age 38.5 years old). The mean period of the treatment was 41 ± 8.6 d. Improvement of symptoms was observed in 29 (90.6%; 95% confidence interval: 75.0%-98.0 %) subjects. Although 20 g LHBT indicated that 10 (34.5%) subjects had improved diagnostic value of LM, no change was observed in 16 (55.2%) subjects. Analysis of the fecal intestinal microbiota showed a significant increase in Blautia in 7 subjects who became symptom-free after the treatment (P = 0.0313).

Conclusion: LM was diagnosed in approximately 75% of the subjects who had LI. Incremental loads of cow's milk is regarded as a useful treatment for LM without affecting everyday life.