The Wonderful World of Lactase

How this enzyme changes your food and your body

Let’s talk about “lactose intolerance” and the enzyme lactase. 

Lactose intolerance is a broad term used to explain symptoms people experience when their bodies have trouble digesting dairy–usually the milk sugar, lactose. These symptoms could include bloating, gastrointestinal discomfort, gas, diarrhea, and nausea. They are especially noticeable after consuming products containing pasteurized milk.

Many of us naturally have trouble digesting the large, complex carbohydrate that is lactose.

Lactase to the rescue!

Lactase is an enzyme (a protein) that divides the sugar lactose into two smaller sugars – glucose and galactose. Our bodies can digest these smaller sugars easily giving us no discomfort or side effects.

Enzymes are proteins. While not “alive,” these large protein molecules are catalysts for all kinds of chemical reactions. Our bodies have thousands of enzymes that perform thousands of unique functions in our bodies constantly. Lactase is simply one enzyme. Its role is to help our bodies break down the lactose sugar molecule so that we can use the glucose and galactose for energy

Now we get into the fun part.

How do we add lactase to our bodies via the food we eat?

Many of the species of bacteria in the genus Lactobacillus create the enzyme lactase as a byproduct. 

Let that sink in for a moment:

There are bacteria naturally present in our foods and environments that produce the enzyme our bodies need to break down lactose and use it for energy!

By eating foods with lactobacillus bacteria in them, we populate our digestive tracts with the enzyme lactase as a result.

Isn’t this GREAT NEWS?

Some of our bodies can make limited amounts of the enzyme lactase in our intestines. Others don’t make it at all. It’s reasonable that we ask our diets to contribute to the enzyme content in our bodies. 

This is why providing the enzyme lactase through our food choices is a great idea.

These foods give us this enzyme either directly, or indirectly through the lactobacillus bacteria present.

• Raw dairy and raw dairy products

• Cheeses

• Yogurt 

• Kefir

• Sauerkraut

• Kimchi

• Other fermented vegetables (due to the presence of lactobacillus on the veggies or via a starter culture of lactobacillus)

• Miso

• Tempeh

• Probiotic supplements that contain lactobacillus

In addition to providing lactase, the bacteria in fermented dairy products (cheese, kefir, yogurt), feed on the lactose sugars, thus reducing the amount of lactose that our bodies need while INCREASING the amount of lactase enzyme. Does it get any better than this?

Let’s break down the difference between pasteurized milk and raw.

Basic pasteurization requires bringing raw milk to temperatures of 161 degrees Fahrenheit (71.6 celsius) and keeping it at this temperature for 15 seconds. This heat kills the majority of the probiotic bacteria present in the milk and it denatures the proteins. Remember, lactase is an enzyme. It becomes denatured, or inactivated, when heated to about 125 degrees Fahrenheit.

Unless probiotics are reintroduced to pasteurized dairy products (i.e. yogurt or kefir), these vital enzyme-producing bacteria are not in heat treated dairy products and thus, won’t be in our bodies helping us to digest the lactose.

So perhaps it is time to better understand the complex relationship between our bodies and our food and celebrate the many ways we can deliciously introduce probiotics and enzymes into our diets.

For those who have trouble digesting pasteurized milk, perhaps consider how the raw or fermented options could aid in the digestive process.