Lactose is sugar found in milk and requires the lactase enzyme, which your body secretes naturally, for it to be broken down into monosaccharides. You are incapable of fully digesting the milk sugar if your lactase level diminishes. Drinking lactose-free milk becomes the only alternative you have if you at all have to consume milk. Even though it lacks lactose, there are benefits of drinking lactose-free milk.
Easing ColicMilk contains many nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, which are integral to your health. However, according to Dr. Alan Greene, dairy products are the most prevalent cause of colic and cow's milk might cause distress for your breast-feeding infant. Drinking lactose-free milk may reduce chances that your baby will suffer from colic. Nevertheless, it still provides the important nutrients that your body requires for good health.
DigestibleYou can consume lactose-free milk to get the nutrients in the milk if you are suffering from lactose intolerance – a condition that causes bloating and other side effects due to incomplete indigestion of lactose. If you have conditions that impair lactase production, such as Crohn’s disease, you will also benefit from lactose-free milk. The milk does not fill your bowels with excess fluid or gas, which are common symptoms of people who are not able to digest lactose. Lactose-free milk also eases diarrhea and bloating caused by incomplete lactose digestion.
Nutritional BenefitsJust like the lactose-packed milk, the lactose-free milk contains a whole lot of nutrients that are important for different biological processes in your body. Vitamins and minerals, mainly calcium, support not only the development of strong bones and teeth but also muscle formation and cellular activity. If you do not want to breast-feed your baby because you are concerned she may develop colic, then drinking lactose-free milk is a solution that will provide you and your child with minerals needed for growth.
TipsDespite lacking lactose, lactose-free milk contains all the other nutrients as milk that has lactose. If you develop allergies after drinking milk, stop drinking it. Do not drink this milk if you have an allergy to proteins in milk, as it will only trigger a reaction. Lactose-free milk contains the same proteins as regular milk.