Lactase deficiency in Singapore-born and Canadian-born Chinese |
| |
Authors: | Ivy Yap MD Barnet Berris MD Jin Yong Kang MD Mahanatayya Math MD Michael Chu Dorothy Miller MSc Alan Pollard MD |
| |
Institution: | (1) Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore;(2) Departments of Medicine and Clinical Biochemistry, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| |
Abstract: | Seventy-three of 77 adult Singapore-born Chinese (95%) and 48 of 49 Canadian-born adult Chinese (98%) were demonstrated to be lactase deficient using the lactose breath hydrogen test. The similar prevalence of lactase deficiency in the Singapore- and the Canadian-born Chinese despite a larger estimated amount of daily milk ingestion in the Canadian-born Chinese (430 ml vs 157 ml) supports the concept that lactase deficiency, which is transmitted genetically, does not have an adaptable component related to the quantity of lactose ingested. When the lactose breath hydrogen test performed with a dose of 0.5 g/kg of lactose was compared with the test using a standard dose of 50 g of lactose, there was very little loss of sensitivity. In spite of the presence of lactase deficiency, only 32% of the Singapore subjects and 23% of the Canadian subjects had gastrointestinal symptoms when milk was ingested in the daily diet. Peak breath H2 was higher in females than males, but the difference was more significant in the Canadian cohort. |
| |
Keywords: | lactase lactose Chinese Canadians |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|