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Q And A Clearinghouse
3rd Quarter, 2000
Updated October 16, 2000
This page answers the
questions that arrived in the third quarter of 2000.
Send your questions to me, Steve Carper, at SteveCarper@cs.com.
Remember, I personally answer all questions that you send me, no
matter what. The ones that are of sufficiently general interest
get posted here, where I hope they can do the most good.
If you don't spot your question here, be sure to check my
Q and A Quick Finder Index.
Q. I have been
told by my doctor that eating yogurt that contains "live and
active cultures" can actually help lactose intolerance. If this
is true, is it also true for the yogurt that is soy based?
It's true that "live and active cultures" in yogurt help
to digest the lactose that is present in the yogurt, but not
other lactose that may be present in your diet. But soy
yogurts have no lactose to begin with, so the cultures in them
do no extra good.
Q. Does
vitamin C have lactose in it?
It does not contain lactose, nor should it pose any problems
for people who have LI.
Q. Is it possible
to develop ulcers in the colon or small intestine from repeated bouts
of lactose intolerance? Can these bouts aggravate an already present
ulcer?
LI by itself will not cause ulcers or any other problems. However,
if you have chronic diarrhea you may develop or aggrevate anal fissures,
or small ulcers in the anal canal. These are thought to be caused by
hard or large stools, and repeated straining at stool may increase the damage.
But this is a territory better treated by a doctor.
Q. Can LI
caught weight loss?
Not eating causes weight loss, not LI itself. If many foods cause
diarrhea, then it's natural that someone sensitive, like a young
girl, would start avoiding food. It may be time to see a doctor.
Q. Can lactase
pills lose their effectiveness after several years of using them?
There is no evidence whatsoever that this is true.
Q. Have
you any knowledge of a connection between LI milk and oatmeal?
Regular milk and oatmeal?
Of course there's a connection between LI and regular milk. But I
know of nothing special about oatmeal that would make it any worse
than anything else.
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