Lactose intolerance has been long held responsible for people developing distaste towards dairy products and now a new study says that those who are lactose intolerant possess lower level of vitamin D in their blood. Also, such people were found to have a gene called LCT that causes them to be intolerant to lactose.
Lactose intolerance not just causes people to shun dairy products, it also brings down the level of vitamin D in their blood, Medical Xpress claimed. According to a new study conducted at the University of Toronto, lactose intolerance shares a connection with vitamin D deficiency. The researchers found that lactose intolerant people possess a gene variation called LCT and since such people do not consume dairy products, they suffer from vitamin D deficiency.
These people were also found to be little shorter than those who did not possess the LCT gene. Researcher Ahmed El-Sohemy said that it was not surprising for them to find that lactose intolerant people consume lesser dairy items but what surprised them was that the people did not take supplements or non-dairy foods to make up for the loss.
He said that the findings are an eye-opener and point out towards a need to make lactose intolerant people aware of this deficiency, Medical News Today reported. Notably, lactose intolerance is a condition of the body in which it cannot digest lactose, a type of sugar found in dairy items. The body does not produce sufficient lactase, the enzyme that helps in digesting lactose and thus, lactose intolerant people suffer from flatulence, diarrhea and other discomforting symptoms after consuming dairy products.
Nevertheless, now that the study has revealed a major deficiency, lactose intolerant people should fortify their vitamin D intake through non-dairy sources. This is important for proper growth of bones and to protect them from wear and tear. It may be mentioned here that the study was conducted on 1,495 people and will be published in the next month issue of Journal of Nutrition.
