More than 1.5 million Kuwaitis ‘are lactose intolerant’

Kuwait, The Gulf Observer: Consultant of Internal Diseases, Digestive System and Liver Dr Wafaa Al-Hashash said according to a study she prepared, 82 percent of Kuwaitis, more than 1.5 million citizens, are lactose intolerant, which means they cannot digest lactose in dairy products.

Dr Hashash said the study was conducted with patients who suffer from indigestion, flatulence, gas, change of toilet habits, constipation and diarrhea by taking a biopsy from the small intestine while having an endoscopy, then testing for the lactase enzyme.

“Under normal circumstances, lactase turns lactose into two simple sugars – glucose and galactose, and they are absorbed through the small intestine’s lining into the blood stream. In case of shortage of lactase, the lactose in food goes into the colon instead of being processed and absorbed in the small intestine. The indigested lactose reacts with natural flora in the colon and causes symptoms of lactose intolerance,” she said.