# Poor lactose absorption and IBS



## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

http://www.ibsandhealth.com/public/news/07-09-0709-ibs.htm Poor lactose absorption and IBS September 7, 2001 Lactose malabsorption is one of the main conditions that should be ruled out before making a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Dutch researchers from the Academic Hospital, Free University of Amsterdam, and the Medical Centre at Alkmaar in the Netherlands, have discovered that visits by to the out-patient clinic by people with IBS could be slashed by 75 per cent once lactose-malabsorption is diagnosed. The researchers followed IBS patients for a 5-year period and found that a lactose-restricted diet works both long- and short-term. They examined 70 IBS patients and found that 17 (24.3 per cent) actually had problems absorbing lactose. After 6 weeks on a lactose-restricted diet these patients showed a marked improvement in their symptoms. At the end of the 5-year period, 14 of the 16 people remaining in the study who had IBS and dificulty absorbing lactose, were still complaint-free while the other 2 said they had ceased to obtain any benefit from the low-lactose diet. Over the 5-year period, these patients visited the clinic less than once a year. Sourced from: European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2001; 13: 941-4


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