Probiotic Invention Helps Prevent Lactose Intolerance Symptoms

The new invention promises a better and easier solution to prevent lactose intolerance symptoms over the traditional practice of taking lactase enzyme alone before a meal, which lactose intolerance sufferers often find impractical.

12 May 2010 --- Ganeden Biotech announced that it was granted a patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for its invention utilizing a combination of probiotics and lactase to increase lactose digestion in people with lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance, or the inability to digest lactose, impacts up to 50 million Americans, plaguing sufferers with diarrhea, gas, and/or bloating after they consume foods containing dairy. The new invention promises a better and easier solution to prevent lactose intolerance symptoms over the traditional practice of taking lactase enzyme alone before a meal, which lactose intolerance sufferers often find impractical.

According to the National Institutes of Health, up to 50 million Americans show signs of lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance occurs across all ethnic populations, but members of certain ethnic groups are hit particularly hard, with some 90 percent of Asians and 80 percent of blacks and Hispanics reporting lactose intolerance symptoms. Symptoms can range from mild discomfort to severe nausea. Gas and diarrhea can begin within 30 minutes and last for hours after eating or drinking food containing lactose, the main sugar found in milk. The gastrointestinal (GI) distress occurs when undigested lactose, the natural sugar found in milk, irritates the upper digestive tract and ferments in the lower digestive tract.

Taking lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose and what people with lactose intolerance lack, is the traditional solution for people with lactose intolerance who want to consume dairy and is a seemingly simple solution. However, people with lactose intolerance often find this solution burdensome, as the lactase enzyme must be taken every time dairy is consumed because it can only work when lactose is in the upper digestive tract. Additionally, many of today's non-dairy foods such as breads, cereals, salad dressings, and snacks, contain dairy products, which are included as ingredients or processing aids to boost protein content or improve texture, leading to what experts call "hidden dairy."

"Keeping enough lactase pills handy is hard enough, but since lactose intolerance sufferers often don't know that some of the foods they're eating contain dairy, they may not even think about taking their lactase pills," said Dr. Rachel Garber, a Cleveland pediatrician who treats lactose intolerant children and teens at her practice. "A better solution would be one that could be taken in the morning and protect you throughout the day against any dairy that might be consumed, knowingly or not."

Ganeden Biotech, a Cleveland-based biotechnology company has been successfully selling a product at retail stores under its Digestive Advantage brand, called Digestive Advantage Lactose Intolerance. It contains the combination of a probiotic strain of Bacillus coagulans and lactase enzyme covered by patent # 7,700,093, which was just issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Studies conducted by the Dutch research firm TNO demonstrated that the combination was able to increase lactose digestion throughout the digestive tract. This was an important finding since orally consumed lactase enzyme can only work to break down lactose in the upper digestive tract and is not effective for lactose that makes it to the lower digestive tract.

"The lactase enzyme market is rather stagnant, with the leading brands declining in sales. We believe this is because it's not the ideal solution to lactose intolerance -- it's not always easy to take a lactase pill before eating dairy, especially if you don't know that the food you're about to eat contains dairy," said Marshall Fong, who heads the marketing team at Ganeden. "Our Digestive Advantage Lactose Intolerance combines lactase enzyme plus probiotics to increase lactose digestion throughout the digestive tract. People love our product because it works, and because they don't need to take it with every meal."