Lactase non-persistent genotype influences milk consumption and gastrointestinal symptoms in Northern Russians

BMC Gastroenterology

Research Article

Yulia Khabarova¹  Suvi Tornianen²  Irma Järvelä²  Pekka Karhunen³  Sari Tuomisto³  Kari Mattila⁴  Mauri Isokoski⁵ 

[1] Department of Family Medicine, Northern State Medical University, Arkhangelsk 163000, Russia and Medical School, Tampere University 33014, Finland;Department of Medical Genetics, University of Helsinki, 00014, Helsinki, Finland;Medical School, University of Tampere and Tampere University Hospital, 33014, Finland;Medical School, University of Tampere, 33014 and Center of General Practice, Hospital District of Pirkanmaa, 33521, Tampere, Finland;School of Health Sciences, University of Tampere, 33014, Tampere, Finland;

关键词: Lactose;    Lactase;    Milk Consumption;    Lactase Persistence;    Lactase Activity;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-230X-11-124

 received in 2011-04-06, accepted in 2011-11-13,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundMilk is an important source of nutrients. The consumption of milk, however, may cause abdominal complaints in lactose intolerant individuals. The frequency of -13910C/C genotype is known to be high among Northern Russians, exceeding the prevalence in northern Europe. In our study we tested two hypotheses: 1) subjects with lactase non-persistent genotype (-13910C/C) have more gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms associated with milk 2) subjects with lactase non-persistence avoid using milk.MethodsIn total, 518 students aged 17 to 26 years were randomly selected from different departments in the Northern State Medical University (NSMU) for genotyping the lactase activity-defining -13910C/T variant. All subjects filled in a questionnaire covering their personal data, self-reported GI symptoms and milk consumption habits.ResultsNorthern Russians consume very small amounts of milk daily. Among carriers of the lactase non-persistent (LNP) genotype there were 10 percentage units of milk-consumers fewer than among lactase-persistent (LP) subjects (p = 0.03). Complaints of GI disorders caused by milk were different between the genotypes (p = 0.02). Among all types of food analyzed only milk was associated with increased GI symptoms among subjects with the LNP genotype (OR = 1.95, CI 1.03-3.69)ConclusionsSubjects with -13910C/C have more GI symptoms from milk. Subjects with lactase non-persistent genotype avoid using milk. In the case of increasing milk consumption symptoms may increase the need for medical consultation. It is thus important either for people themselves or for health care staff to be aware of lactase persistence/non-persistence.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Khabarova et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011