Take the MOO out of the Milk Demo


I got this from a colleague, Cynthia Johnson of My BioZone. The procedure is simple:
  1. Fill 2 test tubes with room temperature milk.
  2. Use glucose test strips to demonstrate that there is no glucose in the milk.
  3. To one of the tubes add the recommended dosage of Lactaid (break up the tablets).
  4. Allow time for enzyme to act.
  5. Then test the milk (both tubes) for the presence of glucose.

What is this supposed to show? Lactose intolerance is because the digestive system of some folks is not able to completely break down the sugar found in milk called LACTOSE. This inability results from a shortage of the enzyme lactase, which is produced by the cells that line the small intestine. Hence, the term Lactase Deficiency. So, simply that Lactaid breaks lactose, a complex LARGE molecule, into smaller simpler sugars like glucose. Glucose can be absorbed into the blood stream. That's how it works. For lactose intolerant folks, they react poorly to trying to digest the large chain molecules present in lactose. However, the simpler sugars are easy to handle.


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