[Lactose intolerance in adults (author's transl)].

A study on the lactose intolerance of adults was carried out through dietary survey, clinical data and tolerance tests. It was performed in 24 healthy persons, aged 19 to 39 years. Only one of the participants referred milk intolerance since childhood. Eleven of the 24 adults had signs of lactose intolerance through clinical symptoms and/or low increase of blood sugar after the load test. It was noteworthy that the majority of the intolerants were white people. It is discussed the practical importance of these lactose tolerance tests as an index of milk tolerance, considering the high recommended amount of lactose used in the tests.