After reading an article about therapeutic and prophylactic low-lactose mixtures, You will learn:

• 1

  What is lactase deficiency?

• 2

  What are the symptoms of lactase deficiency in babies?

• 3

  What laboratory methods can confirm the presence of lactase deficiency?

• 4

  How can lactase deficiency be treated with nutritional correction?

• 5

  What low lactose formulas are available?

• 6

  What is the best low lactose formula?

• 7

  What other low lactose formulas are available?

• 8

  How to administer low lactose formula?

• 9

  How is the introduction of complementary foods in conditions of lactase deficiency?

• 10

  How to expand the diet, after the abolition of low-lactose formula?

• 11

  How long are low-lactose formulas used?

• 12

  How do I know if a low lactose formula is right for my baby?

lactase deficiency

Lactase deficiency is a condition of the body in which there is a deficiency of a special enzyme (lactase) that helps the body break down complex carbohydrates into simpler molecules. So, the lactase enzyme breaks down lactose - the main carbohydrate in milk - while forming two molecules: galactose and glucose. Simple sugars, in particular galactose and glucose, are able to be absorbed into the bloodstream, saturating the body with energy. Thus, a deficiency of the enzyme lactase in the body leads to malabsorption of milk sugar and poor tolerance of foods containing lactose. From a medical point of view, there are primary and secondary lactase deficiency.

Primary lactase deficiency develops when a breakdown of the genetic code is observed in the body, and a person does not tolerate any dairy products throughout his life. Treatment is required for life. Fortunately, there are very few people suffering from a total lactase deficiency - alactasia - in 10% of the population of the entire planet. In children suffering from alactasia, adult relatives with the same problem are always identified, which help the doctor to navigate the situation.

Secondary lactase deficiency associated with damage to intestinal cells against the background of any disease or immaturity of the digestive system as a whole.

Conditions that can lead to secondary lactase deficiency:

1. acute intestinal infections due to damage to the intestinal mucosa by microbial toxins or their direct effect on the wall of the small intestine;
2. atrophic changes in the mucous membrane, after a long absence of food intake (we are talking about the absence of food for more than 7-10 days). For example, after prolonged intravenous nutrition, in the intensive care unit, etc.
3. various intoxications;
4. food allergy;
5. violation of intestinal microbiocenosis;
6. immaturity of the enzymatic system;
7. damage to the mucous membrane of the small intestine when using drugs (more typical for older children);
8. prematurity. All children born before 35 weeks of gestation have lactase deficiency. Often associated with intolerance to whole milk proteins. That is why all premature babies are recommended to be fed with specialized milk formulas.

In infants, including preterm infants, the majority of lactase deficiency is temporary. Depending on the degree of enzyme deficiency, the duration of carbohydrate intolerance can vary, from 1-2 months to 5-6 months, and longer in premature babies.

Symptoms of lactase deficiency

Among the clinical symptoms, the most noteworthy are:

1. frequent watery, frothy, sour-smelling stools;

   For children of the first month of life, mushy, and even loose stools up to 5-10 times a day are considered the norm. In the second month of life, the normal frequency of stool for a child is from 1 to 5 times a day. For children older than 2 months of life, bowel movements are considered the norm - 1-4 times a day.

2. frequent and profuse regurgitation, in severe cases - episodes of vomiting;
3. severe gas formation in the intestines, accompanied by bouts of intense pain in the abdomen - colic;
4. diarrhea that is not treatable by conventional means (typical for older children);
5. lag in weight, growth and development;
6. observing an infant, a relationship is often found between breastfeeding or milk formulas containing lactose and a deterioration in the child's well-being with the appearance of regurgitation, vomiting, or characteristic loose stools.

In the treatment of secondary lactase deficiency, various methods are used, depending entirely on the nature of feeding and the severity of lactase deficiency.

Methods used to confirm the diagnosis

The minimum diagnostic examination for suspected lactase deficiency is:

1. Examination of feces for carbohydrates. In infants, there should be no free carbohydrates in the feces at all or there are very few of them. Therefore, their detection is a sign of malabsorption of carbohydrates, in particular lactose.
2. The study of the coprogram with the determination of pH or the isolated determination of the pH of feces. Information of the coprogram may indicate a violation of not only the carbohydrate composition of the diet, but also indirectly reflect the ability to properly digest protein and fats. With combined digestive disorders, soaps, neutral fats, fatty acids, an abundance of mucus, and so on appear in the coprogram.

   A change in the acidity of feces towards acidification of the environment, that is, a pH of feces less than 5.5, indicates the predominance of fermentation processes. If the pH of the feces is 5.5 or lower, then there is a lactase deficiency.

3. A test with the introduction of enzyme preparations during breastfeeding or a test with the introduction of a low-lactose (or lactose-free) mixture for 2-3 days, instead of the usual nutrition for artificially fed children.

   If 24-48 hours after the diagnostic introduction of a low-lactose product there is a positive trend in the regression of existing symptoms, feeding with a specialized mixture is continued.

In addition to the above research methods,:

1. genetic testing for suspected congenital lactase deficiency (especially if there are cases of refusal of dairy products by one of the close relatives);
2. breath tests, indicating the content of lactose breakdown products in the exhaled air. The specificity of this test implies the age of children older than 4 years.

Treatment with nutritional correction

Scheme for the correction of lactase deficiency according to the National strategy for feeding children in the first year of life:

With natural feeding	With artificial feeding
The maximum amount and long-term preservation of mother's milk in the child's diet is paramount. Treatment begins with the appointment of enzyme preparations: The amount of lactose in 100 ml of the finished mixture: 1.0 grams	Protein component with a predominance of whey proteins 60/40; Added maltodextrin; Used in children with secondary lactase deficiency, after diarrhea, to reduce colic.
Nestogen Low lactose The amount of lactose in 100 ml of the finished mixture: 0.19 grams	The carbohydrate component is represented by glucose syrup, maltodextrin, and a little lactose. It is used for lactase deficiency and after diarrhea.
Humana LP The amount of lactose in 100 ml of the finished mixture: 1.1 grams	The content of casein is about 90%; Added maltodextrin and potato starch; It is used for acute intestinal infections, diarrhea of ​​a different nature, partial lipase deficiency, secondary lactase deficiency, flatulence, colic, regurgitation.
Humana LP + MCT The amount of lactose in 100 ml of the finished mixture: 0.5 grams	It is characterized by the predominance of the casein fraction; Contains glucose syrup and maltodextrin; Contains Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) to aid in fat absorption. MCTs are cleaved without the participation of pancreatic and intestinal lipase, which compensates for the immaturity of pancreatic enzymes. It is used for digestive disorders of various origins, for intestinal disorders in the acute stage and during the recovery period.
Nutrilon Low lactose The amount of lactose in 100 ml of the finished mixture: 1.33 grams	This mixture was discontinued in 2009, the Nutricia company, as well as many others, abandoned the production of a low-lactose mixture due to the arrival of mixtures - "comfort" on the market. (more on blends-comfort in this article)

Best Low Lactose Blend

The choice of a low-lactose mixture for the treatment of secondary lactase deficiency is strictly individual in nature and is determined by the amount of lactose that the child is able to absorb on his own. Specialized nutrition can be prescribed to a child only after examination and assessment of his ability to break down lactose. Since the amount of lactose in all mixtures is different, it is difficult to say which milk mixture is necessary for a particular child and is most often selected empirically. The course of treatment with a low-lactose mixture lasts, on average, from 1 to 3 months. This time is enough for the body to learn how to produce its own enzymes for the normal digestion of dairy products. After a course of therapy and relief of symptoms of lactase deficiency, under the supervision of a physician, the child is gradually transferred to a normal diet.

Low lactose formulas

Lactase deficiency is quite often combined with various digestive disorders, therefore, among mixtures with a low lactose content, there are representatives from other groups of milk formulas.

Among hypoallergenic mixtures with partial protein hydrolysis, with high hydrolysis of whey proteins and casein, mixtures based on amino acids, anti-reflux mixtures and comfort mixtures, there are products with a reduced content of lactose, which are used in the combined pathology of the digestive system:

Introduction to the diet of a low-lactose mixture, complementary foods and subsequent expansion of the diet

With lactase deficiency, in formula-fed children, a low-lactose mixture is introduced with the maximum content of this carbohydrate that the baby is able to tolerate without causing clinical symptoms. The need to maintain the intake of lactose in the body is due to:

1. Lactose is a natural probiotic, in the presence of which the own intestinal microflora develops most favorably.
2. Lactose is also the only source of galactose, which is formed during its splitting. Galactose is used to produce galactolipids, including cerebrosides, which are essential for proper formation of the central nervous system and myelination of nerve fibers.
3. Galactose (a breakdown product of lactose) is necessary for the synthesis of hyaluronic acid, which is part of the vitreous body of the eye and synovial fluid.

A low-lactose formula is introduced into each feeding, gradually replacing it with the usual milk mixture. Introducing new foods to a child's diet is very important. Children suffering from lactose intolerance require careful observation, keeping a food diary indicating the type of product, its quantity and its tolerance. Complementary foods for children of the first year of life with lactase deficiency are prepared not with milk, but with the therapeutic mixture with a reduced lactose content that the child receives. At 5 months of life, it is advisable to introduce gluten-free porridge (rice, corn, buckwheat) or mashed vegetables with coarse vegetable fiber (cauliflower, zucchini, pumpkin, carrots) with the addition of vegetable oil as the first main food.

Next, add the meat puree. Fruits and fruit juices (diluted with water 1:1) are introduced into the diet of children with lactase deficiency later, usually after 6-7 months. In children of the second half of life, it is possible to use dairy products, where the lactose content is negligible: cottage cheese washed from whey, butter, hard cheese.

Duration of use of low-lactose mixtures

With primary (congenital) lactase deficiency, a low-lactose diet is prescribed for life. In case of transient lactase deficiency, low-lactose mixtures are used upon reaching remission of the underlying disease, as a rule, after 1-3 months, the diet is gradually expanded by introducing lactose-containing milk mixtures, under the control of clinical symptoms (diarrhea, flatulence) and laboratory tests (stool examination for carbohydrates).

Criteria for the effectiveness of diet therapy using low-lactose mixtures

1. improving the general condition of the child;
2. improvement of appetite;
3. disappearance of regurgitation, vomiting;
4. the disappearance of flatulence;
5. normalization of the stool (more often by 2-4 days from the start of treatment);
6. increase in stool pH;
7. decrease in the content of carbohydrates (lactose) in feces;
8. positive dynamics in body weight. After 5-7 days from the start of diet therapy, the weight should begin to grow.

Thus, the main treatment for lactase deficiency is diet. Timely correction of nutrition in children with lactose intolerance allows you to get positive dynamics in the child's condition as soon as possible and prevent the development of complications.

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Lactose is the sugar found in breast milk and most formulas. Sometimes a newborn in the intestines lacks an enzyme that breaks down this sugar - lactase. This condition is called lactase deficiency (LD). A baby with symptoms of LN needs timely medical attention and diet.

Based on the history and tests, the pediatrician will determine the disease, make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment. A prerequisite for therapy will be a complete or partial transition to lactose-free mixtures for newborns. In some cases, medications are required, such as Lactase Baby, Lactazar, Lactase Enzyme.

A distinctive feature of the mixture is that the product does not contain milk sugar. Some types of baby food are labeled as lactose-free, but contain lactose in a minimum amount - 0.1 g per liter.

When buying infant formula, be sure to pay attention to the labeling on the packaging. The box must be marked "BL" (English version "LF").

An infant with symptoms of a protein allergy is given lactose-free, hypoallergenic formulas that include whey protein and albumin in a 50:50 or 40:60 ratio.

Adapted mixtures are close in composition to mother's milk. In lactose-free versions, cow's milk is not used, soy is its substitute.

Lactose-free mixtures are also made on goat's milk, which is based on calcium caseinate. The protein in them is soy isolate, hydrolyzed whey protein or casein. If the low-lactose version of the mixture is not suitable, and the baby has a severe form of allergy, the doctor, together with the parents, will have to select a product containing synthesized amino acids.

When appointed

Lactase-free mixtures are therapeutic, therefore it is impossible to switch to them from HB or nutrition with adapted unleavened analogues.

If a healthy child eats lactose-free baby food, it will harm the body, slow down growth and development. You can feed the crumbs with BL mixtures only on the recommendation of a doctor. The pediatrician must establish the nature and form of the disease. A violation of the color or consistency of the baby's stool is not a sign of a serious pathology. How much mixture is used for feeding and how long it should be included in the diet is also decided by the doctor, based on indicators of the dynamics of recovery, the age factor.

It is important to transfer the baby to medical nutrition correctly. Make the transition gradually. For the first time, give your baby 30 ml of nutrition in addition to regular formula or breast milk. Watch your body's reaction. If you experience unpleasant symptoms, consult a doctor for advice. The question of withdrawing the product arises if the infant has the following disorders:

• rash, redness, peeling of the skin;
• when changing the nature of bowel movements;
• in case of increased gas formation, which caused colic.

If negative manifestations were not noted, the next day increase the portion and number of feedings. Give the little one 60 ml of the mixture after two feedings. On the third day, a complete replacement of two feedings with lactose-free analogues is carried out. According to the decision of the doctor, the therapeutic mixture is used for all feedings.

If the lack of enzymes is transient (temporary), after the recommended time, the child is returned to breastfeeding or feeding with fresh adapted mixtures. The transition is also carried out according to the recommendations of the doctor.

If you abruptly change one type of food to another, the baby may experience an upset digestive system (constipation, diarrhea).

With prolonged use of the BL mixture, the color of the baby's stool changes, gas formation becomes more frequent, and the balance of microflora is disturbed. As prescribed by the doctor, lactose-free nutrition is used simultaneously with medicines containing prebiotics. This will help to avoid side effects associated with the use of therapeutic baby food.

Overview of manufacturers of lactose-free mixtures

Decide which mixtures are best together with the pediatrician who prescribes the medicinal product. An experienced pediatrician will point out the necessary hypoallergenic options. In addition, parents often have to go through the path of trial and error, choosing a safe product for the baby among the abundance of products. The list of popular brands is replenished by the proposed manufacturers.

Nan

Nan BL is designed for children from birth to one year old. One package contains 400 g of dry powder. The proportions of whey protein and casein are 3:2. The composition includes the substance maltodextrin. It is recommended to give food to children with lactase deficiency and functional pathologies of the small intestine.

Nutrilon

Similac

Similac does not produce products labeled BL, but Similac Low Lactose can be found in the manufacturer's line. The composition of baby food is close to mother's milk. It does not contain palm oil, but there are nucleotides and prebiotics necessary for the body. You can add food to the crumbs menu from birth.

Friso

TM Friso produces a product called Frisosome. It is produced on the basis of highly purified soy protein isolate, does not contain lactose. Parents note high taste. Nutrition is intended for babies from the first days of life. The package weighs 400 grams.

Bellakt

Bellakt BL is available in packs of 400g. It can be used to feed a newborn baby and babies up to a year. Contains casein. Delicious food gently improves the functioning of the intestines, helps to strengthen the immune forces of the body.

Humana

Humana launches a product labeled SL. Packing weight 500 grams. The mixture is made on the basis of soy without milk, gluten and lactose. Rich in omega fatty acids. It is used as the only food, it can also be used as supplementary food. Does not contain GMOs, colors, preservatives or artificial flavors.

Nutrilak

Nutrilak Plus is approved for children from 0 to 12 months. Net weight 350 grams. The composition contains whey protein and casein in a ratio of 50/50. Indications for use - diarrhea, lactose and gluten intolerance, galactosemia.

Nestogen

Nestogen Low-lactose is available in a cardboard box. Net weight 350 grams. Recommended from 0 to 1 year. The food is easily digestible, contains nucleotides, glucose syrup, as well as a vitamin-mineral complex. The disadvantage of the brand is the presence of vegetable oils in the composition.

Grandma's basket

The product of this brand is suitable for newborns and one-year-old babies with lactose intolerance. It contains casein, glucose syrup, maltodextrin. Package weight - 400 grams.

Alfare

Alfare Amino is nutrition with fully synthesized amino acids. Carbohydrate substitutes are starch and corn syrup. A good option for children with complicated food allergies and reactions to soy, cow protein, lactose.

Trademarks Malyutka and Nanny do not produce such products.

Each baby is individual, so choosing the right food is not easy. Before switching to a new type of mixture, consult your doctor, also be guided by the reputation of the brand, your own opinion. Do not mix products from different manufacturers. With the proper use of lactose-free mixtures, parents will be able to easily and quickly restore the normal functioning of the baby's digestive tract.

Digestive problems are quite common.

The causes of the baby's torment may be different, but in most cases the child has a lack of acceptance of lactic ferments.

Today we’ll talk about nutrition, which in such a situation can be transferred to a child.

Almost all large food companies, in parallel with the usual ones, produce products for children with special needs, taking into account lactose intolerance, or allergy to lactic ferments.

Description and composition

Lactose-free baby products are, first of all, medical nutrition containing either low-lactose cow or goat milk processed by special technologies, or hydrolyzed whey or casein protein, soy isolate, and in cases of complete intolerance - a mixture of synthetic amino acids that replace protein.

The content of milk sugar in lactose-free mixtures for newborns is practically zero. The composition necessarily includes all the vitamins and useful elements necessary for growth.

What is the difference from the usual

The main difference between conventional and lactose-free products is the partial or complete absence of milk sugar and lactose carbohydrate, in some cases the absence of milk. The missing carbohydrate in such cases is replaced by specially processed starch, glucose and sucrose.

When prescribed: indications

The main indications for the use of such products are the following factors:

• lactase deficiency;
• galactosemia;
• obvious disorders of the gastrointestinal tract;
• premature babies.

Features of use in lactase deficiency

With lactase deficiency, making independent decisions without consulting a doctor is highly discouraged: children often have a temporary or partial manifestation of the problem, when breast milk should not be completely abandoned. Therefore, after diagnosing the problem, the doctor will tell you which formula is best for the child: lactose-free, low in enzyme or hypoallergenic.

Did you know?The composition of milk varies depending on the needs of the baby, time of day, weather conditions. For example, in the hot season it contains more water than fat to quench thirst, a baby up to six months will consume more proteins and minerals, and from six months milk will contain more fats and carbohydrates.

When breastfeeding

If there are problems with digestion in infants, enzyme preparations are first prescribed, and already in case of unsuccessful treatment, a lactose-free mixture. The medicine for the baby is mixed with expressed breast milk.

Important! The main product for a newborn is mother's milk, it is breastfeeding that gives the child strong immunity and vitamins and microelements necessary for growth and development. Artificial mixtures in full will not replace mother's milk.

If it is necessary to use the product, it is administered in small portions (first one third of the milk portion), bringing to the volume required for feeding in about five days.

With artificial feeding

The complete exclusion of milk from artificers can cause a number of problems: dysbacteriosis, lack of elements that affect the development of the nervous system.

Such children are prescribed foods containing a low amount of lactose. It is permissible to mix the usual mixture with lactose-free, but the proportion in this case is selected by the pediatrician. In the case of properly selected mixtures and proportions in children on artificial feeding, the problem goes away in about a week.

With the introduction of complementary foods

For problem children, cereals are prepared on mixtures used for treatment. After six months of age, you can try to introduce foods low in lactose into the diet: hard cheese and cottage cheese, butter.

Important!With secondary lactase deficiency, after one to three months, depending on the result of treatment with a diet, the baby is transferred to a normal diet, but under the constant supervision of a pediatrician.

For premature babies

For premature babies, there are special products with an already reduced lactose content. Most often, there is no problem as such, it’s just that the body of such children has not yet formed the activity to take the enzyme.

If the mother of a premature baby has the opportunity to breastfeed, this will accelerate the maturation of the enzyme that breaks down lactose.

This disease is the inability of specific body enzymes to break down galactose, turning it into glucose, with this disease, carbohydrate metabolism is disturbed.

Lactose-free mixtures for galactosemia for infants are not suitable. For such children, a diet based on purified soy protein has been developed. The product is administered gradually, during the week increasing the volume to a full serving, the first dose should not exceed one fifth of the daily norm of normal nutrition.

Which mixture is better: a list of the most popular

The list of formulas adapted for children with digestive problems is long, we settled on the most popular lactose-free, low-enzyme and hypoallergenic foods.

Low lactose

• "low lactose";
• "Bellakt NL";
• "low lactose";
• "Humana LP";
• "Humana LP + SCT".

Hypoallergenic

• "NAS hypoallergenic";
• "Nutrilak GA";
• "GA";

Every year, doctors note an increase in the number of children in the first weeks of life and infancy with various manifestations of an allergy to white cow's and goat's milk. The immune system of the child's body perceives it as foreign, includes a protective function. In order to prevent and treat this disease, low-lactose mixtures for children are used, which include highly crushed cow protein. Properly selected nutrition and treatment allow you to quickly stop both diathesis, intestinal colic, disorders and constipation, rashes, irritation and dry skin.

When should you use low lactose formulas?

An indication for the introduction of low-lactose mixtures into the diet of a child is the prevention of allergic reactions and the treatment of food allergies to milk protein in children. In addition, pediatricians may recommend the use of specialized mixtures for temporary digestive disorders, poisoning, while taking antibiotics, for disorders in the gastrointestinal tract associated with the introduction of complementary foods, etc. If an allergy to milk protein manifests itself during breastfeeding, it is recommended to review the mother's diet.

Low-lactose mixtures according to their purpose are divided into:

• preventive;
• medical.

Therapeutic are indicated for moderate and severe allergies. Preventive are recommended for inclusion in the diet of children at risk of development, the first and symptoms of food allergies. In moderate and severe forms of the disease, breast milk substitutes of this group are introduced on the recommendation of a pediatrician and an allergist after a successful course of treatment for allergies. Low-lactose mixtures are also distinguished by the degree of hydrolysis and the type of protein fraction, as well as by the carbohydrate component.

In the online supermarket Helptomama you can buy low-lactose mixtures "Similak" and "Bellakt GA", the price of which will pleasantly surprise you. "Similak" has a unique composition that does not contain palm fat. "Bellakt GA" contains prebiotics, nucleotides, vitamin and mineral complex. "Bellakt GA Hypoallergenic" does not contain lactose, so it is often recommended as an optimal replacement for breastfeeding in moderate and severe forms of milk protein allergy and in exacerbations of the disease after relapses.

Low-lactose mixtures for newborns are therapeutic infant formulas and are “prescribed” to children diagnosed with lactase deficiency.

As the name suggests - these are mixtures in which the carbohydrate content of lactose is reduced. According to the standards, it should be 0.5 - 1.3 g per 100 ml of ready-made food.

There are also lactose-free formulas that have been specifically designed to feed lactase-deficient babies. Read in detail. Unlike low-lactose mixtures, lactose-free formulas range from zero to 0.1 g/100 ml.

Lactose, as we already wrote in, is a very important component for the human body, it is a source of carbohydrates and helps to form and maintain the correct intestinal microflora . It is especially important for a small developing organism of a child.. But it happens that the baby’s intestines cannot process the lactose supplied with food, partially or completely, and then, in order not to overload the body, a lactose-free or low-lactose mixture is introduced into his diet.

I must say that both mixtures cannot be chosen independently by the mother, it is prescribed by the attending physician, focusing on the results of the baby's tests, his age, weight and other parameters, for example, the degree of exacerbation of the course of the disease.

Also, neither mixture can act as the only source of nutrition for the baby. Usually a lactose-free or low-lactose formula is mixed with an adapted normal lactose formula. in a certain proportion, which is often selected empirically, since the body of each baby is individual and is able to absorb a different amount of lactose over a certain period of time.

Lactase deficiency is usually the cause or consequence (in secondary LN) of other diseases of the infant's digestive tract. Therefore, low-lactose therapeutic formulas are often aimed at treating more than just this disease. For example, comfort formulas, partially hydrolyzed protein formulas, amino acid formulas, and some anti-reflux formulas. may be considered low lactose.

How to distinguish a low-lactose formula from other mixtures?

Firstly, on cans or boxes with such nutrition is marked “LP”, which means “medical nutrition”, and secondly, the mark “NL”, which means “low lactose”.

How to feed your baby a low-lactose formula?

As we have already said, it is better for the mother not to be independent in the choice of medical nutrition for the baby, but to consult with a specialist. The attending physician selects the nutrition that, in his qualified opinion, is most suitable in this case.

Comment: if the child is breastfed, then lactose-free mixtures are used as a prophylaxis for lactase deficiency. For formula-fed babies, only low-lactose infant formula is used.

A low-lactose milk formula is usually introduced into the baby’s diet for a short time - for a maximum of three months, after which tests are repeated to detect lactase deficiency in the body and, based on their results, the diet is again reviewed by the pediatrician. In normal cases, by the end of the first year of life, the child's body is already capable of producing lactase, which processes lactose, and the symptoms of the disease (loose frequent stools, bloating, colic) disappear. Very rarely, but there are cases of lactase deficiency persisting for life. This is a completely different topic, because an older child is already receiving complementary foods, and then completely begins to eat “adult” food, and in such an extended menu it is very easy to get other sources of carbohydrates, except for lactose.

How to choose a low lactose formula?

The ideal option is nutrition with the maximum amount of lactose in the composition, which is able to painlessly absorb the baby's body. After all, lactose is an important element for a growing organism, so it’s not only impossible to deprive a child of it absolutely, but it is also desirable that the baby receives it as much as possible.

How to introduce a low-lactose mixture into the diet?

Like any other, gradually, starting with small doses. Usually on the first day the formula is added to two feedings, on the second dose of the low-lactose formula in each feeding is increased, on the third day the new food is added to a couple more feedings, and so on. It is best if the ratio of the adapted and low-lactose mixture is selected by your attending pediatrician, and he will also tell you how best to switch to a new diet.

If the baby has already grown up and receives complementary foods, then cereals and other food you need to cook just on the low-lactose mixture prescribed for you instead of milk. From six months, you can try to give your baby low-lactose "milk" - hard cheese, butter, cottage cheese.

Low-lactose mixtures: composition

Usually, the composition of such mixtures is not much different from adapted baby food, except for the low content of lactose (0.5 - 1.3 g / 100 ml).

In addition to a small amount of lactose, glucose, sucrose, and starch are present in the composition.

The composition of low-lactose mixtures includes standard sets of vitamins and microelements - vitamins of group B, as well as A, D, K, E, and in addition iron, selenium, copper, manganese, phosphorus and, of course, calcium.

Like all other mixtures, these are divided by age - for children from birth to six months, from 6 months to a year, over a year.

We add that lactose-free mixtures have approximately the same composition. In general, what is the difference between lactose-free mixtures and low-lactose ones? We answer that the composition of the mixture differs from manufacturer to manufacturer, someone adds more calcium, someone does not use maltodextrin, and so on. The only difference that runs like a red thread is the lactose content in the final product - from zero to 0.1g or from 0.5 to 1.3g.