Lactase enzyme

A much more common metabolic disorder, lactose intolerance, occurs commonly in most parts of the world (notable exceptions being some parts of Africa and northern Europe). Lactose intolerance is an inability to digest lactose because of the absence of the enzyme lactase in the intestines of adults. The symptoms of this disorder, which include diarrhea and general discomfort, can be relieved by eliminating milk from the diet. 

Food intolerance occurs when a food ingredient cannot be metabolised. The commonest food intolerance is lactose intolerance. This occurs when the enzyme lactase is absent. This happens when humans do not consume milk after weaning a state which is the norm in most of Asia. Thus it is possible that the bulk of the world s population is lactose intolerant. 

Some individuals are unable to metabolise lactose and are lactose intolerant. This is because they lack the enzyme lactase that is needed to metabolise lactose. Lactose intolerance is common in those parts of the world where humans do not consume any dairy products after weaning. In practice this means in Asia, which means that most of the world s population might be lactose intolerant. It is possible to produce lactose removed skim milk. Another approach with lactose is to hydrolyse it to its constituent monosaccharides. As well as avoiding lactose intolerance this allows a syrup to be produced from cheese whey. These syrups are offered as an ingredient for toffees and caramels. 

Enzymes (lactase) 1,250 neutral lactase unity 4 drops 3-4 drops taken with milk or dairy product... 

Enzymes are involved in many functions of the human body, including digestion and metabolism. For example, the enzyme lactase is responsible for catalyzing the breakdown of lactose, a sugar found in milk. People who are lactose-intolerant are usually missing lactase, or they have insufficient amounts. If you are lactose-intolerant, you can take commercially produced supplements that contain lactase. 

Lactose is the sugar present in milk, which is hydrolysed by the enzyme lactase... 

Lactase The disaccharide lactose is the only carbohydrate present in milk, which is essential for survival of an infant. Consequently, the enzyme lactase is essential for babies. Caucasians retain lactase activity into adulthood, whereas many Asian or African groups progressively lose its activity in adult life. This could, therefore, be described as an adult deficiency disease. Ingestion of milk in these individuals causes nausea, diarrhoea and stomach cramps. Symptoms disappear if milk is excluded from the diet or if a source of lactase is ingested along with or before ingestion of milk. The bacteria that are involved in the production of yoghurt contain the enzyme lactase. 

The milk of mammals contains the disaccharide lactose as the predominant carbohydrate, to the extent of about 4-8%. Lactose, therefore, provides the basic carbohydrate nutrition for infants, who metabolize it via the hydrolytic enzyme lactase. Lactase enzyme... 

Many i rsons from non-Eastern European-derived cultures are unable to tolerate large quantities of the milk sugar lactose because of the absence of enough of the active digestive enzyme, lactase. In these persons, consumption of lactose results in effects similar to those described for oligosaccharide consumption. Severe intolerance can result in malabsorption of all nutrients from the diet due to diarrhea. 

Lactose ( milk sugar5 ), melting point 202°C (anhydrous). With the enzyme lactase yields glucose plus galactose. Specific rotatory power +52.4°. 

As a result of these activities the ingested carbohydrates, protein and fats are broken down to small molecules suitable for absorption (monosaccharides, amino acids (AAs) and monoglycerides, respectively). In contrast to the situation in the pig, the disaccharide lactose (milk sugar) is only partly utilized by chickens because they lack the enzyme (lactase) necessary for its breakdown. As a result, most milk products are not ideally suited for use in poultry diets. 

Lactose is hydrolyzed to glucose and galactose in the intestine by the enzyme lactase. People who are lactose-intolerant lack this enzyme. In these people, lactose advances in the digestive tract to the large intestine, where it is fermented by intestinal bacteria to produce large amounts of carbon dioxide and organic acids. Today, people with lactose intolerance can purchase milk in which the lactose has already been hydrolyzed, or can buy lactase supplements. 

Figure 25-2. Hydrolysis of lactose to component monosaccharides by the enzyme lactase.

The disaccharide lactose, is only found in milk and is hydrolysed with water in the presence of an enzyme lactase to form the monosaccharide glucose and galactose. This occurs in the small intestine. Some people, and particularly those from Eastern and African countries, are deficient in lactase so they are intolerant of milk. This can cause diarrhoea. Many African and Chinese foods do not include milk for this reason. 

Many adults are unable to metabolize the milk sugar lactose and experience gastrointestinal disturbances if they drink milk. Lactose intolerance, or hypolactasia, is most commonly caused by a deficiency of the enzyme lactase, which cleaves lactose into glucose and galactose. 

A deficiency in the enzyme lactase give rise to lactose intolerance, and this disorder occurs most commonly among Afro-Americans, Asians, Native Americans and Hispanics. 

Lactase, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of lactose, is also a bifunctional enzyme. Lactase resides on the same polypeptide chain as phlorizin hydrolase. The entire protein is called lactase-phlorizin hydrolase. The N-lermu ial end of the polypeptide resides in the lumen, and bears the lactase activity. The central portion of the... 

The enzyme lactase catalyzes the hydrolysis of lactose in the lumen of the gut. Generally, intestinal lactase activity occurs at a maximal level from birth through early childhood. Then activity declines to a residual level of 5 10% by the age of. 3 or later in most populations of the world. In persons of European descent, lactase activity can remain at a high level throughout adulthood. Low levels of lactase... 

In reality, no single excipient would satisfy all the criteria therefore, a compromise of the different requirements has to be made. For example, although widely used in pharmaceutical tablet and capsule formulations as a diluent, lactose may not be suitable for patients who lack the intestinal enzyme lactase to break down the sugar, thus leading to the gastrointestinal tract symptoms such as cramps and diarrhea. The role of excipients varies substantially depending on the individual dosage form. 

Lactose is widely used in pharmaceutical formulations as a diluent and filler-binder in oral capsule and tablet formulations. It may also be used in intravenous injections. Adverse reactions to lactose are largely due to lactose intolerance, which occurs in individuals with a deficiency of the intestinal enzyme lactase, and is associated with oral ingestion of amounts well over those in solid dosage forms. 

Adverse reactions to lactose are largely due to lactose intolerance, which occurs in individuals with a deficiency of the enzyme lactase. 

The most efficient of the three catalysts compared in Figure 12 is an enzyme. Enzymes are large protein molecules. Their biological role is to catalyze metabolic processes that otherwise would happen too slowly to help the organism. For example, the enzyme lactase catalyzes the reaction of water with the sugar lactose, present in milk. People whose bodies lack the ability to produce lactase have what is known as lactose intolerance. 

The lack of digestive enzyme lactase in many Hispanics, especially Mexican-Americans and African-Americans, causes lactose intolerance, with nausea, diarrhea and occasionally vomiting. It is understandable that lactose is no longer preferred as a filler (non-active excipient) in tablets and capsules. 

Enzymes are now used in medicine to treat disorders that result from their deficiency. For example, lactase is an enzyme that breaks down mUk sugar, which is called lactose, so that the two smaller sugar molecules of which it is composed can be absorbed by the digestive tract. Certain people who suffer from lactose intolerance gradually lose the ability to make the enzyme lactase as they mature. 

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