A recent column about dairy foods brought these questions from Nancy in Arizona: “Are you paid by the dairy association? Why would you claim that lactose intolerant people can eat dairy in moderation?”
No, Nancy, I am not paid by the dairy or any other food industry organization. The statement in my previous column that people with an intolerance to lactose (the natural sugar in milk products) can still enjoy dairy foods in moderation was not my claim. It was a statement based on current research.
A 2021 update on the diagnosis and treatment of lactose intolerance in the journal Nutrition Research states: “Although in the past the focus was mainly on the exclusion of milk and dairy products from the diet, today we try to maintain a minimum daily [intake] of these foods.”
